Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Safety and Environmental Management Systems

AGENCY:

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) 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 October 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information collection by selecting “Currently under 30-day Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. Please provide a copy of your comments to Kye Mason, BSEE ICCO, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166; or by email to kye.mason@bsee.gov. Please reference OMB Control Number 1014-0017 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Kye Mason by email at kye.mason@bsee.gov, or by telephone at (703) 787-1607. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the PRA and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 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 August 24, 2020 (85 FR 52145). No comments were received.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following:

(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether or not the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of response.

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: Regulations governing Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) are covered in 30 CFR 250, subpart S and are the subject of this collection. This request also covers any related Notices to Lessees and Operators (NTLs) that BSEE issues to clarify, supplement, or provide additional guidance on some aspects of our regulations.

We consider the information to be critical for us to monitor industry's operations record of safety and environmental management on the OCS. The Subpart S regulations hold the operator accountable for the overall safety of the offshore facility, including ensuring that all employees, contractors, and subcontractors have safety policies and procedures in place that support the implementation of the operator's SEMS program and align with the principles of managing safety. An operator's SEMS program must describe management's commitment to safety and the environment, as well as policies and procedures to assure safety and environmental protection while conducting OCS operations (including those operations conducted by all personnel on the facility). BSEE will use the information obtained by submittals and observed via SEMS audits to ensure that operations on the OCS are conducted safely, as they pertain to both human and environmental factors, and in accordance with BSEE regulations, including industry practices incorporated by reference within the regulations. Job Safety Analyses (JSA's) and other recordkeeping required by the SEMS regulation will be reviewed diligently by BSEE during inspections and other oversight activities and by SEMS auditors during regulatory required audits, to ensure that industry is using the documentation required by the SEMS regulation to manage their safety and environmental risks.

Information on Form BSEE-0131, which the SEMS regulation requires to be submitted to BSEE annually, includes company identification, number of company/contractor injuries and/or illnesses suffered, company/contractor hours worked, EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit non-compliances, and oil spill volumes for spills less than 1 barrel. Such information is reported on a calendar year basis, with data broken out by calendar quarter. The information is used to develop industry average incident rates that help to describe how well the offshore oil and gas industry is performing. Operators use these incident rates to benchmark against their own performance, and to focus on areas that need improvement. Using the produced data allows BSEE to better focus our regulatory and research programs on areas where the performance measures indicate that operators are having difficulty meeting our expectations. BSEE will be more effective in leveraging resources by redirecting research efforts, promoting appropriate regulatory initiatives, and shifting inspection and Directed Audit program emphasis based on performance results.

Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 250, subpart S, Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS).

OMB Control Number: 1014-0017.

Form Number: BSEE-0131, Performance Measures Data.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Potential respondents include Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulfur lessees and/or operators and holders of pipeline rights-of-way and/or third-party personnel or organization.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: Currently there are approximately 60 Oil and Gas Drilling and Production Operators in the OCS. Not all the potential respondents will submit information in any given year, and some may submit multiple times.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 686.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 39 hours to 11,926 hours, depending on activity.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,487,634.

Respondent's Obligation: Responses are mandatory.

Frequency of Collection: Submissions are on occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $3,259,727.

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.).