[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44362-44363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19072]


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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 an information collection (1010-0137).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information 
collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork 
requirements for the Notice to Lessees (NTL) on the Historical Well 
Data Cleanup (HWDC) Project. This notice also provides the public a 
second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these 
regulatory requirements.

DATES: Submit written comments by August 27, 2003.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments either by fax (202) 395-5806 or e-
mail ([email protected]) directly to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department 
of the Interior (1010-0137). 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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Historical Well Data Cleanup (HWDC) Project.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0137.
    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 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.
    The OCSLA at 43 U.S.C. 1332(6) states that ``operations in the 
[O]uter Continental Shelf should be conducted in a safe manner by well-
trained personnel using technology, precautions, and techniques 
sufficient to prevent or minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of 
well control, fires, spillages, physical obstruction 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.''
    The MMS's Historical Well Data Cleanup Project, NTL 98-29, Addendum 
2, is currently underway and is expected to last several years to allow 
operators ample time to provide the missing or corrected data. The 
information we collect under NTL 98-29, Addendum 2, is missing data for 
wellbores that MMS has not assigned API numbers and other well data 
discovered as missing while completing the well data base cleanup 
project.
    We are not able to manage and utilize data from drilling operations 
accurately without the information for the missing wells. We will use 
the information to identify other well data (e.g., logs, surveys, 
tests) missing from our records, geologically map existing MMS data to 
the correct wellbore/location, and correctly exchange information with 
the operators and industry. Our geoscientists use the information to 
evaluate resources for lease sales for fair market value. With respect 
to safety concerns, we believe that there may be anywhere from 3,000 to 
5,000 unidentified completed and abandoned wellbores (bypasses and 
sidetracks), some of which may contain stuck drill pipe or other 
materials. In approving permits and other operations in an area, it is 
important for us to know what may be adjacent to or near the vicinity 
of the activity we are approving to minimize the risk of blowouts, loss 
of well control, and endangerment to life, health, and the environment. 
This is particularly important as, over the years, the number of wells 
drilled constantly increases, thereby increasing the risk to adjacent 
activities if operators are not aware of what might be in the area.
    Frequency: On occasion--one-time response.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
estimated annual ``hour'' burden for this information collection is a 
total of 56,250 hours for the remaining 25,000 wells based on:

\1/4\ hour to locate/copy scout tickets for each well:
    .25 hour x 25,000 wells =                                      6,250
2 hours to retrieve/analyze each well file:
    2 hours x 25,000 wells =                                      50,000
                                                               ---------
        Total                                                     56,250
 

    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no reporting and recordkeeping ``non-hour cost'' 
burdens associated with the collection of information.
    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 February 19, 
2003, we published a Federal Register notice (68 FR 8044) announcing 
that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided 
the required 60-day comment period. We

[[Page 44363]]

have received no comments in response to these efforts.
    If you wish to comment in response to this notice, you may send 
your comments to the offices listed under the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. 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 August 27, 2003.
    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 the 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: April 9, 2003.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 03-19072 Filed 7-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-MR-P