Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for Office

of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of revision of a currently approved collection of

information (OMB Control Number 1010-0006).

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[[Page 255]]

SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Act), the

Department of the Interior has submitted the collection of information

discussed below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for

approval. The Act 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.

DATES: Submit written comments by February 4, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments and suggestions directly to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for

the Department of the Interior (1010-0006), 725 17th Street, NW,

Washington, D.C. 20503.

Send a copy of your comments to the Minerals Management Service,

Attention: Rules Processing Team, Mail Stop 4020, 381 Elden Street,

Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Engineering and

Operations Division, Minerals Management Service, telephone (703) 787-

1600. You may obtain copies of the supporting statement and collection

of information by contacting MMS's Information Collection Clearance

Officer at (202) 208-7744.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: 30 CFR Part 256, Leasing of Sulphur or Oil and Gas in the

Outer Continental Shelf.

Form Numbers: MMS-2028, OCS Mineral Lessee's and Operator's Bond

and Act of Suretyship; MMS-2028A, OCS Mineral Lessee's and Operator's

Supplemental Plugging & Abandonment Bond and Act of Suretyship.

Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as

amended, 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., requires the Secretary of the Interior

(Secretary) to preserve, protect, and develop offshore oil and gas

resources; to make such resources available to meet the Nation's energy

needs as rapidly as possible; to balance orderly energy resource

development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal

environments; to ensure the public a fair and equitable return on the

resources of the OCS; and to preserve and maintain free enterprise

competition. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 (EPCA)

prohibits certain lease bidding arrangements (42 U.S.C. 6213 (c)).

The MMS uses the information collected under Part 256 to determine

if applicants are qualified to hold leases in the OCS. For example, MMS

uses the information to: (a) verify the qualifications of a bidder on

an OCS lease sale; (b) develop the semiannual List of Restricted Joint

Bidders that identifies parties which are ineligible to bid jointly

with each other on OCS lease sales, under limitations established by

the EPCA; (c) ensure the qualification of assignees; (d) document that

a leasehold or geographical subdivision has been surrendered by the

record title holder, and (e) verify that lessees have adequate bonding

coverage. If MMS did not collect the information, we would be unable to

comply with the mandates of the OCSLA and the EPCA.

The individual responses to Calls for Information are the only

information collected involving the protection of confidentiality. The

MMS will protect specific individual replies from disclosure as

proprietary information in accordance with section 26 of the OCSLA and

30 CFR 256.10(d). No items of a sensitive nature are collected.

Responses are required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130

Federal OCS sulphur or oil and gas lessees.

Frequency: The frequency of reporting and number of responses vary

for each section and are mostly on occasion or annual (see chart

below). There are no recordkeeping requirements in 30 CFR part 256.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: 17,856

total burden hours, averaging approximately 137 hours per respondent

(see chart below).

Burden Breakdown

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual

Citation 30 CFR, Part 256 Reporting Annual No. of Burden per response burden

requirement responses hours

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subparts A, E, H, L, M............ None................

(1) Not applicable 0...................

Subparts B, D, F.................. Public notice and

comment process

through the Federal

Register.

(1) Exempt as defined in 5 CFR 0...................

1320.3(h)(4)

Subpart C......................... Reports from Federal

agencies.

(1) Exempt as defined in 5 CFR 0...................

1320.3(c)(4)

Various Subparts: 256.37; 256.53; Request approval for

256.68; 256.70; 256.71; 256.72; various operations

256.73. or submit plans or

applications.

(1)Burden included with other 0...................

approved collections in 30 CFR

Part 250

Subpart G: 256.41; 256.43......... Submit qualification 200 responses....... 4.5 hours........... 900

of bidders for

joint bids and

statement of

production.

256.46............................ Submit bids......... 2,000 bids.......... 1 hour.............. 2,000

256.47(c)......................... File agreement to 1 agreement......... 4 hours............. 4

accept joint lease

on tie bids.

256.47(e)(1), (e)(3).............. Request for

reconsideration of

bid rejection.

(1) Exempt as defined in 5 CFR 0...................

1320.3(h)(9)

256.47; 256.50.................... Execute lease 629 leases.......... 1 hour.............. 629

(includes

submission of

evidence of

authorized agent

and request for

dating of leases).

Subpart I......................... Provide bonding

document

certifications,

etc..

(1) Exempt as defined in 5 CFR 0...................

1320.3(h)(1)

Form MMS-2028..................... OCS Mineral Lessee's 205 forms........... .25 hour............ \1\ 51

and Operator Bond

and Act of

Suretyship.

Form MMS-2028A.................... OCS Mineral Lessee's 120 forms........... .25 hour............ 30

and Operator's

Supplemental

Plugging &

Abandonment Bond

and Act of

Suretyship.

256.53(c), (d), (f)............... Demonstrate ability 150 submissions..... .25 hour............ 37.5

to carry out

present and future

financial

obligations and/or

request reduction

in amount of

supplemental bond

required.

[[Page 256]]

256.55(b)......................... Notify MMS of action 1 notice............ .5 hour............. .5

filed alleging

lessee, surety, or

guarantor are

insolvent or

bankrupt.

256.56............................ Provide plan to fund 3 submissions....... 8 hours............. 24

lease-specific

abandonment account

and related

information.

256.57............................ Provide third-party 10 submissions...... .5 hour............. 5

guarantee, related

notices, and annual

update.

256.58(a)......................... Request termination 50 requests......... .5 hour............. 25

of period of

liability and

cancellation of

bond.

Subpart J 256.62; 256.64; 256.67.. File application for 2,275 applications.. 5 hours............. 11,375

assignment or

transfer.

256.64(a)(7)...................... File required 500 filings......... .5 hour............. 250

instruments

creating or

transferring

working intrest,

etc, for record

purposes.

256.64(a)(8)...................... Submit non-required

documents for

record purposes.

(1) Voluntary, non-required 0...................

submissions of documents the

lessee wants MMS to file with the

lease.

Subpart K 256.76.................. File written request 505 relinquishments. 5 hours............. 2,525

for relinquishment.

Total Reporting............. .................... 6,649............... .................... 17,856

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

\1\ Rounded.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $420,875

for transfer application fees (approximately 2,275 applications x $185

fee) and $50,000 for non-required documents filing fees (approximately

2,000 requests x $25 fee).

Comments: Section 3506 (c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction Act

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.

Send your comments directly to the offices listed under the

addresses section of this notice. 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 February 4, 1998.

MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach,

(202) 208-7744.

Dated October 30, 1997.

E. P. Danenberger,

Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.

[FR Doc. 98-126 Filed 1-2-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P