[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 133 (Wednesday, July 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39351-39353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-10885]


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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 11, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this information collection 
directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
the Department of the Interior via OMB e-mail: ([email protected]); or by fax (202) 395-6566; identify with (1010-
0137).
    Submit a copy of your comments to the Department of the Interior, 
MMS, via:
     MMS's Public Connect on-line commenting system, https://ocsconnect.mms.gov. Follow the instructions on the Web site for 
submitting comments.
     E-mail MMS at [email protected]. Use Information 
Collection Number 1010-0137 in the subject line.

[[Page 39352]]

     Fax: 703-787-1093. Identify with Information Collection 
Number 1010-0137.
     Mail or hand-carry comments to the Department of the 
Interior; Minerals Management Service; Attention: Rules Processing Team 
(RPT); 381 Elden Street, MS-4024; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. Please 
reference ``Information Collection 1010-0137'' in your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Blundon, Rules Processing Team, 
(703) 787-1600. You may also contact Cheryl Blundon to obtain a copy, 
at no cost, of the ICR, the regulations, and the 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.
    Section 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 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.'' These 
responsibilities are among those delegated to the Minerals Management 
Service (MMS).
    To carry out these responsibilities, MMS 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 addition, we 
issue Notices to Lessees and Operators (NTLs) that provide 
clarification, explanation, and interpretation of our regulations. 
These NTLs are also used to convey purely informational material and to 
cover situations that might not be addressed in our regulations. The 
latter is the case for the information collection required in the 
attached NTL. Because of the unusual nature of this information 
collection, issuing an NTL is the appropriate means to collect the 
information.
    The subject of this information collection request is the 
``Historical Well Data Cleanup (HWDC) Project.'' It needs to be 
stressed that the information we are collecting is information that 
respondents are required to submit under regulations at 30 CFR part 250 
subpart D. However, in the past we did not always enforce this 
regulatory requirement for certain wellbores for several reasons. We 
did not foresee the value of this information for all wellbores, nor 
did we anticipate that not having the information would later create 
problems for the agency and others. We also did not have a 
sophisticated electronic database that could handle the information. We 
have instituted procedures designed to correct this problem, and we now 
collect all of the required information on a current basis (under 30 
CFR part 250, subpart D, OMB Control Number 1010-0141). Prior assurance 
to respondents that providing the information in connection with this 
project will not subject them to the penalties for not providing the 
information is still in place. We are requesting a renewal for the 
approval of this collection to allow operators more response time over 
a longer period to provide the missing or corrected data.
    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 
estimated annual ``hour'' burden for this information collection is a 
total of 15,000 hours for the remaining 6,000 wells based on:

0.5 hours to locate/copy scout  0.5 hrs x 6,000 wells = 3,000
 tickets for each well.
2 hours to retrieve/analyze     2 hours x 6,000 wells = 12,000
 each well file.
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    Total.....................  15,000
 

    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 February 10, 
2006, we published a Federal Register notice (71 FR 7064) announcing 
that 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 number for the information collection requirements 
imposed by the 30 CFR part 250 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 received two comments in response to these efforts, but 
they were not relevant to the information collection request.
    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

[[Page 39353]]

disapprove the information collection but may respond after 30 days. 
Therefore, to ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public 
comments by August 11, 2006.
    Public Comment Procedures: MMS's practice is to make comments, 
including names and addresses of respondents, available for public 
review. If you wish your name and/or address to be withheld, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. MMS will honor 
the request to the extent allowable by the law; however, anonymous 
comments will not be considered. All submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, will be 
made available for public inspection in their entirety.
    MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Arlene Bajusz, (202) 
208-7744.

    Dated: May 15, 2006.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. E6-10885 Filed 7-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P