[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 96 (Monday, May 19, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28758-28761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11502]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

[Docket ID BSEE-2014-0005; OMB Control Number 1014-0015; 14XE1700DX 
EEEE500000 EX1SF0000.DAQ000]


Information Collection Activities: Unitization; Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: 60-Day notice.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is 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 a revision to the 
paperwork requirements in the regulations under Subpart M, Unitization.

DATES: You must submit comments by July 18, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods 
listed below.
     Electronically go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
Search box, enter BSEE-2014-0005 then click search. Follow the 
instructions to submit public comments and view all related materials. 
We will post all comments.
     Email [email protected]. Mail or hand-carry comments 
to the Department of the Interior; Bureau of Safety and Environmental 
Enforcement; Regulations and Standards Branch; ATTN: Cheryl Blundon; 
381 Elden Street, HE3313; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. Please 
reference ICR 1014-0019 in your comment and include your name and 
return address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Blundon, Regulations and 
Standards Branch at (703) 787-1607 to request additional information 
about this ICR.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: 30 CFR Part 250, Subpart M, Unitization.
    OMB Control Number: 1014-0015.
    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. Section 1334(a) specifies 
that the Secretary ``provide for the prevention of waste and 
conservation of the natural resources of the [O]uter Continental Shelf, 
and the protection of correlative rights therein'' and include 
provisions for ``unitization, pooling, and drilling agreements.''
    In addition to the general rulemaking authority of the OCS Lands 
Act at 43 U.S.C. 1334, section 301(a) of the Federal Oil and Gas 
Royalty Management Act (FOGRMA), 30 U.S.C. 1751(a), grants authority to 
the Secretary to prescribe such rules and regulations as are reasonably 
necessary to carry out FOGRMA's provisions. While the majority of 
FOGRMA is directed to royalty collection and enforcement, some 
provisions apply to offshore operations. For example, section 108 of 
FOGRMA, 30 U.S.C. 1718, grants the Secretary broad authority to inspect 
lease sites for the purpose of determining whether there is compliance 
with the mineral leasing laws. Section 109(c)(2) and (d)(1), 30 U.S.C. 
1719(c)(2) and (d)(1), impose substantial civil penalties for failure 
to permit lawful inspections and for knowing or willful preparation or 
submission of false, inaccurate, or misleading reports, records, or 
other information. Because the Secretary has delegated some of the 
authority under FOGRMA to BSEE, 30 U.S.C. 1751 is included as 
additional authority for these requirements.
    The Independent Offices Appropriations Act (31 U.S.C. 9701), the

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Omnibus Appropriations Bill (Pub. L. 104-133, 110 Stat. 1321, April 26, 
1996), and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-25, 
authorize Federal agencies to recover the full cost of services that 
confer special benefits. Under the Department of the Interior's 
implementing policy, BSEE is required to charge fees for services that 
provide special benefits or privileges to an identifiable non-Federal 
recipient above and beyond those which accrue to the public at large. 
Voluntary or revised unitization requests are required in Subpart M and 
are subject to cost recovery; BSEE regulations specify service fees for 
these requests.
    The BSEE must approve any lessee's proposal to enter an agreement 
to unitize operations under two or more leases and for modifications 
when warranted. We use the information to ensure that operations under 
the proposed unit agreement will result in preventing waste, conserving 
natural resources, and protecting correlative rights including the 
government's interests.
    This authority and responsibility are among those delegated to 
BSEE. This notice concerns the paperwork requirements of 30 CFR Part 
250, Subpart M, Unitization, and related documents. Responses are 
mandatory or are required to obtain or retain a benefit. No questions 
of a sensitive nature are asked. We protect proprietary information 
according to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and DOI's 
implementing regulations (43 CFR 2); 30 CFR 250.197, Data and 
information to be made available to the public or for limited 
inspection and 30 CFR part 252, OCS Oil and Gas Information Program.
    Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion.
    Description of Respondents: Potential respondents comprise Federal 
oil, gas, or sulphur lessees and/or operators.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The currently 
approved annual reporting and non-hour cost burdens for this collection 
are 3,348 hours and $170,728 non-hour cost burdens. In this submission, 
we are requesting a total of 5,772 burden hours and $138,188 non-hour 
cost burdens. The following chart details the individual components and 
respective hour and non-hour cost 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.
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    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Non-Hour Cost Burden: We have 
identified three non-hour cost burdens associated with this information 
collection. Section 250.1303 requires respondents to pay filing fees 
when (1) applying for a voluntary unitization proposal or unit 
expansion ($12,619), as well as a (2) unitization revision ($896). The 
filing fees are required to recover the Federal Government's processing 
costs. Section 250.1304(d) provides an opportunity for parties notified 
of compulsory unitization to request a hearing; therefore Sec.  
250.1304(e) requires the party seeking the compulsory unitization to 
(3) pay for the court reporter and three copies of the verbatim 
transcript of the hearing (approximately $500); for a total of 
$138,188. We have not identified any other non-hour cost burdens 
associated with this 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: 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 
collection is necessary or useful; (b) evaluate the accuracy 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 
technology.
    Agencies must also estimate the non-hour paperwork cost burdens to 
respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of 
information. Therefore, if you have other than hour burden 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. For further 
information on this burden, refer to 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(1) and (2), or 
contact the Bureau representative listed previously in this notice.
    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 Procedures: Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: May 10, 2014.
Robert W. Middleton,
 Deputy Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014-11502 Filed 5-16-14; 8:45 am]
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