AGENCY:
Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.
ACTION:
Notice of extension of a currently approved information collection (OMB control number 1010-0053).
SUMMARY:
To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are submitting to OMB for review and approval an information collection request (ICR), titled “30 CFR 250, Subpart D, Oil and Gas Drilling Operations.” We are also soliciting comments from the public on this ICR.
DATES:
Submit written comments by August 24, 2000.
ADDRESSES:
You may submit comments directly to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior (1010-0053), 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503. Mail or hand carry a copy of your comments to the Department of the Interior; Minerals Management Service; Attention: Rules Processing Team; Mail Stop 4024; 381 Elden Street; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817.
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 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.
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:
Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart D, Oil and Gas Drilling Operations
OMB Control Number: 1010-0053.
Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., requires the Secretary of the Interior to preserve, protect, and develop oil and gas resources in the OCS; make such resources available to meet the Nation's energy needs as rapidly as possible; balance orderly energy resources development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal environment; ensure the public a fair and equitable return on the resources offshore; and preserve and maintain free enterprise competition. Section 1332(6) of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1332) requires 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 authority and responsibility are among those delegated to the Minerals Management Service (MMS).
The MMS uses the information to determine the condition of a drilling site to prevent hazards inherent in drilling operations. Among other things, MMS specifically uses the information to ensure: (a) The drilling unit is fit for the intended purpose; (b) the lessee will not encounter geologic conditions that present a hazard to operations; (c) equipment is maintained in a state of readiness and meets safety standards; (d) each drilling crew is properly trained and able to promptly perform well-control activities at any time during well operations; (e) compliance with safety standards; and (f) the proposed field drilling rules will provide for safe and proper field or reservoir development, resource evaluation, conservation, protection of correlative rights, safety, and environmental protection. We also review well records to determine whether drilling operations have encountered hydrocarbons or H2 S and to ensure that H2 S detection equipment, personnel protective equipment, and training of the crew are adequate for safe operations in zones known to contain H2 S and zones where the presence of H2 S is unknown.
We protect proprietary information that is submitted according to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 2), and 30 CFR 250.196. No items of a sensitive nature are collected. Responses are mandatory.
We published a Federal Register notice with the required 60-day comment period on April 17, 2000 (65 FR 20484). We received no comments in response to that notice.
Frequency: The frequency of reporting varies according to requirement (see following burden chart).
Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping “Hour” Burden: 113,827 hours (see following burden chart).
Estimated Annual Recordkeeping “Non-Hour Cost” Burden: We have identified no non-hour cost burdens associated with this collection of information.
Burden Breakdown
Comments: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 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 OMB control number. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA 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.
If you wish to comment in response to this notice, send your comments directly to the offices listed under the ADDRESSES section of this notice. The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the information collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public comments by August 24, 2000.
MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, (202) 208-7744).
Dated: July 5, 2000.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 00-18805 Filed 7-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P