[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 144 (Monday, July 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44363-44364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19073]


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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 (1010-0128).

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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 in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, Subpart O, ``Well 
Control and Production Safety Training.'' 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 (1010-0128). 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 that require the subject 
collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart O, Well Control and Production Safety 
Training.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0128.
    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.
    Section 1332(6) of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1332) 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 the Minerals Management 
Service (MMS). To carry out these responsibilities, MMS issues 
regulations governing oil and gas or sulphur operations in the OCS.
    Regulations at 30 CFR 250, subpart O, implement these safe 
operation requirements. The MMS uses the information collected under 
subpart O to ensure that workers in the OCS are properly trained with 
the necessary skills to perform their jobs in a safe and pollution-free 
manner. In some instances, MMS will conduct oral interviews of offshore 
employees to evaluate the effectiveness of a company's training 
program. The information collected is necessary to verify personnel 
training compliance with the requirements.
    Frequency: Primarily on occasion.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS lessees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
estimated annual ``hour'' burden for this information collection is a 
total of 2,067 hours. The following chart details the individual 
components and estimated hour burdens. 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.

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                                         Reporting &
  Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart O         recordkeeping                  Hour burden              Average No. annual responses       Annual burden hours
                                         requirement
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1502............................  Notify MMS of early       0                                 0 Notifications.................  0
                                   implementation of
                                   revised final
                                   regulations (final
                                   program is implemented
                                   10/15/02; requirement
                                   is no longer necessary).
1503(b), (c)....................  Develop training plans.   60                                2 New Plans.....................  120
                                   Note: Existing lessees/
                                   respondents already
                                   have training plans
                                   developed. This number
                                   reflects development of
                                   plans for any new
                                   lessees.

[[Page 44364]]

 
1503(c).........................  Maintain copies of        15 min. x 130 plans = 1,950 / 60  130 Recordkeepers...............  33 (rounded)
                                   training plan and
                                   employee training
                                   documentation for 5
                                   years.
                                  ........................  5 min. x 20,000 employee records  ................................  1,667 (rounded)
                                                             = 100,000 / 60
1503(c).........................  Upon request, provide     5                                 27 Submissions..................  135
                                   MMS copies of employee
                                   training documentation
                                   or provide copy of
                                   training plan.
1507(b).........................  Employee oral interview   10 min. x 562 interviews = 5,620  562 Interviews..................  94 (rounded)
                                   conducted by MMS.         / 60
1507(c), (d); 1508; 1509........  Written testind                             Exempt under 5 CFR 1320.3(h)(7).                  0
                                   conducted by MMS or
                                   authorized
                                   representative.
1510(b).........................  Revise training plan and  4                                 3 Respondents...................  12
                                   submit to MMS..
250.1500-1510...................  General departure or      2                                 3 Requests......................  6
                                   alternative compliance
                                   requests not
                                   specifically covered
                                   elsewhere in subpart O.
                                 ---------------------------
    Total Hour Burden...........  ........................  ................................  727 Responses...................  2,067
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no paperwork ``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 January 30, 
2003, we published a Federal Register notice (68 FR 4792) announcing 
that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided 
the required 60-day comment period. In addition, Section 250.199 
provides the OMB control number for the information collection 
requirements imposed by 30 CFR 250, subpart O, regulations. The 
regulation also informs the public that they may comment at any time on 
the collections of information and provides the address to which they 
should send comments. We 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 22, 2003.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 03-19073 Filed 7-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P