[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14423-14425]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7008]


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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 a revision of a currently approved information 
collection (1010-0049).

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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. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the 
paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, subpart B, 
``Exploration and Development and Production Plans.''

DATES: Submit written comments by May 27, 2003.

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 address is: [email protected]. 
Reference ``Information Collection 1010-0049'' in your e-mail subject 
line and mark your message for return receipt. Include your name and 
return address in your message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arlene Bajusz, Rules Processing Team, 
(703) 787-1600. You may also contact Arlene Bajusz to obtain a copy, at 
no cost, of the regulations and forms that require the subject 
collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart B, Exploration and Development and 
Production Plans.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0049.
    Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, as amended 
(43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq. and 43 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), authorizes the 
Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to prescribe rules and 
regulations to administer leasing of the OCS. Such rules and 
regulations will apply to all operations conducted under a lease. 
Operations on the OCS must preserve, protect, and develop oil and 
natural gas resources in a manner that is consistent with the need to 
make such resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as 
rapidly as possible; to balance orderly energy resource development 
with protection of human, marine, and coastal environments; to ensure 
the public a fair and equitable return on the resources of the OCS; and 
to preserve and maintain free enterprise competition.
    Sections 11 and 25 of the amended OCS Lands Act require the holders 
of OCS oil and gas and sulphur leases to submit exploration plans (EPs) 
and development and production plans (DPPs) for approval before 
starting these activities. The implementing regulations and associated 
information collection

[[Page 14424]]

requirements are contained in 30 CFR 250, subpart B, Exploration and 
Development and Production Plans. In addition, MMS has issued Notices 
to Lessees and Operators (NTLs) that provide supplementary guidance and 
procedures as applicable to each Region or nationally. These NTLs 
address the various surveys, reports, plans (including deep water 
operations plans and conservation information), etc., that are 
necessary for MMS to approve the exploration or development and 
production activities.
    With this submission, we are requesting renewal of the currently 
approved information collection requirements of subpart B, and related 
NTLs, and are revising form MMS-137, OCS Plan Information Form. The 
revised form has been redesigned and includes additional information on 
schedule and description of proposed activities and associated anchors 
with no change to the burden.
    The MMS engineers, geologists, geophysicists, and environmental 
scientists use the information collected under subpart B, and related 
NTLs, to analyze and evaluate the planned operations to ensure that 
they will not adversely affect the marine, coastal, or human 
environment and that they conserve the resources of the OCS. It would 
be impossible for the Regional Supervisor to make an informed decision 
on whether to approve the proposed plans, or whether modifications are 
necessary, without the analysis and evaluation of the required 
information. The affected States also review the information collected 
for consistency with approved Coastal Zone Management plans.
    We will protect information respondents submit that is considered 
proprietary under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its 
implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2) and 30 CFR 250.196. No items 
of a sensitive nature are collected. Responses are mandatory.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved annual reporting and recordkeeping burden for this 
collection is 257,470 hours. The following chart details the individual 
components and respective hour burden estimates of this ICR. 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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Average
 Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart B and        Reporting and          burden
           related NTLs             recordkeeping requirement   (hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
201...............................  Notify MMS and others of          10
                                     preliminary activities
                                     and submit follow-up
                                     information.
202...............................  Submit conservation              300
                                     information documents..
203...............................  Submit initial                   580
                                     exploration plan,
                                     including surveys,
                                     reports, studies, GOM
                                     Region forms MMS-137,
                                     MMS-138, MMS-139, etc.,
                                     including notification
                                     requirements.
203(i), (j), (k), (l), (n), (q)...  Submit revised/modified           80
                                     exploration plan,
                                     including surveys,
                                     reports, studies,
                                     departures, etc.
203(o); 204(s)....................  Conduct surveys or                 2
                                     monitoring programs and
                                     submit results; form MMS-
                                     141.
203(p); 204(t)....................  Submit Application for             0
                                     Permit to Drill. (Burden
                                     covered under 1010-
                                     0044.)
204...............................  Submit initial                   580
                                     development and
                                     production plan (or DOCD
                                     used in western GOM),
                                     including surveys,
                                     reports, studies, GOM
                                     Region forms MMS-137,
                                     MMS-138, MMS-139, etc.,
                                     including notification
                                     requirements.
204...............................  Submit deepwater                 580
                                     operations plans for
                                     projects in GOM water
                                     depths greater than
                                     1,000 feet and projects
                                     utilizing subsea
                                     production technology.
204(k)............................  Submit preliminary plans           2
                                     for tracts in vicinity
                                     of a DPP that requires
                                     NEPA procedures.
204(l), (m), (n), (o), (q), (u)...  Submit revised/modified           82
                                     development and
                                     production plan (or
                                     DOCD), including
                                     surveys, reports,
                                     studies, departures, etc.
250.200-250.204...................  General departure and              1
                                     alternative compliance
                                     requests not
                                     specifically covered
                                     elsewhere in subpart B.
Supplemental NTLs.................  Retain original copies of          2
                                     surveys, studies,
                                     reports, etc. (Note:
                                     Respondents would retain
                                     these as part of usual
                                     and customary business
                                     activities. The burden
                                     is to make them
                                     available to MMS if
                                     needed.)
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no non-hour cost burdens for this collection.
    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. 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 for collecting information, monitoring, and record storage 
facilities. You should not

[[Page 14425]]

include estimates for 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: March 14, 2003.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 03-7008 Filed 3-24-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P