[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 62 (Monday, April 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15409-15411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7802]
[[Page 15409]]
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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 and revision of a currently approved
information collection (OMB Control Number 1010-0050).
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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we
are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will
submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the
paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, subpart J,
Pipelines and Pipeline Rights-of-Way.
DATES: Submit written comments by May 31, 2002.
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 at no cost of the regulations that require the subject
collection of information.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: 30 CFR 250, Subpart J, Pipelines and Pipeline Rights-of-Way.
OMB Control Number: 1010-0050, incorporating 1010-0134.
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 (Secretary) to prescribe rules and
regulations to administer leasing of the OCS. Such rules and
regulations will apply to all operations conducted under a lease.
Section 1334(e) authorizes the Secretary to grant rights-of-way through
the submerged lands of the OCS for pipelines ``for the transportation
of oil, natural gas, sulphur, or other minerals, or under such
regulations and upon such conditions as may be prescribed by the
Secretary, * * * including (as provided in section 1347(b) of this
title) assuring maximum environmental protection by utilization of the
best available and safest technologies, including the safest practices
for pipeline burial. * * *''
The Independent Offices Appropriations Act of 1952 (IOAA), 31
U.S.C. 9701, authorizes Federal agencies to recover the full cost of
services that provide special benefits. Under the Department of the
Interior's (DOI) policy implementing the IOAA, MMS is required to
charge the full cost for services that provide special benefits or
privileges to an identifiable non-Federal recipient above and beyond
those which accrue to the public at large. Pipeline rights-of-way and
assignments are subject to cost recovery and MMS regulations specify
filing fees for applications.
This notice concerns the reporting and recordkeeping elements of 30
CFR 250, subpart J and related Notices to Lessees and Operators. OMB
approved the information collection requirements in current subpart J
regulations under control numbers 1010-0050 and 1010-0134. The first is
the primary collection for subpart J. The latter was approved in
connection with a final rule amending Sec. 250.1000(c) to clarify
regulatory issues involving the 1996 Memorandum of Understanding
between DOI and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Our submission
will consolidate these two subpart J collections under 1010-0050.
Responses are mandatory or are required to obtain or retain a benefit.
No questions of a ``sensitive'' nature are asked. MMS will protect
proprietary information according to the Freedom of Information Act (5
U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 2), 30 CFR 250.196
(Data and information to be made available to the public) and 30 CFR
part 252 (OCS Oil and Gas Information Program).
The lessees and transmission companies design the pipelines that
they install, maintain, and operate. To ensure those activities are
performed in a safe manner, MMS needs information concerning the
proposed pipeline and safety equipment, inspections and tests, and
natural and manmade hazards near the proposed pipeline route. MMS field
offices use the information collected under subpart J to review
pipeline designs prior to approving an application for a right-of-way
or a pipeline permitted under a lease to ensure that the pipeline, as
constructed, will provide for safe transportation of minerals through
the submerged lands of the OCS. They review proposed routes of a right-
of-way to ensure that the right-of-way, if granted, would not conflict
with any State requirements or unduly interfere with other OCS
activities. MMS field offices review plans for taking pipeline safety
equipment out of service to ensure alternate measures are used that
will properly provide for the safety of the pipeline and associated
facilities (platform, etc.). They review notification of relinquishment
of a right-of-way grant and requests to abandon pipelines to ensure
that all legal obligations are met and pipelines are properly
abandoned. MMS inspectors monitor the records on pipeline inspections
and tests to ensure safety of operations and protection of the
environment and to schedule their workload to permit witnessing and
inspecting operations. Information is also necessary to determine the
point at which DOI or DOT has regulatory responsibility for a pipeline
and to be informed of the responsible operator if not the same as the
right-of-way holder.
Frequency: The frequency of reporting is on occasion or annual.
Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 130
Federal OCS oil, gas, and sulphur lessees and 106 holders of pipeline
rights-of way.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The
currently approved ``hour'' burden for the two subpart J information
collections is a combined total of 79,086 hours. The following chart
details the individual paperwork components and respective hour burden
estimates of this ICR. In calculating the burdens, we assumed that
respondents perform certain requirements in the normal course of
business. We consider these to be usual and customary and took that
into account in our estimates.
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Burden per
Citation 30 CFR 250 subpart J Reporting and recordkeeping requirement requirement
(hrs)
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1000(b), 1007(a)......................... Submit application to install new lease term pipeline 140
(P/L), including exceptions/departures.
1000(b), (d); 1007(a); 1009(a)(1), Apply for P/L right-of-way (ROW) grant and 140
(b)(1); 1010; 1011. installation of new ROW P/L, including exceptions/
departures.
1000(b); 1007(b); 1010; 1012(b)(2), (c).. Submit application to modify lease-term or ROW P/L, 40
including exceptions/departures; notify operators of
deviation.
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1000(b); 1006(a); 1007(c)................ Apply to abandon lease-term P/L, including exceptions/ 8
departures.
1000(b); 1006(a); 1007(c); 1009(c)(9); Apply to abandon ROW P/L and relinquish P/L ROW 8
1014. grant, including exceptions/departures.
1000(c)(2)............................... Identify in writing P/L operator on ROW if different \1/4\
from ROW grant holder.
1000(c)(4)............................... Petition to MMS for exceptions to general operations 5
transfer point description.
1000(c)(8)............................... Request MMS recognize valves landward of last \1/2\
production facility but still located on OCS as
point where MMS regulatory authority begins.
1000(c)(12).............................. Petition to MMS to continue to operate under DOT regs 40
upstream of last valve on last production facility.
1000(c)(13).............................. Transportation P/L operators petition to DOT and MMS 40
to continue to operate under MMS regs.
1004(c).................................. Place sign on safety equipment identified as ineffective and removed
from service. See footnote1
1005(a).................................. Inspect P/L routes for indication of leakage 1, 20
record results, maintain records 2 years 2.
1008(a), (c), (d), (e), (f), (h)......... Notify MMS and submit report on P/L or P/L safety 16
equipment repair, removal from service, analysis
results, or potential measurements.
1008(b).................................. Submit P/L construction report....................... 16
1008(g).................................. Submit plan of corrective action and report of 16
remedial action.
1009(b).................................. Submit surety bond on form MMS-2030.................. \1/4\
1009(c)(4)............................... Notify MMS of any archaeological resource discovery.. 4
1009(c)(8)............................... Make available to MMS design, construcion, operation, 10
maintenance, and repair records on ROW area and
improvements 2.
1010(a).................................. Apply to convert lease-term P/L to ROW grant P/L; 12
notify operators of deviation, including various
exceptions/departures.
1011(d).................................. Request opportunity to eliminate conflict when 1
application has been rejected.
1013..................................... Apply for assignment of a ROW grant.................. 12
1000-1014................................ General departure and alternative compliance requests 2
not specifically covered elsewhere in subpart J
regulations.
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1 These activities are usual and customary practices for prudent operators.
2 Retaining these records is usual and customary business practice; required burden is minimal.
Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost''
Burden: The currently approved non-hour cost burden for collection
1010-0050 is $332,000; there was no non-hour cost burden under 1010-
0134. Section 250.1010(a) specifies that an applicant must pay a non-
refundable filing fee when applying for a pipeline right-of-way grant
to install a new pipeline ($2,350) or to convert an existing lease-term
pipeline into a right-of-way pipeline ($300). Under Sec. 250.1013(b) an
applicant must pay a non-refundable filing fee ($60) when applying for
approval of an assignment of a right-of-way grant.
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: Before submitting an ICR to OMB, PRA section
3506(c)(2)(A) 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 collected; and (d) minimize
the burden on respondents, including automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Agencies must also estimate the ``non-hour cost'' burdens to
respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of
information. Except as noted above for application filing fees required
in Secs. 250.1010(a) and 250.1013(b), we have identified no other non-
hour cost burdens. Therefore, if you have costs to generate, maintain,
and disclose this information, you should comment and provide your
total capital and startup cost components or annual operation,
maintenance, and purchase of service components. 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, 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 1 provide information or
keep records for the Government; or (iv) as part of customary and usual
business or private practices.
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.
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 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
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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: February 12, 2002.
William S. Hauser,
Acting Chief, Engineering and Operations Division.
[FR Doc. 02-7802 Filed 3-29-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P