[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 214 (Monday, November 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67066-67067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24195]



[[Page 67066]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[OMB Control Number 1010-0176; Docket ID: BOEM-2017-0016]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Renewable 
Energy and Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer 
Continental Shelf

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing this information 
collection request (ICR) to renew the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) Control Number 1010-0176.

DATES: Comments must be received by OMB no later than December 7, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your written comments on this ICR to the OMB's desk 
officer for the Department of the Interior at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. From the www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain landing page, 
find this information collection by selecting ``Currently under 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
Please provide a copy of your comments by parcel delivery 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 OMB Control 
Number 1010-0006 in the subject line of your comments. You may also 
comment by searching the docket number BOEM-2017-0016 at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 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.

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.
    Title of Collection: ``30 CFR part 585, Renewable Energy and 
Alternate Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf.''
    Abstract: The ICR addresses the paperwork requirements in the 
regulations under ``30 CFR part 585, Renewable Energy and Alternate 
Uses of Existing Facilities on the Outer Continental Shelf [OCS]'' 
issued pursuant to the OCS Lands Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1331 et 
seq.). The OCS Lands Act at subsection 8(p) (43 U.S.C. 1337(p)) 
authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to issue leases, easements, or 
rights-of way on the OCS for activities that produce or support 
production, transportation, or transmission of energy from sources 
other than oil and gas, including renewable energy. Subsection 8(p) 
directs the Secretary to issue any necessary regulations to carry out 
the OCS renewable energy program. The Secretary delegated this 
authority to BOEM. BOEM issued regulations for OCS renewable energy 
activities at 30 CFR part 585; this notice concerns the reporting and 
recordkeeping elements required by these regulations.
    Respondents are parties interested in obtaining a lease or grant 
for renewable energy activities on the OCS; lessees and grantees 
submitting plans for commercial and noncommercial renewable energy 
projects on the OCS, and, if such plans are approved, constructing, 
operating, maintaining, and decommissioning those projects; and 
applicants for, or holders of, rights-of-use and easement for alternate 
uses of existing facilities on the OCS. BOEM must ensure that these 
activities are carried out in a manner that provides for, among other 
things, safety, protection of the environment, and consideration of 
other OCS users. In order to execute its duties, BOEM requires 
information regarding potential purchasers of leases, grants, and 
rights-of-way; their proposed activities; their financial assurance 
instruments to ensure accrued obligations are met; and their payments 
to the U.S. Treasury.
    BOEM uses forms to collect information to ensure proper and 
efficient administration of OCS renewable energy leases and grants and 
to document the financial responsibility of lessees and grantees. Forms 
BOEM-0002, BOEM-0003, BOEM-0004, and BOEM-0006 are used, respectively, 
by renewable energy entities on the OCS to assign a grant interest, 
assign a lease interest, relinquish a lease or grant, and designate an 
operator. Form BOEM-0005 is used to document a surety's guarantee of 
lessees' and grantees' performance. BOEM maintains the submitted forms 
as official lease and grant records.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0176.
    Form Number:

 BOEM-0002, ``Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy 
Assignment of Grant;''
 BOEM-0003, ``Assignment of Record Title Interest in Federal 
OCS Renewable Energy Lease;''
 BOEM-0004, ``Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy 
Lease or Grant Relinquishment Application;''
 BOEM-0005, ``Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy 
Lessee's, Grantee's, and Operator's Bond;'' and
 BOEM-0006, ``Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Renewable Energy 
Lease or Grant Designation of Operator.''

    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Companies interested in renewable 
energy-related uses on the OCS and holders of leases and grants under 
30 CFR part 585.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 265 responses.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 18,783 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory or required to obtain or retain 
a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion or annually.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: $3,816,000 non-hour 
costs. The non-hour cost burdens consist of service fees and payments 
to a contractor for drafting BOEM-required documents, preparing and 
conducting site-specific studies, and writing reports to evaluate 
potential causes of harm to natural resources.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The estimated 
annual hour burden for this collection is 18,783 hours. In calculating 
the burden, BOEM recognized that some of its required information 
collections are incurred by respondents in the normal course of their 
activities, like compiling and maintaining business records. BOEM 
considers some information collection activities to be usual and 
customary business practices

[[Page 67067]]

and excluded those activities from its account in estimating the 
burden.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period on 
this proposed ICR was published on September 2, 2022 (87 FR 54250). 
BOEM did not receive any comments during the 60-day comment period.
    BOEM is again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR. 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?
    Public Comment Notice: Comments submitted in response to this 
notice are a matter of public record and will be available for public 
review on www.reginfo.gov. 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. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the 
context of this ICR, your comment is subject to the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA). If your comment is requested under the FOIA, 
your information will only be withheld if BOEM determines that a FOIA 
exemption to disclosure applies. BOEM will make such a determination in 
accordance with the Department of the Interior's (DOI) FOIA regulations 
and applicable law.
    In order for BOEM to consider withholding from disclosure your 
personally identifiable information, you must identify, in a cover 
letter, any information contained in your comments that, if released, 
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal 
privacy. You must also briefly describe any possible harmful 
consequence of the disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, 
injury, or other harm.
    Note that BOEM will make available for public inspection all 
comments on www.reginfo.gov, in their entirety, submitted by 
organizations and businesses or by individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives of organizations or businesses.
    BOEM protects proprietary information in accordance with FOIA (5 
U.S.C. 552), DOI's implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2), and 30 CFR 
585.113.
    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.).

Karen Thundiyil,
Chief, Office of Regulations, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2022-24195 Filed 11-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P