[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 60 (Thursday, March 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15787-15789]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06272]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Transportation Statistics

[Docket Number DOT-OST-2017-0043]


Agency Information Collection Activity; Notice of Request for 
Approval To Continue To Collect Information: Barrier Failure Reporting 
in Oil and Gas Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf

AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. 
Department of Transportation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, this notice announces the intention of BTS to request the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve continuation of the 
following information collection: Barrier Failure Reporting in Oil and 
Gas Operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). In August 2013, 
the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and BTS 
signed an Interagency Agreement (IAA) to develop and implement SafeOCS, 
a voluntary program for confidential reporting of `near misses' 
occurring on the OCS. BTS has entered into a memorandum of 
understanding (MOU) with BSEE to expand the scope of SafeOCS to include 
an industry-wide repository of equipment failure data, analyze and 
aggregate information provided under this program, and publish reports 
that will provide BSEE, the industry, and all OCS stakeholders with 
essential information about failure types and modes of critical safety 
barriers for offshore operations related to well control. The data 
collection effort that is the subject of this notice addresses the 
collection of failure data as referenced in recently issued BSEE 
regulations (81 FR 25887, April 29, 2016) and (81 FR 61834, September 
7, 2016). BTS received permission to collect the data under an 
emergency OMB control number on September 29, 2016. Through this 
notice, BTS is requesting permission to continue this previously 
approved data collection. This information collection is necessary to 
aid BSEE, the oil and gas industry, and other stakeholders in 
identifying barrier failure trends and causes of critical safety 
barrier failure events.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by May 30, 2017.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that your comments are not entered more than once 
into the docket, submit comments by only one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically. Docket Number: DOT-OST-2017-0043.
     Mail: Docket Services, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: Deliver to mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: (202) 493-2251.

Identify all transmissions with ``Docket Number DOT-OST-2017-0043'' at 
the beginning of each page of the document.
    Instructions: All comments must include the agency name and docket 
number for this notice. Paper comments should be submitted in 
duplicate. The Docket Management Facility is open for examination and 
copying, at the above address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. If you wish to receive confirmation of 
receipt of your written comments, please include a self-addressed, 
stamped postcard with the following statement: ``Comments on Docket 
Number DOT-OST-2017-0043.'' The Docket Clerk will date stamp the 
postcard prior to returning it to you via the U.S. mail. Please note 
that all comments received, including any personal information, will be 
posted and will be publicly viewable, without change, at 
www.regulations.gov. You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 
65, Number 70; pages 19477-78) or you may review the Privacy Act 
Statement at www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of 
Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Research and Technology, U.S. Department of

[[Page 15788]]

Transportation, Office of Statistical and Economic Analysis, RTS-31, 
E36-302, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001; Phone 
No. (202) 366-1610; Fax No. (202) 366-3383; email: 
[email protected]. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., EST, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Data Confidentiality Provisions: The confidentiality of barrier 
failure information submitted to BTS is protected under the BTS 
confidentiality statute (49 U.S.C. 6307) and the Confidential 
Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2002 
(Pub. L. 107-347, Title V). In accordance with these confidentiality 
statutes, only statistical (aggregated) and non-identifying data will 
be made publicly available by BTS through its reports. BTS will not 
release to BSEE or any other public or private entity any information 
that might reveal the identity of individuals or organizations 
mentioned in failure notices or reports without explicit consent of the 
respondent and any other affected entities.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. The Data Collection

    The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35; as 
amended) and 5 CFR part 1320 require each Federal agency to obtain OMB 
approval to initiate an information collection activity. BTS is seeking 
OMB approval to continue the following BTS information collection 
activity:
    Title: Barrier Failure Reporting in Oil and Gas Operations on the 
Outer Continental Shelf.
    OMB Control Number: 2139-0046.
    Type of Review: Approval of data collection. This information 
collection is limited to the establishment of BTS as an authorized 
repository for the previously approved BSEE information collections 
(OMB Control Number 1014-0028, expiration 04/30/2019, and OMB Control 
Number 1014-0003, expiration 08/31/2019) in order to ensure the 
confidentiality of submissions under CIPSEA.
    Respondents: BTS has entered into a MOU with BSEE to facilitate the 
collection of information from respondents identified in the BSEE 
notices for OMB Control Number 1014-0028 and OMB Control Number 1014-
0003. Responsibility for establishing the actual scope and burden for 
this collection resides with BSEE. This BTS information collection 
request does not create any additional burden for respondents. For the 
purposes of this collection BTS has identified BSEE as the sole 
respondent.
    Number of Potential Responses: For the purposes of this collection 
BTS has identified BSEE as the sole respondent reporting to BTS at the 
annual frequency of one.
    Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes.
    Frequency: Once.
    Total Annual Burden: 1 hour.
    Abstract: The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), can provide 
strong confidentiality protection for information acquired for 
statistical purposes under a pledge of confidentiality. CIPSEA Guidance 
from the Office of Management and Budget advises that a non-statistical 
agency or unit (BSEE) that wishes to acquire information with CIPSEA 
protection may consider entering into an agreement with a Federal 
statistical agency or unit (BTS). BTS and BSEE have determined that it 
is in the public interest to collect and process the barrier-related 
failure reports required by 30 CFR 250.730 and the safety and pollution 
prevention equipment failure reports required by 30 CFR 250.803, or any 
other data deemed necessary to administer BSEE's safety program 
pertaining to barrier failures under a pledge of confidentiality for 
statistical purposes only. BTS has agreed through an MOU with BSEE to 
undertake the information collection identified in the BSEE notice for 
OMB Control Number 1014-0028 and the BSEE notice for OMB Control Number 
1014-0003 in order to ensure the confidentiality of submissions under 
CIPSEA. Since this information collection is limited to the 
establishment of BTS as an authorized repository for the previously 
approved information collection (OMB Control Number 1014-0028, 
expiration 04/30/2019 and OMB Control Number 1014-0003, expiration 08/
31/2019), this information collections request does not create any 
additional burden for respondents.

II. Background

    In August 2013, BTS and BSEE signed an IAA to develop and implement 
SafeOCS, a voluntary program for confidential reporting of `near 
misses' occurring on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The goal of the 
voluntary near miss reporting system is to provide BTS with essential 
information about accident precursors and other hazards associated with 
OCS oil and gas operations. Under the program, BTS will develop and 
publish aggregate reports that BSEE, the industry and all OCS 
stakeholders can use--in conjunction with incident reports and other 
sources of information--to reduce safety and environmental risks and 
continue building a more robust OCS safety culture.
    In July 2016, new BSEE regulations became effective which require, 
in part, the reporting of barrier-related failure event and analysis 
information (see 81 FR 25887) and reporting of failure event and 
analysis information of safety and pollution prevention equipment (see 
81 FR 61834). BSEE requested and BTS agreed to expand the scope of 
SafeOCS to include reports of equipment failure mandated by a BSEE 
regulations (see 81 FR 25887 and 81 FR 61834), as well as near-miss 
reports voluntarily submitted by either employees or companies. Both 
BTS and BSEE agree that reports on equipment failures are considered a 
type of precursor safety information and can be included in SafeOCS to 
provide a means of identifying industry-wide data trends on barrier 
failures or potential for barrier failures. This data collection will 
provide parties in the oil and gas industry a trusted means to report 
sensitive proprietary and safety information related to equipment 
failures and to foster trust in the confidential collection, handling, 
and storage of the raw data. BTS will use the data collected to 
establish a comprehensive source of barrier-related failure data for 
statistical purposes. With input from subject matter experts, BTS will 
process and analyze information on equipment failures, and publish 
results of such analyses in public reports. Such reports will provide 
BSEE, the industry, and all OCS stakeholders with essential information 
about failure types and modes of critical safety barriers for offshore 
operations related to well control and production safety systems.
    BTS will continue to collect failure notices, failure analysis 
reports, and design change/modified procedures reports as described in 
30 CFR 250.730 and 30 CFR 250.803 submitted by industry operators, 
their contractors, original equipment manufacturers, and others 
employed in the oil and gas industry; develop an analytical database 
using the reported data and other pertinent information; conduct 
statistical analyses and develop public reports; and protect the 
confidentiality of notices and reports in accordance with BTS' own 
statute and CIPSEA. Accordingly, only statistical and non-sensitive 
information will be made available through BTS' publications and 
reports. Those publications and reports will potentially provide the 
industry, BSEE, other OCS stakeholders, and the public with valuable 
information regarding precursors to safety risks and

[[Page 15789]]

contribute to research and development of intervention programs aimed 
at preventing accidents and fatalities in the OCS.
    Respondents who report equipment failures will be asked to fill out 
a form and submit pertinent supplemental information as described in 30 
CFR 250.730, 30 CFR 250.803 and cited industry standards. Respondents 
will have the option to mail or submit the report electronically to 
BTS. Respondents will be asked to provide information such as: (1) Name 
and contact information; (2) time and location of the failure event; 
(3) a short description of the failure event and operating conditions 
that existed at the time of the event; (4) contributing factors to the 
event; (5) results of an investigation or safety analysis report; (6) 
any design or procedural changes as a result of the reported equipment 
failure; and (7) any other information that might be useful in 
determining ways to prevents such failures from occurring.

III. Request for Public Comment

    BTS requests comments on any aspects of this information collection 
request, including: (1) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and 
clarity of the collected information; and (2) ways to minimize the 
collection burden without reducing the quality of the information 
collected, including additional use of automated collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology.

Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant 
Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of 
Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2017-06272 Filed 3-29-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P