Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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