[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 220 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69023-69025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28862]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of extension of an information collection (1010-0057).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we
are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information
collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork
requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR part 250, subpart C,
Pollution Prevention Control, and related documents. This notice also
provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork
burden of these regulatory requirements.
DATES: Submit written comments by December 16, 2002.
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, NW.,
Washington, DC 20503. Mail or hand-carry 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. If you wish to E-mail your comments to MMS, the
address is: [email protected]. Reference Information Collection
1010-0057 in your subject line. Include your name and return address,
and mark your message for return receipt.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Rules Processing Team,
telephone (703) 787-1600. You may also contact Alexis London to obtain
a copy at no cost of the regulations that require the subject
collection of information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: 30 CFR part 250, Subpart C, Pollution Prevention and
Control.
OMB Control Number: 1010-0057.
Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Lands Act, as amended
(43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq. and 43 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to prescribe rules and regulations to
administer leasing of the OCS. Such rules and regulations will apply to
all operations conducted under a lease. Operations on the OCS must
preserve, protect, and develop oil and natural gas resources in a
manner which is consistent with the need 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 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.
Section 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.'' Section
1334(a)(8) requires that regulations prescribed by the Secretary
include provisions ``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.'' Section 1843(b)
calls for ``regulations requiring all materials, equipment, tools,
containers, and all other items used on the Outer Continental Shelf to
be properly color coded, stamped, or labeled, wherever practicable,
with the owner's identification prior to actual use.''
This notice concerns the reporting and recordkeeping elements of 30
CFR part 250, subpart C, Pollution Prevention and Control, and related
notices to lessees and operators that clarify and provide additional
guidance on some aspects of the regulations. Responses are mandatory.
No questions of a ``sensitive'' nature are asked. MMS will protect
proprietary information according to 30 CFR 250.196 (Data and
information to be made available to the public), 30 CFR part 252 (OCS
Oil and Gas Information Program), and the Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 2).
MMS OCS Regions collect information required 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 activities. We also use the
information collected to ensure that operations are conducted according
to all applicable regulations and permit conditions/requirements,
comply with the approved emission levels to minimize air pollution of
the OCS and adjacent onshore areas, and are
[[Page 69024]]
conducted in a safe and workmanlike manner. In addition, we require
daily inspection of facilities to prevent pollution and to ensure that
problems observed have been corrected.
In the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR), we require lessees/
operators to periodically monitor and collect air emissions and
meteorological data to satisfy Environmental Protection Agency and
Clean Air Act requirements. The States and regional air quality groups
use the information to perform regional air quality modeling in support
of State Implementation Plans (SIPs). The GOMR plans regional modeling
for emissions data in the year 2005. In preparation, affected
respondents will be required to collect and report air pollutant
emissions data for OCS activities in the GOMR for the year 2005. The
year 2005 corresponds to a Clean Air Act requirement for States with
non-attainment areas to prepare and/or update air pollutant emission
inventories suitable for air quality modeling in support of the
development of SIPs. Thus the year 2005 OCS emissions inventory will be
contemporary with the emissions inventory the States are required to
prepare. The onshore and OCS 2005 data will be used in regional air
quality modeling and emissions control decision-making. Respondents
will gather OCS 2005 data during the calendar year 2005 and report in
2006.
Frequency: On occasion, monthly, or annually; and daily for
pollution inspection records.
Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130
Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees and 17 States.
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The
estimated annual hour burden for this information collection is 159,913
hours. The following chart details the individual components and
estimated hour burdens. In calculating the burdens, we assumed that
respondents perform certain 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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reporting and recordkeeping Average annual Annual burden
Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart C requirement Hour burden responses hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
300(b)(1), (2)............... Obtain approval to add 3.............. 130 lessees.... 390
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 could snag \1/2\.......... 130 lessees.... 65
fishing devices.
300(d)....................... Report items lost overboard... 1.............. 130 lessees.... 130
303(a) thru (d), (i), (j); Submit or revise Exploration Burden covered under 1010-0049 0
304(a),(f). Plans and Development and
Production Plans; submit
information required under 30
CFR part 250, subpart B.
303(k); 304(g)............... If requested, submit 8.............. 75% of 350 2,100 over 3
additional follow-up platforms = years = 700
monitoring information for 262.
year 2000 study of selected
sites in the BNWA area.
303(k); 304(a), (g).......... If requested, submit 4.............. 75% of 1,500 4,500 over 3
additional or follow-up platforms = years = 1,500
monitoring information for 1,125.
year 2000 study of selected
sites in the western/central
GOM area on ozone and
regional haze air quality.
303(k); 304(a), (g).......... Monitor air quality emissions 2 hours per 1,850 platforms 44,400 over 3
and submit data to MMS or to month x 12 years = 14,800
a State (new 1-year study of months = 24.
sites in the western/central
GOM area on ozone and
regional haze air quality;
data collection in 2005;
report submitted in 2006).
303(l); 304(h)............... Collect and submit None planned in the next 3 0
meteorological data (not years
routinely collected).
304(a), (f).................. Affected State may submit 4.............. 5 requests..... 20
request to MMS for basic
emission data from existing
facilities to update State's
emission inventory.
304(e)(2).................... Submit compliance schedule for 40............. 10 schedules... 400
application of best available
control technology.
304(e)(2).................... Apply for suspension of Burden covered under 1010-0114 0
operations.
304(f)....................... Submit information to 8.............. 10 submissions. 80
demonstrate that exempt
facility is not significantly
affecting air quality of
onshore area of a State.
300-304...................... General departure and 2.............. 130 requests... 260
alternative compliance
requests not specifically
covered elsewhere in subpart
C regulations.
------------------
Subtotal--Reporting...... .............................. ............... 3,782.......... 18,345
------------------
300(d)....................... Record items lost overboard... 1.............. 130 lessees.... 130
301(a)....................... Inspect drilling/production \1/4\ hour/day 1,550 141,438
facilities daily for x 365 days = facilities.
pollution; maintain 91.25.
inspection/repair records 2
years.
------------------
Subtotal--Recordkeeping.. .............................. ............... 1,680.......... 141,568
==================
Total hour burden...... .............................. ............... 5,462.......... 159,913
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 69025]]
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We
anticipate no paperwork non-hour cost burdens during the next 3 years.
Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.)
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated
to respond.
Comments: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et
seq.) 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.
To comply with the public consultation process, on March 28, 2002,
we published a Federal Register notice (67 FR 14964) announcing that we
would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided the
required 60-day comment period. In addition, Sec. 250.199 provides the
OMB control numbers for the information collection requirements imposed
by the 30 CFR part 250 regulations and forms. That regulation also
informs the public at they may comment at any time on the collections
of information and provides the address to which they should send
comments. We received no comments in response to the notice or
unsolicited comments from respondents covered under these regulations.
If you wish to comment in response to this notice, you may send
your comments 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 by December 16, 2002.
Public Comment Policy: 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 record, which we will honor to
the extent allowable by the 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.
MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach,
(202) 208-7744.
Dated: October 10, 2002.
E. P. Danenberger,
Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 02-28862 Filed 11-13-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P