[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 231 (Friday, November 30, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59814-59815]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-29795]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; 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 submitting to OMB for review and approval an information collection 
request (ICR) for form MMS-131, Performance Measures Data. We are also 
soliciting comments from the public on this ICR.

DATES: Submit written comments by December 31, 2001.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments directly to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Department of the Interior (1010-0112), 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503. Mail or hand-carry a copy of your 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 your comments to MMS, 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: Form MMS-131, Performance Measures Data.
    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 resource development with 
protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments; ensure the 
public a fair and equitable return on the resources of the OCS; and 
preserve and maintain free enterprise competition. These 
responsibilities are among those delegated to 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.
    In 1991 MMS began promoting, 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 are requesting OMB approval for a routine renewal of the 
form MMS-131, Performance Measures Data. There are a few editorial 
changes, but no changes to the data elements.
    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 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 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 part 2).
    Frequency: The frequency is annual, with responses due during the 
1st quarter of each calendar year.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 100 
Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: 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. The 
total annual hour burden is estimated to be 760 hours.
    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: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq.) 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.
    To comply with the public consultation process, on August 16, 2001, 
we published a Federal Register notice (66 FR 43023) announcing that

[[Page 59815]]

we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided the 
required 60-day comment period. In addition, Sec. 250.199 provides the 
OMB control numbers for the information collection requirements imposed 
by the 30 CFR part 250 regulations and forms; specifies that the public 
may comment at any time on these collections of information; and 
provides the address to which they should send comments. This 
information is also contained in the PRA statement on form MMS-131. We 
have received no comments in response to these efforts.
    If you wish to comment in response to this notice, send your 
comments directly to the offices listed under the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice. The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the 
information collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to 
ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public comments by 
December 31, 2001.
    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 1, 2001.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 01-29795 Filed 11-29-01; 8:45 am]
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