[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 159 (Thursday, August 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43023-43024]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-20640]



[[Page 43023]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved information 
collection (OMB control number 1010-0112).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will 
submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval of its routine renewal. The information collection request 
(ICR) concerns the Performance Measures Data Form MMS-131.

DATES: Submit written comments by October 15, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand-carry comments to the Department of the 
Interior; Minerals Management Service; Attention: Rules Processing 
Team; Mail Stop 4024; 381 Elden Street; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. 
If you wish to e-mail comments, the e-mail address is: 
[email protected]. Reference ``Information Collection 1010-0112'' 
in your e-mail subject line. Include your name and return address in 
your e-mail message and mark your message for return receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Rules Processing Team, 
telephone (703) 787-1600.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Performance Measures Data Form, Form MMS-131.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0112.
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 
1331 et seq.), as amended, requires the Secretary of the Interior to 
preserve, protect, and develop OCS oil, gas, and sulphur resources; 
make such resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as 
rapidly as possible; balance orderly energy resources development with 
protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments; ensure the 
public a fair and equitable return on the resources offshore; and 
preserve and maintain free enterprise competition. These 
responsibilities are among those delegated to the MMS. MMS generally 
issues regulations to ensure that operations in the OCS will meet 
statutory requirements; provide for safety and protect the environment; 
and result in diligent exploration, development, and production of OCS 
leases.
    Beginning in 1991, MMS has promoted, on a voluntary basis, the 
implementation of a comprehensive Safety and Environmental Management 
Program (SEMP) for the offshore oil and gas industry as a complement to 
current regulatory efforts to protect people and the environment during 
OCS oil and gas exploration and production activities. From the 
beginning, MMS, the industry as a whole, and individual companies 
realized that at some point they would want to know the effect of SEMP 
on safety and environmental management of the OCS. The natural 
consequence of this interest was the establishment of performance 
measures. We will be requesting OMB approval for a routine renewal of 
the performance measures data form MMS-131 without changes.
    The responses to this collection of information are voluntary, 
although we consider the information to be critical for assessing the 
effects of the OCS Safety and Environmental Management Program. We can 
better focus our regulatory and research programs on areas where the 
performance measures indicate that operators are having difficulty 
meeting MMS expectations. We are more effective in leveraging resources 
by redirecting research efforts, promoting appropriate regulatory 
initiatives, and shifting inspection program emphasis. The performance 
measures also give us valuable quantitative information to use in 
judging the reasonableness of company requests for alternative 
compliance or departures under 30 CFR 250.141 and 250.142. We also use 
the information collected to work with industry representatives to 
identify and request ``pacesetter'' companies to make presentations at 
periodic workshops.
    Knowing how the offshore operators as a group are doing and where 
their own company ranks provides company management with information to 
focus their continuous improvement efforts. This leads to more cost-
effective prevention actions and, therefore, better cost containment. 
This information also provides offshore operators and organizations 
with a credible data source to demonstrate to those outside the 
industry how well the industry and individual companies are doing.
    No questions of a ``sensitive'' nature are asked and the collection 
of information involves no proprietary information. We intend to 
release data collected on form MMS-131 only in a summary format that is 
not company-specific. We will protect the information according to the 
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing 
regulations (43 CFR 2).
    Frequency: The frequency is annual during the 1st quarter of the 
year.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved ``hour'' burden for form MMS-131 is 960 hours. We 
estimate the public reporting burden averages 12 hours per response. 
This includes the time for reviewing instructions, gathering and 
maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the information.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no ``non-hour cost'' burden associated with 
form MMS-131.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 
Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated 
to respond.
    Comments: Upon request we will provide a copy of the form MMS-131 
to you without charge. Before submitting an ICR to OMB for approval, 
PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A) requires each agency ``. . . to provide 
notice . . . and otherwise consult with members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning each proposed collection of information . 
. .''. Agencies must specifically solicit comments to: (a) Evaluate 
whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the 
agency to perform its duties, including whether the information is 
useful; (b) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) enhance the 
quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (d) minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology. We will summarize written responses to this notice and 
address them in our submission for OMB approval, including any 
appropriate adjustments to the estimated burden.
    Agencies must estimate both the ``hour'' and ``non-hour cost'' 
burdens to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection 
of information. We have not identified any non-hour cost burdens for 
the information collection aspects of form MMS-131. Therefore, if you 
have costs to generate, maintain, and disclose this information, you

[[Page 43024]]

should comment and provide your total capital and startup cost 
components or annual operation, maintenance, and purchase of service 
components. You should describe the methods you use to estimate major 
cost factors, including system and technology acquisition, expected 
useful life of capital equipment, discount rate(s), and the period over 
which you incur costs. Generally, your estimates should not include 
equipment or services purchased: (i) Before October 1, 1995; (ii) to 
comply with requirements not associated with the information 
collection; (iii) for reasons other than to provide information or keep 
records for the Government; or (iv) as part of customary and usual 
business or private practices.
    Public Comment Policy: We will summarize written responses to this 
notice and address them in our submission for OMB approval, including 
appropriate adjustments to the estimated burdens. Our practice is to 
make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, 
available for public review during regular business hours. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the 
record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There may 
be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a 
respondent's identity, as allowable by the law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at 
the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous 
comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available 
for public inspection in their entirety.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, 
(202) 208-7744.

    Dated: July 30, 2001.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 01-20640 Filed 8-15-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P