Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office

of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of currently approved information

collection (1010-0057).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995 (44

U.S.C. 3501, et seq.), we are notifying you that we have submitted the

information collection request (ICR) discussed below to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. We are also

inviting your comments on this ICR.

DATES: Submit written comments by November 29, 1999.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments directly to the Office of

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

the Department of the Interior (1010-0057), 725 17th Street, N.W.,

Washington, DC 20503. Mail or handcarry 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.

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 C, Pollution Prevention and Control.

OMB Control Number: 1010-0057.

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 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 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 also requires the Secretary to

administer the provisions of this subchapter relating to the leasing of

the OCS, and to prescribe such rules and regulations as may be

necessary ``for compliance with the national ambient air quality

standards pursuant to the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.), to

the extent that activities authorized under this Act significantly

affect the air quality of any State.'' The OCS Lands Act directs the

Secretary to ``establish regulations requiring all materials,

equipment, tools, containers, and all other items used on the OCS to be

properly color coded, stamped, or labeled, wherever practicable, with

the owner's identification prior to actual use.''

To carry out the responsibilities, we issued regulations at 30 CFR

250, subpart C, Pollution Prevention and Control. These regulations

collect information related to new facilities and modifications to

existing facilities with respect to pollution prevention and control.

In addition, we also issue Notices to Lessees and Operators to clarify

and provide additional guidance on some aspects of the regulations.

We collect information under subpart C to ensure that:

There is no threat of serious, irreparable, or immediate

damage to the marine environment and to identify potential hazards to

commercial fishing caused by OCS oil and gas exploration, development,

and production activities;

The location of items lost overboard is recorded to aid in

recovery by the operator during site clearance activities on the lease;

Operations are conducted according to all applicable

regulations, permit conditions and requirements, and conducted in a

safe and workmanlike manner;

OCS oil and gas operations minimize air pollution of the

OCS and adjacent onshore areas and comply with the emission levels

specified in the MMS Development and Production Plan approval

conditions;

A data baseline is established for the meteorological,

oceanographic, and sea-ice conditions in frontier areas of the OCS to

determine that offshore facilities and operational practices can

withstand the expected environmental forces in an area;

Discharge or disposal of drill cuttings, sand, and other

well solids, including those containing naturally occurring radioactive

materials (NORM), are properly handled for the protection of OCS

workers and the environment; and

Facilities are inspected daily for the prevention of

pollution, and problems observed have been corrected.

If we did not collect the information, we could not carry out the

mandate of the OCS Lands Act to ensure safe and environmentally sound

operations in the OCS. We could not determine if operations comply with

standards to minimize air pollution of the OCS and adjacent onshore

areas.

Beginning January 1, 2000, we will conduct a 1-year information

collection of meteorological data and air pollutant emissions for

production facilities in the Breton National Wildlife Refuge/Wilderness

Area (BWA). The information will be submitted on a monthly basis. We

will use the information collected from the affected lessees/operators

to determine whether emissions from OCS activities may be significantly

affecting the air quality of the BWA, a Prevention of Significant

Deterioration Class I Area as defined by the Clean Air Act. In

addition, the Environmental Protection Agency has promulgated new, more

stringent ambient air quality standards for ozone and is drafting

regulations dealing with regional haze. It is anticipated that these

regulations will require State agencies to perform modeling for ozone

and regional haze for their State Implementation Plans (SIPs). The

States will require information for the year 2000 on OCS activities in

the central and western Gulf of Mexico (GOM). In preparation, we are

requiring the affected respondents to collect and report facility,

equipment, fuel usage, and other information beginning January 1, 2000.

The information will be submitted for the entire year, sometime during

March 2001. We will use the information collected from the affected

lessees/operators to calculate air pollutant emissions that may

significantly impact onshore areas. The emissions inventory will be

available for State agencies to help them in preparing the SIPs for the

coastal parishes/counties that have been declared as non-attainment

areas for ozone.

We will protect proprietary information submitted with the plans

according to the Freedom of Information Act and 30 CFR 250.118, ``Data

and information to be made available to the public.'' No items of a

sensitive nature are collected. Responses are mandatory.

The 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 OMB control number.

[[Page 58098]]

We published a Federal Register notice with the required 60-day comment

period soliciting comments on this ICR on August 12, 1999 (64 FR

44043).

Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130

Federal OCS sulphur or oil and gas lessees.

Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion, monthly, or

annual.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden:

194,311 burden hours, averaging approximately 1,495 hours per

respondent. See following chart.

Burden Breakdown

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Reporting and Annual

Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart C recordkeeping Annual number Burden burden

requirement hours

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300(b)(1), (2)............... Obtain approval to 130 Lessees................... 3 hours........ 390

add petroleum-based

substance to

drilling mud system

or approval for

method of disposal

of drill cuttings,

sand, & other well

solids, including

those containing

NORM..

300(c)....................... Mark items that 130 Lessees................... .5 hour........ 65

could snag or

damage fishing

devices..

300(d)....................... Report items lost 130 Lessees................... 1 hour......... 130

overboard..

303(a), (b), (c), (d), (i), Submit or revise Burden covered under 1010-0049 0

(j); 304(a), (f). Exploration Plans

and Development and

Production Plans..

303(k); 304(g)............... Monitor emissions 350 Platforms................. 4 hrs per mo x 16,800

air quality and 12 mos=48 hrs.

submit monthly

report (1-year

study of selected

sites in the BWA

area)..

303(k); 304(a), (g).......... Monitor and submit 1,500 Platforms............... 2 hrs per mo x 36,000

basic emission data 12 mos=24 hrs.

to MMS or to a

State (1-year study

of sites in the

western/central GOM

area on ozone and

regional haze air

quality ). Submit

one-time annual

report..

130 Reports................... 8 hours........ 1,040

303(l); 304(h)............... Collect and submit Not routinely collected; see item A.13 for 0

meteorological data. discussion of special study

304(a), (f).................. Request by a State 5 Requests.................... 40 hours....... 200

to MMS for basic

emission data from

existing facilities

to update State's

emission inventory.

304(e)(2).................... Submit compliance 10 Schedules.................. 40 hours....... 400

schedule for

application of best

available control

technology.

304(e)(2).................... Apply for suspension Burden covered under 1010-0030 0

of operations.

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Reporting--Subtotal...... .................... 2,385......................... ............... 55,025

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

300(d)....................... Record items lost 130 Recordkeepers............. 1 hour......... 130

overboard.

301(a)....................... Inspect drilling/ 1,525 Facilities.............. .25 hour per 139,156

production day x 365

facilities daily days=91.25

for pollution; hours.

maintain inspection/

repair records 2

years.

Recordkeeping--Subtotal.. .................... 1,655......................... ............... 139,286

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

Reporting & Recordkeeping .................... 4,040......................... ............... 194,311

Total Hour Burden.

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Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost''

Burden: Meteorological data will be collected for 1 year from selected

sites pursuant to Secs. 250.303(l) and 250.304(h) to determine

cumulative impacts of air quality within the 100-kilometer radius of

the BWA. The Offshore Operators Committee (OOC) has agreed to undertake

this project. The OOC estimates this one-time data collection effort

will cost approximately $750,000.00, which will be expensed to the OCS

lessees.

Comments: All comments are made a part of the public record.

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.

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 November 29, 1999.

MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach,

(202) 208-7744.

Dated: September 30, 1999.

E.P. Danenberger,

Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.

[FR Doc. 99-28235 Filed 10-27-99; 8:45 am]

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