[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2500-2501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-877]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved information
collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0068).
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SUMMARY: As part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and
respondent burden, MMS invites the public and other Federal agencies to
comment on a proposal to extend the currently approved collection of
information discussed below. The Paperwork
[[Page 2501]]
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) provides that an agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) control number.
DATE: Submit written comments by March 15, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry comments to the Department of the
Interior; Minerals Management Service; attention: Rules Processing
Team; Mail Stop 4024; 381 Elden Street; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Rules Processing Team,
telephone (703) 787-1600. You may also contact Alexis London to obtain
a copy of the collection of information at no cost.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart M, Unitization (1010-0068).
Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 43 U.S.C.
1331 et seq., gives the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) the
responsibility to preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources
in the OCS consistent with the need to make such resources available to
meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible; balance orderly
energy resource development with protection of human, marine, and
coastal environments; ensure the public a fair and equitable return on
the resources of the OCS; and preserve and maintain free enterprise
competition. 43 U.S.C. 1334(a) specifies that the Secretary will
establish rules and regulations to provide for the ``prevention of
waste and conservation of the natural resources of the outer
Continental Shelf, and the protection of correlative rights therein''
and include provisions ``for unitization, pooling, and drilling
agreements.'' We have established these regulations at 30 CFR part 250,
subpart M, ``Unitization.''
The MMS OCS Regions use the information required by 30 CFR part
250, subpart M, to determine whether to approve a proposal to enter
into an agreement to unitize operations under two or more leases or to
approve modifications when circumstances change. The information is
necessary to ensure that operations will result in preventing waste,
conserving natural resources, and protecting correlative rights,
including the Government's interests. We also use information submitted
to determine competitiveness of a reservoir or to decide that
compelling unitization will achieve these results.
The MMS will protect proprietary information submitted with the
plans according to the Freedom of Information Act; 30 CFR 250.118,
``Data and information to be made available to the public'; and 30 CFR
part 252, ``OCS Oil and Gas Information Program.'' No items of a
sensitive nature are collected. Responses are required to obtain or
retain a benefit.
Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130
Federal OCS sulphur or oil and gas lessees.
Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion and varies by
subpart M regulatory section.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The
currently approved hour burden for this collection is 2,424 hours. The
estimated average annual burden per respondent is approximately 19
hours.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Cost'' Burden: We
have identified no information collection cost burdens for this
collection of information.
Comments: We will summarize written responses to this notice and
address them in our submission for OMB approval. All comments will
become a matter of public record. As a result of your comments and our
consultations with a representative sample of respondents, we will make
any necessary adjustments to the burden in our submission to OMB. In
calculating the burden, we assumed that respondents perform many of the
requirements and maintain records in the normal course of their
activities. We consider these to be usual and customary and took that
into account in estimating the burden.
(1) We specifically solicit your comments on the following
questions:
(a) Is the proposed collection of information necessary for us to
properly perform our functions, and will it be useful?
(b) Are the estimates of the burden hours of the proposed
collection reasonable?
(c) Do you have any suggestions that would enhance the quality,
clarity, or usefulness of the information to be collected?
(d) Is there a way to minimize the information collection burden on
respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other forms of information technology?
(2) In addition, the PRA requires agencies to estimate the total
annual reporting and recordkeeping ``cost'' burden to respondents or
recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. We need to
know if you have costs associated with the collection of this
information for either total capital and startup cost components or
annual operation, maintenance, and purchase of service components. Your
estimates should consider the costs to generate, maintain, and disclose
or provide the information. You should describe the methods you use to
estimate major cost factors, including system and technology
acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, discount
rate(s), and the period over which you incur costs. Capital and startup
costs include, among other items, computers and software you purchase
to prepare for collecting information; monitoring, sampling, drilling,
and testing equipment; and record storage facilities. Generally, your
estimates should not include equipment or services purchased: (i)
Before October 1, 1995; (ii) to comply with requirements not associated
with the information collection; (iii) for reasons other than to
provide information or keep records for the Government; or (iv) as part
of customary and usual business or private practices.
MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach,
(202) 208-7744.
Dated: January 6, 1999.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 99-877 Filed 1-13-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
