[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 69 (Monday, April 11, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21133-21135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-07634]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[OMB Control Number 1010-0106; Docket ID: BOEM-2017-0016]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil Spill Financial 
Responsibility

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to renew an 
information collection request (ICR).

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 10, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this ICR by mail to the BOEM 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Anna Atkinson, Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166; 
or by email to [email protected]. Please reference Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1010-0106 in the subject 
line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Anna Atkinson by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 703-787-1025. Individuals in 
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States. 
You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, BOEM provides the general public and other Federal 
agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps BOEM assess the 
impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the 
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand BOEM's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format.
    BOEM is soliciting comments on the proposed ICR described below. 
BOEM is especially interested in public comments addressing the 
following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper 
functions of BOEM; (2) what can BOEM do to ensure that this information 
is processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the burden estimate 
accurate; (4) how might BOEM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (5) how might BOEM minimize the 
burden of this collection on the respondents, including minimizing the 
burden through the use of information technology?
    Comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. BOEM will include or summarize each comment in its 
request to OMB for approval of this ICR. You should be aware that your 
entire comment--including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personally identifiable information included in your comment--may 
be made publicly available. You may request that BOEM withhold from 
disclosure your personally identifiable information. Your request must 
identify any information contained in your comment that, if released, 
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal 
privacy. You also must briefly describe any possible harmful 
consequences of disclosure of that information, such as embarrassment, 
injury, or other harm. While you can ask in your comment that your 
personally identifiable information be withheld from public disclosure, 
BOEM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so under the law.
    BOEM protects proprietary information in accordance with the 
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), the Department of the 
Interior's implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2), and 30 CFR parts 
550 and 552 promulgated pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) 
Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1352(c)).
    Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 553, ``Oil Spill Financial 
Responsibility for Offshore Facilities.''
    Abstract: This ICR concerns the paperwork requirements in 30 CFR 
part 553, including any supplementary notices to lessees and operators 
that provide clarification, description, or explanation of these 
regulations, and forms BOEM-1016 through -1023, and BOEM-1025.
    BOEM uses forms to collect information to ensure proper and 
efficient administration of its oil spill financial responsibility 
requirements. BOEM collects information to:
     Provide a standard method for establishing whether a party 
is required to demonstrate oil spill financial responsibility for 
offshore facilities;
     Identify and maintain a record of those offshore 
facilities that have a potential oil spill liability requiring the 
demonstration of oil spill financial responsibility;
     Establish and maintain a continuous record of evidence of 
oil spill financial responsibility to assure payment of claims for oil 
spill cleanup and damages resulting from operations conducted on 
covered offshore facilities and from the transportation of oil from 
covered offshore facilities;
     Establish and maintain a continuous record of responsible 
parties, as defined in title I of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and 
their agents or authorized representatives for oil spill financial 
responsibility for covered offshore facilities; and
     Establish and maintain a continuous record of persons to 
contact and U.S. agents for service of process for claims associated 
with oil spills from covered offshore facilities.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0106.
    Type of Review: Renewal of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Designated applicants and holders of 
leases, permits, right-of-way grants, and right-of-use and easement 
grants on the OCS and in State coastal waters who are responsible 
parties. Other respondents

[[Page 21134]]

may be designated applicants' insurance agents and brokers, bonding 
companies, and guarantors. Some respondents may also be claimants.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,233 responses.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 34,695 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion or annual.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: There is no non-hour 
cost burden associated with this collection.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The current 
annual burden for this collection is 22,133 hours. BOEM proposes to 
increase the annual burden to 34,695 hours to account for changes in 
industry operations due to COVID and remote work. As COVID restrictions 
ease and continue to be lifted, BOEM expects an increase in the number 
of respondents annually due to industry practices developed during the 
pandemic as companies resume production and re-establish oil spill 
financial responsibility coverage.
    Remote work led to changes in how industry reviews and processes 
required documents. Prior to COVID, in-person meetings with a group of 
reviewers were held to complete the task quickly and efficiently. Now 
with many employees working from home, document preparation, review, 
and editing are taking longer as the documents move through several 
individual reviewers. Companies have provided this feedback through our 
outreach efforts. Therefore, BOEM is increasing hour burdens to account 
for the additional review and editing time. This increase in 
respondents and burden hours may be temporary and will be revisited by 
BOEM during future reviews of U.S. OCS supply and demand patterns.
    The following table details the individual components and 
respective hour burden estimates of this ICR. In the table, the term 
``oil spill financial responsibility'' has been shortened to ``OSFR.''

                                                Burden Breakdown
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                                                                                  Average number
      Citation 30 CFR part 553         Reporting requirement *      Hour burden      of annual     Annual burden
                                                                                     reponses          hours
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Various sections...................    The burdens for all references to submitting evidence of                0
                                       OSFR, as well as required or supporting information, are
                                                     covered with the forms below.
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                                        Applicability and Amount of OSFR
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11(a)(1); 40; 41...................  Form BOEM-1016--Designated                3             250             750
                                      Applicant Information
                                      Certification.
11(a)(1); 40; 41...................  Form BOEM-1017--Appointment              10             750           7,500
                                      of Designated Applicant.
11(a)(1); (2)......................  Form BOEM-1025--Independent               2             200             400
                                      Designated Applicant
                                      Information Certification.
12, 45.............................  Request for determination                 2               5              10
                                      of OSFR applicability.
                                      Provide required and
                                      supporting information.
15.................................  Notify BOEM of change in                  1               1               1
                                      ability to comply.
15(f)..............................  Provide claimant written                  1              15              15
                                      explanation of denial.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Subtotal.......................  ...........................  ..............           1,221           8,676
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                                         Methods for Demonstrating OSFR
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21-28; 40..........................  Form BOEM-1018--Self-                     3              50             150
                                      Insurance Information,
                                      including renewals.
30; 40; 41; 43.....................  Form BOEM-1023--Financial                 2              50             100
                                      Guarantee.
29; 40; 41; 43.....................  Form BOEM-1019--Insurance               120             150          18,000
                                      Certificate.
31; 40; 41; 43.....................  Form BOEM-1020--Surety Bond              24               4              96
32.................................  Proposal and supporting                 120               1             120
                                      information for
                                      alternative method to
                                      evidence OSFR (anticipate
                                      no proposals, but
                                      regulations provide the
                                      opportunity).
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Subtotal.......................  ...........................  ..............             255          18,466
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                                  Requirements for Submitting OSFR Information
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14; 40; 41; 43.....................  Form BOEM-1021--Covered                  10             255           2,550
                                      Offshore Facilities.
40-42..............................  Form BOEM-1022--Covered                  10             500           5,000
                                      Offshore Facility Changes.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Subtotal.......................  ...........................  ..............             755           7,550
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                                 Claims for Oil-Spill Removal Costs and Damages
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Subpart F..........................      Claims: BOEM is not involved in the claims process.                   0
                                         Assessment of burden for claims against the Oil Spill
                                        Liability Trust Fund (33 CFR parts 135, 136, 137) falls
                                           under the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard.
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60(d)..............................  Claimant request for BOEM                 2               1               2
                                      assistance to determine
                                      whether a guarantor may be
                                      liable for a claim.
62.................................  Within 15-calendar days of                1               1               1
                                      claim, designated
                                      applicant must notify the
                                      guarantor and responsible
                                      parties of the claim.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
        Subtotal...................  ...........................  ..............               2               3
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[[Page 21135]]

 
        Total Burden...............  ...........................  ..............           2,233          34,695
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* In the future, BOEM may require electronic filing of financial and bonding submissions.

    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid 
OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Peter Meffert,
Acting Chief, Office of Regulations.
[FR Doc. 2022-07634 Filed 4-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P