[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 223 (Monday, November 20, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67153-67155]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-19513]


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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 an extension of an information collection (1010-
0091).

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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 part 254, ``Oil-Spill 
Response Requirements for Facilities Located Seaward of the Coast 
Line.'' This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to 
comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

DATES: Submit written comments by December 20, 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-
0091).
    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 1010-0091, in the subject line.
     Fax: 703-787-1093. Identify with Information Collection 
Number 1010-0091.
     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 1010-0091'' in your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Blundon, Regulations and 
Standards Branch, (703) 787-1607. You may also contact Cheryl Blundon 
to obtain a copy, at no cost, of the ICR and the regulations that 
require the subject collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR 254, ``Oil-Spill Response Requirements for Facilities 
Located Seaward of the Coast Line.''
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0091.
    Abstract: The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), as 
amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), requires that a spill-
response plan be submitted for offshore facilities prior to February 
18, 1993. The OPA specifies that after that date, an offshore facility 
may not handle, store, or transport oil unless a plan has been 
submitted. This authority and responsibility are among those delegated 
to the Minerals Management Service (MMS) by Executive Order 12777. 
Regulations at 30 CFR part 254 establish requirements for spill-
response plans for oil-handling facilities seaward of the coast line, 
including associated pipelines.
    The MMS uses the information collected under 30 CFR 254 to 
determine compliance with OPA by owners/operators. Specifically, MMS 
needs the information to:

[[Page 67154]]

     Determine effectiveness of the spill-response capability 
of owners/operators.
     Review plans prepared under the regulations of a State and 
submitted to MMS to satisfy the requirements to ensure that they meet 
minimum requirements of OPA.
     Verify that personnel involved in oil-spill response are 
properly trained and familiar with the requirements of the spill-
response plans and to witness spill-response exercises.
     Assess the sufficiency and availability of contractor 
equipment and materials.
     Verify that sufficient quantities of equipment are 
available and in working order.
     Oversee spill-response efforts and maintain official 
records of pollution events.
     Assess the efforts of owners/operators to prevent oil 
spills or prevent substantial threats of such discharges.
    No proprietary, confidential, or sensitive information is 
collected. However, we will protect any information from respondents 
considered proprietary under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 
552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2) and under 
regulations at 30 CFR parts 250, 251, and 252. Responses are mandatory.
    Frequency: On occasion, monthly, annually, biennially, and 
triennially.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 197 
owners or operators of facilities located in both State and Federal 
waters seaward of the coast line.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
estimated annual ``hour'' burden for this information collection is a 
total of 35,070 hours. 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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                                                                                                                                                Annual
           Citation 30 CFR 254               Reporting requirement         Hour               Average number of annual  responses               burden
                                                                          burden                                                                hours
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254.1(a) thru (d); 254.2(a); 254.3 thru   Submit spill response plan           120  26 new plans...........................................        3,120
 254.5; 254.7; 254.20 thru 254.29;         for OCS facilities and
 254.44(b).                                related documents.
254.1(e)................................  Request MMS jurisdiction             0.5  2 requests.............................................            1
                                           over facility landward of
                                           coast line (no recent
                                           request received).
254.2(b)................................  Submit certification of               15  1 certification........................................           15
                                           capability to respond to
                                           worst case discharge or
                                           substantial threat of such.
254.2(c); 254.30........................  Submit revised spill                  36  177 revised plans......................................        6,372
                                           response plan for OCS                 1  1 No change............................................            1
                                           facilities at least every
                                           2 years; notify MMS of no
                                           change.
254.2(c)................................  Request deadline extension             4  11.....................................................           44
                                           for submission of revised
                                           plan.
254.8...................................  Appeal MMS orders or                         Exempt under 5 CFR 1320.4(a)(2), (c)                            0
                                           decisions.
254.40..................................  Make records of all OSRO-              5  20.....................................................          100
                                           provided services,
                                           equipment, personnel
                                           available to MMS.
254.41..................................  Conduct annual training;              25  197 owners/operators...................................        4,925
                                           retain training records
                                           for 2 years.
254.42(a) thru (e)......................  Conduct triennial response           110  134 exercises..........................................       14,740
                                           plan exercise; retain
                                           exercise records for 3
                                           years.
254.42(f)...............................  Inform MMS of the date of              1  170 notifications......................................          170
                                           any exercise (triennial).
254.43..................................  Inspect response equipment           3.5  55 inspections x 12 months = 660.......................        2,310
                                           monthly; retain inspection
                                           & maintenance records for
                                           2 years.
254.46(a)...............................  Notify NRC of all oil                    Burden would be included in the NRC inventory                       0
                                           spills from owner/operator
                                           facility.
254.46(b)...............................  Notify MMS of oil spills of            2  61 notifications & reports.............................          122
                                           one barrel or more from
                                           owner/operator facility;
                                           submit follow-up report.
254.46(c)...............................  Notify MMS & responsible               2  24 notifications.......................................           48
                                           party of oil spills from
                                           operations at another
                                           facility.
254.50; 254.51..........................  Submit response plan for              42  10 plans...............................................          420
                                           facility in State waters
                                           by modifying existing OCS
                                           plan.
254.50; 254.52..........................  Submit response plan for             100  9 plans................................................          900
                                           facility in State waters
                                           following format for OCS
                                           plan.
254.50; 254.53..........................  Submit response plan for              89  18 plans...............................................        1,602
                                           facility in State waters
                                           developed under State
                                           requirements.
254.54..................................  Submit description of oil-             5  36 submissions.........................................          180
                                           spill prevention
                                           procedures.
                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Hour Burden...................  ...........................  ...........  1,557..................................................       35,070
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[[Page 67155]]

    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 April 10, 2006, 
we published a Federal Register notice (71 FR 18113) announcing that we 
would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided the 
required 60-day comment period. In addition, 30 CFR 254.9 displays the 
OMB control number, specifies that the public may comment at anytime on 
the collection of information required in the 30 CFR 254 regulations, 
and provides the address to which they should send comments. We have 
received no comments in response to those 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 December 20, 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. 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. In addition, 
you must present a rationale for withholding this information. This 
rationale must demonstrate that disclosure ``would constitute an 
unwarranted invasion of privacy.'' Unsupported assertions will not meet 
this burden. In the absence of exceptional, documentable circumstances, 
this information will be released. 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: October 16, 2006.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
 [FR Doc. E6-19513 Filed 11-17-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P