[Federal Register: December 21, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 244)] [Notices] [Page 70419-70420] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr21de98-102] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior. ACTION: Notice of revised collection of information (1010-0112) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Act), the Department of the Interior has submitted the revised collection of information discussed below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval. The Act provides [[Page 70420]] that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. DATES: Submit written comments by January 20, 1999. ADDRESSES: Submit comments and suggestions directly to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior (1010-0112), 725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20503. Send a copy of your comments to the Minerals Management Service, Attention: Rules Processing Team, Mail Stop 4024, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexis London, Engineering and Operations Division, Minerals Management Service, telephone (703) 787- 1600. You may obtain copies of the supporting statement and collection of information by contacting MMS's Information Collection Clearance Officer at (202) 208-7744. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title and Form Number: Form MMS-131, Performance Measures Data Form. Abstract: The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), as amended, 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq., requires the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to preserve, protect, and develop offshore oil and gas resources; 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 the 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. We use the information collected on Form MMS-131 to evaluate the effectiveness of industry's continued improvement of safety and environmental management in the OCS. We can better focus regulatory and research programs on areas where the performance measures indicate that operators are having difficulty meeting MMS expectations. We can be more effective in leveraging resources by redirecting research efforts, promoting appropriate regulatory initiatives, and shifting inspection program emphasis. The performance measures will also give us a verifiable gauge to use in judging the reasonableness of company requests for any specific regulatory relief. This information also provides offshore operators and organizations with a credible data source to demonstrate to those outside the industry how well the industry and individual companies are doing. Knowing how the offshore operators as a group are doing and where their own company ranks provides company management with information to focus their continuous improvement efforts. This should lead to more cost-effective prevention actions and, therefore, better cost containment. The collection of this information involves no proprietary information. No items of a sensitive nature are collected. Responses are voluntary. Based upon our experience this first year, and the comments and suggestions from respondents, we revised Form MMS-131 to remove certain data elements that require OCS operators to perform calculations that we can easily do. The only substantive revision to the form is to clarify that respondents report all permit noncompliances under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency. This data element was previously and erroneously restricted to permit exceedences. Exceedences is a subcategory of noncompliances, but information for both categories is obtained from the same source--the operator's monthly Discharge Monitoring Report. Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 100 Federal OCS oil and gas or sulphur lessees. Frequency: The frequency of reporting is annual. There are no recordkeeping requirements. Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: 960 total burden hours, averaging approximately 12 hours per response. Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: None. Comments: Section 3506 (c)(2)(A) of the Act 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. Send your comments directly to the offices listed under the addresses section of this notice. The 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 January 20, 1999. MMS Information Collection Clearance Officer: Jo Ann Lauterbach, (202) 208-7744. Dated: October 21, 1998. E. P. Danenberger, Chief, Engineering and Operations Division. [FR Doc. 98-33680 Filed 12-18-98; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P