[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 74 (Monday, April 17, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20485-20486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9426]


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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 1010-0067).

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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 on oil and gas well-control operations. We 
intend to submit this collection of information to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. 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 OMB control number.

DATES: Submit written comments by June 16, 2000.

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. 
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 rulemaking 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 the 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 E, Oil and Gas Well-Completion 
Operations
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0067.
    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 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 MMS. To carry 
out these responsibilities, MMS issues regulations governing oil and 
gas and sulphur operations in the OCS. This collection of information 
addresses 30 CFR part 250, subpart E, Oil and Gas Well-Completion 
Operations.
    The MMS district supervisors analyze and evaluate the information 
and data collected under subpart E to ensure that planned well-
completion operations will protect personnel safety and natural 
resources. They use the analysis and evaluation results in the decision 
to approve, disapprove, or require modification to the proposed well-
completion operations. Specifically, MMS uses the information to 
ensure: (a) compliance with personnel safety training requirements; (b) 
crown block safety device is operating and can be expected to function 
to avoid accidents; (c) proposed operation of the annular preventer is 
technically correct and provides adequate protection for personnel, 
property, and natural resources; (d) well-completion

[[Page 20486]]

operations are conducted on well casings that are structurally 
competent; and (e) sustained casing pressures are within acceptable 
limits.
    Responses are mandatory. Proprietary information respondents submit 
is protected 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.
    Frequency: The frequency of reporting varies by section, but is 
mostly on occasion.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130 
Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved burden for this information collection is 4,481 
hours (338 reporting and 4,503 recordkeeping hours). This averages 
approximately 35 hours per respondent.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' 
Burden: We have identified no non-hour cost burdens.
    Comments: We will summarize written responses to this notice and 
address them in our submission for OMB approval. As a result of your 
comments, 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 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 ``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: March 31, 2000.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 00-9426 Filed 4-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P