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Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) of Federal Oil, Gas, and Sulphur Leases in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)

NOTE: NTL 2007-N04 is available for download in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). (? KB; 3 pages)

Oil Discharge Written Follow-up Reports

This National NTL is intended to clarify the information to be included in the written follow-up discharge reports required by 30 CFR 254.46(b)(2). Under this regulation, for all oil discharges of one barrel or more (whether or not the discharge was observed or reported), you must submit a written follow-up report to the MMS Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Regional Supervisor (RS), Alaska OCS RS, or Pacific OCS Region (POCSR) District Manager (DM), as appropriate, within 15-calendar days after the discharge has been stopped or has ceased.

For oil discharges of one barrel or more, include the following in your written follow-up report:

1. Lessee/operator

2. MMS identification code of the lessee/operator

3. Lessee/operator point of contact (POC) name

4. POC telephone number

5. POC e-mail address

6. Discharge occurrence date and time

7. Discharge cause

8. Discovered date and time

9. OCS area and block

10. OCS lease number

11. Source coordinates (latitude and longitude)

12. Source (structure type, structure name, and complex identification number; or pipeline segment number, as appropriate)

13. Product(s) discharged (if drilling mud, identify base oil and whether it is petroleum or synthetic based)

14. Characteristics of spilled product (API gravity, initial viscosity and pour point of spilled product and results of any chemical analysis conducted on spilled product)

15. Rate of discharge at time of discovery

16. Date, time, and method discharge secured

17. Discharge duration from occurrence to fully secured (days and/or hours)

18. Slick/sheen, location, length and width (miles and/or feet), orientation/direction from the facility, and color at time of discovery and during spill response operations. Note date and time that each observation was made.

19. Final estimate of discharge volume (barrels) including the method(s) used for making the determination.  Include calculations, where appropriate.  (If drilling mud, note the total mud volume and the base oil volume)

20. Sea state/wave conditions and water surface current direction and speed during response operations

21. Weather conditions at initiation of response operations (including air temperature, wind speed, and wind direction) and name of weather system, if applicable

22. Estimated total amount of oil recovered and/or dispersed chemically (barrels)

23. Date and time that initial oil discharge notifications were made to the:
     

    1. National Response Center (also provide report number)
    2. Spill management team (if function contracted, provide name of consultant)
    3. Oil spill removal organization (also provide name of OSRO)
    4. MMS regional or district office (also provide name of employee contacted)
    5. MMS GOMR Pipeline Section or the POCSR Office of Facility, Safety, and Enforcement, if discharge was from a pipeline (also provide name of employee contacted)
24. Description of actions that were taken to contain and cleanup the discharge. (The RS/DM may ask you to provide additional information if it is determined that an analysis of the response is necessary)
25. Date spill response concluded and description of spill at that time (barely visible, etc)
26. Description of all environmental resources that were impacted by the released oil. This description shall include the following information: identification of type of resource, endangered/threatened status, quantity impacted, mortality by type of resource, location of contact to resource, impact effect, and rehabilitation actions taken. Additionally, if shoreline impact occurs, include the date, time and location of shoreline contact; type of shoreline contacted (wetland, beach, other); length, depth, thickness, and percentage of oil coverage; and observed impacts to the contacted areas.

Submit your written follow-up report within the required 15-day period, even if ongoing damage assessment, meteorological conditions, or other situations prevent you from determining a total, official discharge volume. Amend your report when that information becomes available. Failure to submit written follow-up reports within the 15-day period, or in compliance with approved extensions, could result in an enforcement action, including the issuance of an Incident of Non-Compliance (INC).

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Statement

The information collection referred to in this NTL is intended to provide clarification, description, or interpretation of requirements contained in 30 CFR 254. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection requirements in these regulations under OMB Control Number 1010-0091. This NTL does not impose additional information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

Contact

Questions regarding this NTL may be directed to David M. Moore of the Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs at MMS headquarters by telephone at 703.787.1637, or by email at david.moore@mms.gov.

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