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 1010-0068).

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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

[[Page 2501]]

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.

DATE: Submit written comments by March 15, 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:

Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart M, Unitization (1010-0068).

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. 43 U.S.C. 1334(a) specifies that the Secretary will

establish rules and regulations to provide for the ``prevention of

waste and conservation of the natural resources of the outer

Continental Shelf, and the protection of correlative rights therein''

and include provisions ``for unitization, pooling, and drilling

agreements.'' We have established these regulations at 30 CFR part 250,

subpart M, ``Unitization.''

The MMS OCS Regions use the information required by 30 CFR part

250, subpart M, to determine whether to approve a proposal to enter

into an agreement to unitize operations under two or more leases or to

approve modifications when circumstances change. The information is

necessary to ensure that operations will result in preventing waste,

conserving natural resources, and protecting correlative rights,

including the Government's interests. We also use information submitted

to determine competitiveness of a reservoir or to decide that

compelling unitization will achieve these results.

The MMS will protect proprietary information submitted with the

plans 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 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 is on occasion and varies by

subpart M regulatory section.

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

currently approved hour burden for this collection is 2,424 hours. The

estimated average annual burden per respondent is approximately 19

hours.

Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Cost'' Burden: We

have identified no information collection cost burdens for this

collection of information.

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 ``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: January 6, 1999.

E.P. Danenberger,

Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.

[FR Doc. 99-877 Filed 1-13-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P