[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 227 (Monday, November 26, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59024-59026]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29382]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 and revision of a currently approved 
information collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0114).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the 
paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, subpart A, 
General.

DATES: Submit written comments by January 25, 2002.

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 1010-0114'' 
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. You may also contact Alexis London to obtain 
a copy at no cost of the regulations that require the subject 
collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart A, General.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0114.
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, as amended, 
43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., requires the Secretary of the Interior to 
preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources in the OCS in a 
manner which is consistent with the need to make such resources 
available to meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible; 
balance orderly energy resource development with protection of human, 
marine, and coastal environments; ensure the public a fair and 
equitable return on resources of the OCS; and preserve and maintain 
free enterprise competition. Section 1332(6) of the OCS Lands Act 
requires that ``operations in the [O]uter Continental Shelf should be 
conducted in a safe manner by well trained personnel using technology, 
precautions, and other techniques sufficient to prevent or minimize the 
likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control, fires, spillages, 
physical obstructions to other users of the waters or subsoil and 
seabed, or other occurrences which may cause damage to the environment 
or to property or endanger life or health.'' This authority and 
responsibility are among those delegated to MMS. To carry out these 
responsibilities, MMS has issued regulations for leasing and operations 
on the OCS. The ICR to be submitted to OMB for review and approval 
concerns the reporting and recordkeeping elements of the 30 CFR 250, 
subpart A, General regulations and related forms and Notices to Lessees 
and Operators (NTLs).
    Federal policy and statutes require us to recover the cost of 
services that confer special benefits to identifiable non-Federal 
recipients. Section 250.165 requires a State lessee to pay a fee when 
applying for a right-of-use and easement on the OCS. The Independent 
Offices Appropriation Act (31 U.S.C. 9701), OMB Circular A-25, and the 
Omnibus Appropriations Bill (Pub. L. 104-133, 110 Stat. 1321, April 26, 
1996) authorize agencies to collect these fees to reimburse us for the 
cost to process applications or assessments. This fee is the same as 
that required for filing pipeline right-of-way applications as 
specified in Sec. 250.1010(a).
    The MMS OCS Regions use the information collected under subpart A 
to ensure that operations on the OCS are carried out in a safe and 
pollution-free manner, do not interfere with the rights of other users 
on the OCS, and balance the development of OCS resources with the 
protection of the environment. Responses are mandatory. No questions of 
a ``sensitive'' nature are asked. MMS will protect proprietary 
information according to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) 
and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 2), 30 CFR 250.196 (Data and 
information to be made available to the public) and 30 CFR part 252 
(OCS Oil and Gas Information Program).
    Frequency: The frequency varies by section, but is generally ``on 
occasion.''
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 1 
State and 130 Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burdens: The 
following chart details the individual reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements and respective hour burden estimates of the ICR we will 
submit to OMB. In calculating the burdens, we assumed that respondents 
perform certain requirements in the normal course of their activities. 
We consider these to be usual and customary and took that into account 
in estimating the burden. We welcome your comments on our estimates of 
the burden hours for these requirements.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart A and related                                                      Hour burden per
                  forms/NTLs                        Reporting or recordkeeping requirement       response/record
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Reporting Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
104..........................................  Appeal orders or decisions--burden included      ................
                                                with 30 CFR 290 (1010-0121).
109(a); 110..................................  Submit welding, burning, and hot tapping plans.                 2
115; 116.....................................  Request determination of well producibility;                    3
                                                submit data & information; notify MMS of test.
118; 119; 121; 124...........................  Apply for injection or subsurface storage of                    8
                                                gas.
133..........................................  Request reimbursement for food, quarters, and                   1
                                                transportation provided to MMS representatives
                                                (OCS Lands Act specifies reimbursement; no
                                                requests received in many years; minimal
                                                burden).
135 (MMS internal process)...................  Submit performance improvement plan under MMS                  20
                                                implementing procedures for enforcement
                                                actions.
140..........................................  Request various oral approvals not specifically             \1/4\
                                                covered elsewhere in regulatory requirements.

[[Page 59025]]

 
141..........................................  Request approval to use new or alternative                      7
                                                procedures, including BAST, not specifically
                                                covered elsewhere in regulatory requirements.
142..........................................  Request approval of departure from operating                    2
                                                requirements not specifically covered
                                                elsewhere in regulatory requirements.
143; 144; 145; Form MMS-1123.................  Submit designation of operator & report change              \1/4\
                                                of address or notice of termination; submit
                                                designation of local agent.
150; 151; 152; 154(a)........................  Name and identify facilities, etc., with signs.                 2
150; 154(b)..................................  Identify wells with paint or signs.............                 1
160; 161.....................................  OCS lessees: Apply for right of use and                         5
                                                easement to construct and maintain off-lease
                                                platforms, artificial islands, and
                                                installations and other devices.
165..........................................  State lessees: Apply for right-of-use and                       5
                                                easement to construct and maintain off-lease
                                                platforms, artificial islands, and
                                                installations and other devices.
166..........................................  State lessees: Furnish surety bond--burden       ................
                                                included with 30 CFR 256 (1010-0006).
168; 170; 171; 172; 174; 175; 177; 180(b),     Request suspension of operations (SOO) or                      10
 (d).                                           production (SOP); submit schedule of work
                                                leading to commencement.
Condition of approval of.....................  Submit progress reports on SOO or SOP..........                 2
177(a).......................................  Conduct site-specific study; submit results. No                80
                                                instances requiring this study in several
                                                years--could be necessary if a situation
                                                occurred such as severe damage to a platform
                                                or structure caused by a hurricane or a vessel
                                                collision.
177(b), (c), (d); 182; 183, 185; 194.........  Various references to submitting new, revised,   ................
                                                or modified exploration plan, development/
                                                production plan, or development operations
                                                coordination document, and related surveys/
                                                reports--burden included with 30 CFR 250,
                                                subpart B (1010-0049).
180(a), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j)..............  Notify and submit report on various                         \1/2\
                                                leaseholding operations and lease production
                                                activities.
180(e).......................................  Request more than 180 days to resume operations                 3
181(d); 182(b), 183(b)(2)....................  Request termination of suspension and                          30
                                                cancellation of lease (no requests in recent
                                                years for termination/cancellation of a lease;
                                                minimal burden).
184..........................................  Request compensation for lease cancellation.                   50
                                                OCS Lands Act specifies compensation (no
                                                qualified lease cancellations in many years;
                                                minimal burden compared to benefit).
190..........................................  Submit requests, applications, and notices       ................
                                                under various regulations--burden included
                                                with applicable requirement.
191..........................................  Report accidents, deaths, serious injuries,                     7
                                                fires, explosions and blowouts.
191(a).......................................  Report spills of oil--burden included with 30    ................
                                                CFR 254 (1010-0091).
192; Form MMS-132............................  Daily report of evacuation statistics for                       1
                                                natural occurrence/hurricane (form MMS-132
                                                used in Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR)).
193..........................................  Report apparent violations or non-compliance...                 1
194 exception requests; NTL..................  Request departures from conducting                              1
                                                archaeological resources surveys and/or
                                                submitting reports in GOMR.
194(c).......................................  Report archaeological discoveries (only one                     1
                                                instance in many years; minimal burden).
195..........................................  Submit data/information for post-lease           ................
                                                geological and geophysical activity and
                                                request reimbursement--burden included with 30
                                                CFR 251 (1010-0048).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                           Recordkeeping Requirements
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
108(a).......................................  Retain records of crane inspection, testing,                    2
                                                and maintenance for 2 years; crane operator
                                                qualifications 4 years.
109(b).......................................  Retain welding, burning, and hot tapping plan               \1/2\
                                                and approval for the life of the facility.
132(b)(3)....................................  Make available all records related to                           1
                                                inspection not specifically covered elsewhere
                                                in regulatory requirements.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: The 
application filing fee required in Sec. 250.165 is the only paperwork 
cost burden identified for the subpart A regulations. This filing fee 
is currently set at $2,350.
    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: Before submitting an ICR to OMB, 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.
    Agencies must also estimate the ``non-hour cost'' burdens to 
respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of 
information. The application fee discussed previously is the only 
identified non-hour cost burdens for the information collection aspects 
of 30 CFR 250, subpart A. Therefore, if you have costs to generate, 
maintain, and disclose this information, you 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. Capital 
and startup costs include, among other items, computers and software 
you purchase to prepare

[[Page 59026]]

for collecting information, monitoring, and record storage facilities. 
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.
    We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them 
in our submission for OMB approval. As a result of your comments, we 
will make any necessary adjustments to the burden in our submission to 
OMB.
    Public Comment Policy: 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: November 7, 2001.
E. P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 01-29382 Filed 11-23-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-W