[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 19, 2000)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 79325-79327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32291]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
43 CFR Parts 3195, 3196
[NM091-9971-EK-HE16]
RIN 1004-AD35
Federal Helium Program Regulations and Public Meetings
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
[[Page 79326]]
ACTION: Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making and Public Meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) requests comments and
suggestions to assist in the writing of its regulations governing the
Federal Helium Program. The rule would establish regulations for crude
helium sales, helium pipeline and storage operations, helium reporting,
and gas analyses to determine helium content. The rule would also
revise and extend existing regulations for helium on Federal lands and
for in-kind crude helium sales. The rule would help to manage the
Federal Helium Program and to fulfill the requirements of the Helium
Privatization Act of 1996. We encourage members of the public to
participate in public meetings and to provide comments and suggestions
to help to clearly define the requirements for the Federal Helium
Program. Your help is specifically requested to identify and to offer
comments and suggestions about conflicts between helium processes and
procedures and those of other fluid minerals. We also ask you to
request to be placed on BLM's mailing list if you wish to receive
additional information.
DATES: We will accept comments and suggestions on the advance notice of
proposed rule making until 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time on March 26, 2001.
See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the dates of the public
meetings.
ADDRESSES: Commenters may mail written comments to the Bureau of Land
Management, Administrative Record, Room 401LS, 1849 C Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20240; or hand-deliver written comments to the Bureau of
Land Management, Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20036. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for the electronic
access and filing address. Comments will be available for public review
at the L Street address from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., Eastern Time,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Comments will also be
available for public review at 801 South Fillmore, Suite 500, Amarillo,
Texas, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may contact Jeanne McCubbin, at
(806) 324-2655, Connie Neely, (806) 324-2635, or Shirlean Beshir, (202)
452-5033. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-
877-8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to contact the above
individuals.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Public Comment Procedures
II. Background
III. Description of Information Requested
I. Public Comment Procedures
Your written comments should:
Be specific;
Explain the reason for your comments and suggestions;
Be about the issues outlined in this notice; and
Where possible, reference the specific section or
paragraph of existing regulations which you are addressing.
The comments and recommendations, which are most useful and likely
to influence decisions on the content of the proposed rule, are:
Comments and recommendations supported by quantitative
information or studies, and
Comments which include citations to and analyses of the
applicable laws and regulations.
We are particularly interested in receiving comments and
suggestions about the topics listed under section III. Description of
Information Requested.
Electronic Access and Filing Address
Commenters may transmit comments electronically via the Internet to
[email protected]. Please submit comments as an ASCII file and avoid
the use of special characters or encryption. Please include ``ATTN:
AD35'' and your name and address in your message. If you do not receive
a confirmation from the system that we have received your Internet
message, contact us directly at (202) 452-5030.
Public Meetings
The following topics will be covered at each public meeting: (1)
Helium on Federal lands; (2) pipeline and storage facility operation
and maintenance; (3) crude helium sales; (4) reporting and data
collection; and (5) gas analyses to determine helium content.
We will conduct public meetings on the following dates at the
specified locations and times:
Amarillo Field Office, BLM, 801 S. Fillmore, Room 447,
Amarillo, Texas, on January 8, 2001, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Houston, Texas, Crowne Plaza (near Gallaria), 2222 W. Loop
South, on January 10, 2001, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Portland, Oregon, Doubletree Lloyd Center, 1000 NE.,
Multnomah, on January 17, 2001, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Aurora, CO (Denver area south of airport), Marriott, 16455
E. 40th Circle, on January 23, 2001, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.`
Washington, DC, Capital Hilton, 16th & K Street, NW, on
January 25, 2001, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The sites for the public meetings are accessible to individuals
with physical impairments. If you need a special accommodation to
participate in one or all of the meetings (e.g., interpreting service,
assistive listening device, or materials in alternative format), please
notify the contact person listed in this notice no later than two weeks
prior to the scheduled meeting. Although we will attempt to meet a
request received, the requested accommodation may not be available.
The meetings will be recorded by a stenographer and will become
part of the formal Federal helium regulation record. If you plan to
present a statement at the meetings, we will ask you to sign in before
the meeting starts and to clearly identify yourself for the record.
Your speaking time at the meeting(s) will be determined before the
meeting(s), based upon the number of persons wishing to speak and the
approximate time available for the session. You will be provided at
least five minutes to speak.
If you do not wish to speak at the meetings but you have views,
questions, and concerns about regulations for the Federal Helium
Program, you may submit written statements for inclusion in the public
record at the meeting. You may also submit written comments and
suggestions regardless of whether you attend or speak at a public
meeting. See the ADDRESSES section of this notice for the procedures.
II. Background
The Federal Helium Program has undergone many changes since its
inception in 1925. Its original purpose was to ensure supplies of
helium to the Federal Government for defense, research, and medical
purposes. With time, the program evolved into a conservation program
with a primary goal of supplying the Federal Government with high-grade
helium for high-tech research and aerospace purposes. The most recent
adaptation of the program was through the Helium Privatization Act of
1996, which redefined the primary functions as:
Operating and maintaining a helium storage reservoir and
pipeline system;
Providing crude helium gas by contract with private
companies;
Evaluating the Nation's helium-bearing gas fields; and
Providing responsible access to Federal land for managed
recovery and disposal of helium.
[[Page 79327]]
III. Description of Information Requested
We are committed to carrying out the provisions of the Helium
Privatization Act of 1996 (50 U.S.C. 167). Topics we are considering
for the proposed regulations include, but are not limited to the
following:
Helium on Federal Lands: We will enter negotiated agreements with
private parties for the recovery and disposal of helium produced from
Federal leaseholds. The agreements will primarily be with:
(1) Existing gas processing plants which extract and sell Federal
helium;
(2) Parties building plants with helium extraction capability.
We want commenters to clarify topics on the processes and
procedures which would enable economic helium production, extraction,
and sales.
We will also strive to establish regulations to facilitate
coexistence of the Federal Helium Program with that of the Federal Oil
and Gas Program. We seek comments about the following:
Method of determining Federal ownership percentage of
helium produced from secondary unit areas containing Federal helium.
Can the process used for Federal leaseholds (based upon acreage and
mineral ownership) be used for secondary units?
Allowable production losses. Is it reasonable to allow an
8 percent loss of helium from the wellhead to the point of sale before
seeking compensation?
Helium drainage protection. Can we use a method similar to
the one used to protect oil and gas to protect helium?
Bonding for payment default and reclamation. Should we
require a separate bond to cover helium production? Should we allow
operators to transfer oil and gas bonds to provide bond coverage for
helium?
Plugged oil and gas wells. Is there a way to encourage and
enable economic helium production and extraction when oil and gas wells
are plugged or targeted for plugging?
Incentives. What incentives should we establish to
encourage helium production from gas streams in close proximity to
extraction plants or in areas with low British Thermal Unit (BTU) gas
content?
Crude Helium Sales: We would like to receive comments and
suggestions about the existing regulations for in-kind crude helium
sales (43 CFR 3195). In addition, we request your questions, concerns,
comments, and recommendations of ways to meet the requirements for
disposition of the Federal crude helium in storage (stockpile) (50
U.S.C. 167).
Reporting and Data Collection: We would like to receive comments
and suggestions about the helium data collection and reporting
processes. Specifically, we seek comments and suggestions about the
following:
Is there a way for the oil and gas industry to include
helium in their standard gas analysis process to enable better data
collection of helium content of gas fields?
What are the best ways for BLM to determine and confirm
the location and amounts of helium resources outside the United States?
Gas Analyses to Determine Helium Content: We seek comments about
the following:
Would it be feasible for BLM to send a helium sample to
your company lab or company contract lab for analysis and report the
helium results? The lab analysis data would be compared to BLM's
analysis.
Could members of the oil and gas industry send replicate
gas stream samples to the BLM laboratory, if requested?
Additional information about the Federal Helium Program is
available on the Internet at [email protected].
Dated: December 12, 2000.
Sylvia V. Baca,
Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 00-32291 Filed 12-14-00; 3:47 pm]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P