[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 155 (Thursday, August 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44044-44045]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20799]
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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 1010-0059).
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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 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.
DATES: Submit written comments by October 12, 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:
[[Page 44045]]
Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart H, Oil and Gas Production Safety Systems
(1010-0059).
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. 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.''
Regulations at 30 CFR 250, subpart H, ``Oil and Gas Production
Safety Systems'' implement these statutory requirements. We use the
information collected under subpart H to evaluate equipment and/or
procedures that lessees propose to use during production operations.
Information is also used to verify the no-flow condition of wells to
continue the waiver of requirements to install valves capable of
preventing backflow. The MMS inspectors review the records maintained
to verify compliance with testing and minimum safety requirements.
In addition, in the Pacific OCS Region, MMS reviews copies of the
Emergency Action Plans that lessees and operators submit to their local
air quality agencies to ensure that abatement procedures do not
jeopardize safe platform operations.
We will protect proprietary information submitted 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 mandatory.
Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130
Federal OCS sulphur or oil and gas lessees.
Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion or annual.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The
currently approved annual hour burden for this collection is 2,900
hours, which averages 22.5 hours per respondent.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost''
Burden: None identified.
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 ``non-hour 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: August 4, 1999.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 99-20799 Filed 8-11-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
