2018-16319. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other Than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur

AGENCY:

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposes to renew an information collection.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before August 30, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on this information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior by email at [e-mail]; or via facsimile to [phone]. Please provide a copy of your comments to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Regulations and Standards Branch; ATTN: Nicole Mason; 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166; or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1014-0021 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Nicole Mason by email at [e-mail], or by telephone at [phone]. 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, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on November 16, 2017 (82 FR 53519). The BSEE received two comments pertaining to this Federal Register notice, but neither were germane to the collection of information.

We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comments addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of BSEE; (2) Will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) Is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) How might BSEE enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) How might BSEE minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Abstract: BSEE will use the information required by 30 CFR part 282 to determine if lessees are complying with the regulations that implement the mining operations program for minerals other than oil, gas, and sulphur. Specifically, BSEE will use the information:

• To ensure that operations for the production of minerals other than oil, gas, and sulphur in the outer continental shelf (OCS) are conducted in a manner that will result in orderly resource recovery, development, and the protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments.
• To ensure that adequate measures will be taken during operations to prevent waste, conserve the natural resources of the OCS, and to protect the environment, human life, and correlative rights.
• To determine if suspensions of activities are in the national interest, to facilitate proper development of a lease including reasonable time to develop a mine and construct its supporting facilities, and to allow for the construction or negotiation for use of transportation facilities.
• To identify and evaluate the cause(s) of a hazard(s) generating a suspension, the potential damage from a hazard(s) and the measures available to mitigate the potential for damage.
• For technical evaluations that provide a basis for BSEE to make informed decisions to approve, disapprove, or require modification of the proposed activities.

Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 282, Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur.

OMB Control Number: 1014-0021.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Potential respondents comprise Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees/operators and holders of pipeline rights-of-way.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: As there are no active respondents; we estimated the potential annual number of respondents to be one.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 16.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1 hour to 20 hours, depending on activity.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 56.

Respondent's Obligation: Most responses are mandatory, while others are required to obtain or retain benefits, or are voluntary.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion and varies by section.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: We have identified one non-hour cost burden. Pursuant to § 282.13(e)(1), a site-specific study to determine and evaluate hazards that results in a suspension of operation would have a non-hour cost burden. Since this has not been done to date, we estimated that the cost of such a study for industry would be approximately $100,000 to comply with the requirement. We have not identified any other non-hour cost burdens associated with this collection of information.

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 OMB control number.

The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

Dated: July 11, 2018.

Doug Morris,

Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.