02-7382. 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 1010-0059).

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 part 250, subpart H, Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems.

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 250, Subpart H, Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems.

OMB Control Number: 1010-0059.

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.), gives the Secretary of the Interior the responsibility to preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources in the OCS. This must be done in a manner that is 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 the 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. The OCS Lands Act at 43 U.S.C. 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.”

This notice concerns the reporting and recordkeeping elements of 30 CFR 250, subpart H, Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems, 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 the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 2), 30 CFR 250.196 (Data and information to be made available to the public) and 30 CFR part 252 (OCS Oil and Gas Information Program).

MMS OCS Regions use the information submitted under subpart H to evaluate equipment and/or procedures that lessees propose to use during production operations, including evaluation of requests for departures or use of alternative procedures. Information submitted is also used to verify the no-flow condition of wells to continue the waiver of requirements to install valves capable of preventing backflow. MMS inspectors review the records maintained to verify compliance with testing and minimum safety requirements.

The Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR) has recently re-evaluated its policy, and issued guidance, regarding approval of “new” requests to use a chemical-only fire prevention and control system in lieu of a water system. With respect to “currently-approved” departures, MMS may require additional information be submitted to maintain approval of the departure. They use the information to determine if the chemical-only system provides the equivalent protection of a water system for the egress of personnel should a fire occur.

In the Pacific OCS Region, MMS reviews copies of the Emergency Action Plans (EAP) that lessees and operators submit to their local air quality agencies to ensure that abatement procedures do not jeopardize safe platform operations.

Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion or annual.

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

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping “Hour” Burden: The currently approved “hour” burden for this information collection is a total of 5,204 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.

Burden Breakdown

Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart H	Reporting and recordkeeping requirement	Burden per requirement (hour(s))
Reporting Requirements
800; 801; 802; 803; related NTLs	Submit application and request approval for design, installation, and operation of subsurface safety devices and surface production-safety systems; including related requests for departures or use of alternative procedures (i.e., firefighting systems, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, valve closure times, time delay circuitry, etc.)	4
801(g)	Submit annual verification of no-flow condition of well	2
801(h)(1)	Form MMS-124, Sundry Notices and Reports on Wells—burden covered under 1010-0045
801(h)(2); 803(c)	Identify well with sign on wellhead that subsurface safety device is removed; flag safety devices that are out of service—usual/customary safety procedures for removing or identifying out-of-service safety devices.
802(e)(5)	Submit statement verifying final surface production safety system installed conforms to approved design.	3
803(b)(8); related NTLs	Submit information to maintain current firefighting system departure approval (GOMR)	4
803(b)(8)(iv)	Post diagram of firefighting system	2
804(a)(11); 800	Notify MMS prior to production and request MMS conduct pre-production test and inspection	.5
804; related NTLs	Request departure from testing schedule requirements	1
804; related NTL	Submit copy of state-required EAP containing test abatement plans (Pacific OCS Region)	1
806(c)	Request evaluation and approval of other quality assurance programs covering manufacture of SPPE.	2
800-807	General departure and alternative compliance requests not specifically covered elsewhere in subpart H regulations.	2
Recordkeeping Requirements
801(h)(2); 802(e); 804(b)	Maintain records on subsurface and surface safety devices to include approved design & installation features, testing, repair, removal, departure approvals, etc	12
803(b)(1)(iii), (2)(i)	Maintain pressure-recorder charts	10
803(b)(4)(iii)	Maintain schematic of the emergency shutdown which indicates the control functions of all safety devices.	4
803(b)(11)	Maintain records of wells which have erosion-control programs and results	2.8

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping “Non-Hour Cost” Burden: We have identified no paperwork “non-hour cost” burdens associated with the collection of information.

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. 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. 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.

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 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 13, 2002.

William S. Hauser,

Acting Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.