FOR RELEASE:  March 22, 1994            CONTACT:  John Barclay
                                                  (202) 208-3983

        MMS SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENT IN REVIEW OF REGULATIONS

 Agency Wants to Eliminate Unnecessary or Costly Rules (#40021)


     The Interior Department's Minerals Management Service (MMS)
wants its customers--American taxpayers, the environmental
community and the energy industry--to tell it how it can improve
the services the agency provides, according to a notice in the
March 1 edition of the Federal Register.

     The effort is part of a government-wide program mandated by
President Clinton.  Objectives of the effort, MMS officials said,
are to ensure that all significant regulations:
     --are efficient and effective,
     --impose the least possible burden upon the public, and
     --are tailored no broader than necessary to meet the
          objectives of the program being implemented.

     All comments on MMS regulations should be sent by May 2 to:

          Bill Vincent, Deputy Director
          Office of Regulatory Affairs
          U.S. Department of the Interior
          Mail Stop 6214 MIB
          1849 C. St., NW
          Washington, DC  20240

     MMS Director Tom Fry said the agency would review all
comments received by the close of the comment period on May 2. 
The results of that review will be made public, and further
comments will be sought by MMS at a later time.

     "We're trying to make sure that our regulations impose the
least possible burden on the public," Fry said, "while still
accomplishing the job the laws require us to do.  It's important
that we get the public's help to identify regulations which might
be overbroad, too complex or too burdensome.

     "We're trying to encourage maximum participation by the
public, the energy industry, the environmental community and
everyone else who is interested in, or affected by our
regulations," Fry said.  "We're truly committed to being
responsive to the public's concerns and interests.   We're
looking for help in operating our programs as efficiently as
possible, in an environmentally sound manner, without unnecessary
interference in peoples lives or livelihoods."

                              -MMS-

Subject: PR-03/23/94 Regulations/MMS Seeks Comment in Review of
Regulations (#40021)