02-7381. Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of extension of an information collection (1010-0057).

SUMMARY:

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are 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 the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, subpart C, Pollution Prevention Control.

DATES:

Submit written comments by May 28, 2002.

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 [phone]. You may also contact Alexis London to obtain a copy at no cost of the regulations that require the subject collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: 30 CFR part 250, subpart C, Pollution Prevention and Control.

OMB Control Number: 1010-0057.

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 to prescribe rules and regulations to administer leasing of the OCS. Such rules and regulations will apply to all operations conducted under a lease. Operations on the OCS must preserve, protect, and develop oil and natural gas resources in a manner which is consistent with the need to make such resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible; to balance orderly energy resource development with protection of human, marine, and coastal environments; to ensure the public a fair and equitable return on the resources of the OCS; and to preserve and maintain free enterprise competition.

Section 1332(6) states that “operations in the [O]uter Continental Shelf should be conducted in a safe manner by well-trained personnel using technology, precautions, and techniques sufficient to prevent or minimize the likelihood of blowouts, loss of well control, fires, spillages, physical obstruction to other users of the waters or subsoil and seabed, or other occurrences which may cause damage to the environment or to property, or endanger life or health.” Section 1334(a)(8) requires that regulations include provisions “for compliance with the national ambient air quality standards pursuant to the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), to the extent that activities authorized under this Act significantly affect the air quality of any State.” Section 1843(b) calls for “regulations requiring all materials, equipment, tools, containers, and all other items used on the Outer Continental Shelf to be properly color coded, stamped, or labeled, wherever practicable, with the owner's identification prior to actual use.”

This notice concerns the reporting and recordkeeping elements of 30 CFR 250, subpart C, Pollution Prevention and Control, and related Notices to Lessees and Operators that clarify and provide additional guidance on some aspects of the regulations. Responses are mandatory. No questions of a “sensitive” nature are asked. MMS will protect proprietary information according to 30 CFR 250.196 (Data and information to be made available to the public), 30 CFR part 252 (OCS Oil and Gas Information Program), and the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2).

MMS OCS Regions collect information required under subpart C to ensure that there is no threat of serious, irreparable, or immediate damage to the marine environment, and to identify potential hazards to commercial fishing caused by OCS activities. We also use the information collected to ensure that operations are conducted according to all applicable regulations and permit conditions/requirements, comply with the approved emission levels to minimize air pollution of the OCS and adjacent onshore areas, and are conducted in a safe and workmanlike manner. In addition, we require daily inspection of facilities to prevent pollution and to ensure that problems observed have been corrected.

In the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR), we require lessees/operators to periodically monitor and collect air emissions and meteorological data to satisfy Environmental Protection Agency and Clean Air Act requirements. The states and regional air quality groups use the information to perform regional air quality modeling in support of State Implementation Plans (SIPs). The GOMR plans regional modeling for emissions data in the year 2005. In preparation, affected respondents will be required to collect and report air pollutant emissions data for OCS activities in the GOMR for the year 2005. The year 2005 corresponds to a Clean Air Act requirement for states with non-attainment areas to prepare and/or update air pollutant emission inventories suitable for air quality modeling in support of the development of SIPs. Thus the year 2005 OCS emissions inventory will be contemporary with the emissions inventory the states are required to prepare. The onshore and OCS 2005 data will be used in regional air quality modeling and emissions control decision-making. Respondents will gather OCS 2005 data during the calendar year 2005 and report in 2006.

Frequency: On occasion, monthly, or annually; and daily for inspection recordkeeping.

Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees and 17 states.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping “Hour” Burden: The currently approved total “hour” burden for this information collection is 194,311 hours. The following chart details the individual components and respective hour 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.

Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart C	Reporting and recordkeeping requirement	Burden per requirement
Reporting Requirements
300(b)(1), (2)	Obtain approval to add petroleum-based substance to drilling mud system or approval for method of disposal of drill cuttings, sand, and other well solids	3 hours.
300(c)	Mark items that could snag or damage fishing devices	1/2 hour.
300(d)	Report items lost overboard	1 hour.
303(a), (b), (c), (d), (i), (j); 304(a), (f)	Submit Exploration Plans and Development and Production Plans—burden covered in 1010-0049
303(k); 304(g)	If requested, submit additional or follow-up monitoring information for year 2000 study of selected sites in the Breton National Wildlife Area, GOMR	8 hours.
303(k); 304(a), (g)	If requested, submit additional or follow-up monitoring information for year 2000 study of selected sites in the western/central GOMR on ozone and regional haze air	4 hours.
303(k); 304(a), (g)	Monitor air quality emissions and submit data to MMS or to a State (new 1-year study of sites in the western/central GOMR on ozone and regional haze air quality—data collection in 2005; report submitted in 2006)	2 hours per month × 12 months = 24 hours.
303(l); 304(h)	Collect and submit meteorological data—not routinely collected; none planned for the next 3 years
304(a), (f)	Affected State may submit request to MMS for basic emission data from existing facilities to update State's emission inventory	4 hours.
304(e)(2)	Submit compliance schedule for application of best available control technology	40 hours.
304(e)(2)	Apply for suspension of operations—burden covered in 1010-0114
304(f)	Submit information to demonstrate that exempt facility is not significantly affecting air quality of onshore area of a State	8 hours.
300-304	General departure and alternative compliance requests not specifically covered elsewhere in subpart C regulations	2 hours.
Recordkeeping Requirements
300(d)	Record items lost overboard	1 hour/year.
301(a)	Inspect drilling/production facilities daily for pollution; maintain inspection/repair records 2 years	1/4 hour/day.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping “Non-Hour Cost” Burden: We anticipate no non-hour cost burdens during the next 3 years.

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 proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate 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 automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Agencies must also estimate the “non-hour cost” burdens to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. We have identified none for the next 3 years. Therefore, if you have 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. 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, and record storage facilities. You should not include estimates for 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.

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 Policy: Our practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent allowable by the law. There may be circumstances in which we would withhold from the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by the law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, [phone].

Dated: February 28, 2002.

E.P. Danenberger,

Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.