Agency Request for Emergency Approval of an Information Collection, 61734-61736 [2016-21390]
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 173 / Wednesday, September 7, 2016 / Notices
improper report or failure to report is
required to report the following
information to NHTSA: (1) A signed and
dated document that identifies (a) each
previous improper report and each
failure to report as required under 49
U.S.C. 30166, including a regulation,
requirement, request or order issued
thereunder, for which protection is
sought and (b) the specific predicate
under which the improper or omitted
report should have been provided; and
(2) the complete and correct information
that was required to be submitted but
was improperly submitted or was not
previously submitted, including
relevant documents that were not
previously submitted to NHTSA or, if
the person cannot do so, provide a
detailed description of that information
and/or the content of those documents
and the reason why the individual
cannot provide them to NHTSA. See 49
U.S.C. 30170(a)(2) and 49 CFR 578.7;
see also 66 FR 38380 (July 24, 2001)
(safe harbor final rule); 65 FR 81414
(Dec. 26, 2000) (safe harbor interim final
rule).
Send comments, within 30
days, to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street NW., Washington, DC 20503,
Attention NHTSA Desk Officer.
Comments are invited on: Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Department,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; the accuracy of
the Department’s estimate of the burden
of the proposed information collection;
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
A comment to OMB is most effective if
OMB receives it within 30 days of
publication.
ADDRESSES:
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506; delegation of
authority at 49 CFR 1.95.
Issued: August 30, 2016.
Paul A. Hemmersbaugh,
Chief Counsel.
[FR Doc. 2016–21426 Filed 9–6–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–59–P
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
[Docket Number DOT–OST–2016–0169]
Agency Request for Emergency
Approval of an Information Collection
Bureau of Transportation
Statistics (BTS), Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Research and Technology
(OST–R), U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (PRA), the
Department of Transportation (DOT)
provides notice that it will submit an
information collection request (ICR) to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for emergency approval of a
proposed information collection. Upon
receiving the requested six-month
emergency approval by OMB, the
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
(BTS), Office of the Assistant Secretary
for Research and Technology (OST–R),
U.S. Department of Transportation will
follow the normal PRA procedures to
obtain extended approval for this
proposed information collection.
This collection involves information
on barrier failure reporting in oil and
gas operations on the Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS), as referenced in recently
issued Bureau of Safety and
Environmental Enforcement (BSEE),
U.S. Department of the Interior
regulations at 30 CFR 250.730(c) (81 FR
25887, Apr. 29, 2016) and the BSEE
final rule amending and updating oil
and gas production safety system (30
CFR 250.803) to be published in the
Federal Register on September 7, 2016.
BTS and BSEE have entered into a
memorandum of understanding (MOU)
to develop an industry-wide repository
of barrier failure data, analyze and
aggregate information collected under
this program, and publish reports that
will provide BSEE, the industry, and all
OCS stakeholders with essential
information about failure types and
modes of critical safety barriers for
offshore operations.
BTS and BSEE have determined that
it is in the public interest to collect and
process barrier failure reports or other
data deemed necessary to administer
BSEE’s safety program pertaining to
barrier failures, under a pledge of
confidentiality for statistical purposes
only. The confidentiality of notices and
reports submitted directly to BTS will
be protected in accordance with the
Confidential Information Protection and
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002
(CIPSEA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 note), which
provides substantial additional
confidentiality protections than can be
provided for reports submitted directly
to BSEE.
Currently, reports on equipment
failures are submitted directly to BSEE
with limited information related to
barrier failure events and root cause.
Feedback from the industry during the
data collection form drafting process
indicates substantial reluctance to
provide detailed barrier failure event
information without the additional
protections of CIPSEA. Reports
submitted directly to BTS under
CIPSEA will use a longer data collection
form that includes additional essential
detail about a barrier failure event such
as equipment history information,
certain important event data
information, and root cause information.
The additional detail included in the
longer form is critical to
comprehensively assess failures and
determine appropriate exposure
denominators for risk estimates, in
service of BSEE’s mission to protect
safety and prevent environmental harm.
Emergency processing of this
collection of information is needed prior
to the expiration of time periods
established under the PRA because the
use of normal clearance procedures is
reasonably likely to result in the
collection of only limited data on barrier
failure events during the established
PRA time periods. The use of normal
clearance procedures will prevent
collection of this data during the
established PRA time periods, which
will inhibit BSEE’s ability to
comprehensively assess barrier failures
and risks, identify barrier failure trends,
and identify causes of critical safety
barrier failure events.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Information related to this ICR,
including applicable supporting
documentation may be obtained by
contacting Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of
Transportation Statistics, Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and
Technology, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Office of Statistical and
Economic Analysis, RTS–31, E36–302,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC 20590–0001; Phone No.
(202) 366–1610; Fax No. (202) 366–
3383; Email: demetra.collia@dot.gov.
Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m., EST, Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
DATES: Comments should be submitted
as soon as possible upon publication of
this notice in the Federal Register.
Comments and questions should be
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 173 / Wednesday, September 7, 2016 / Notices
directed to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Attn: OST
OMB Desk Officer, 725 17th Street NW.,
Washington DC 20503. Comments and
questions about the ICR identified
below may be transmitted electronically
to OIRA at oira_submissions@
omb.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
I. The Data Collection
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. chapter 35; as amended) and
5 CFR part 1320 require each Federal
agency to obtain OMB approval to
initiate an information collection
activity. BTS is seeking OMB approval
for the following BTS information
collection activity:
Title: Barrier Failure Reporting in Oil
and Gas Operations on the Outer
Continental Shelf.
OMB Control Number: 2138–TBD.
Type of Review: Approval of data
collection. This information collection
is limited to the establishment of BTS as
an authorized repository for the
previously approved information
collections (OMB Control Number
1014–0028, expiration 04/30/2019, and
OMB Control Number 1014–0003,
expiration 08/31/2019) in order to
ensure the confidentiality of
submissions under CIPSEA.
Respondents: BTS has entered into a
MOU with BSEE to facilitate the
collection of information from
respondents identified in the BSEE
notices for OMB Control Numbers
1014–0028 and 1014–0003.
Responsibility for establishing the
actual scope and burden for this
collection resides with BSEE. This BTS
information collection request does not
create any additional burden for
respondents. For the purposes of this
collection BTS has identified BSEE as
the sole respondent.
Number of Potential Responses: For
the purposes of this collection BTS has
identified BSEE as the sole respondent
reporting to BTS at the annual
frequency of one.
Estimated Time per Response: 60
minutes.
Frequency: Once. Total Annual
Burden: 1 hour.
Abstract: CIPSEA can provide strong
confidentiality protection for
information acquired for statistical
purposes under a pledge of
confidentiality. CIPSEA Guidance from
the Office of Management and Budget
advises that a nonstatistical agency or
unit (BSEE) that wishes to acquire
information with CIPSEA protection
may consider entering into an
agreement with a Federal statistical
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agency or unit (BTS). BTS and BSEE
have determined that it is in the public
interest to collect and process the
blowout preventer (BOP) failure reports
required by 30 CFR 250.730(c), safety
and pollution prevention equipment
(SPPE) failure reports required by 30
CFR 250.803, or other data deemed
necessary to administer BSEE’s safety
program pertaining to barrier failures
under a pledge of confidentiality for
statistical purposes only. BTS has
agreed through an MOU with BSEE to
undertake the information collection
identified in the BSEE notices for OMB
Control Numbers 1014–0028 and 1014–
0003 in order to ensure the
confidentiality of submissions under
CIPSEA. Since this information
collection is limited to the
establishment of BTS as an authorized
repository for the previously approved
information collections (OMB Control
Number 1014–0028, expiration 04/30/
2019, and OMB Control Number 1014–
0003, expiration 08/31/2019), this
information collection request does not
create any additional burden for
respondents.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as
amended; and 49 CFR 1:48 and 44
U.S.C. 3501 note.
II. Background
In August 2013, BTS and BSEE signed
an interagency agreement (IAA) to
develop and implement SafeOCS, a
voluntary program for confidential
reporting of ‘near misses’ occurring on
the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The
goal of the voluntary near miss reporting
system is to provide BTS with essential
information about accident precursors
and other hazards associated with OCS
oil and gas operations. Under the
program, BTS will develop and publish
aggregate reports that BSEE, the
industry and all OCS stakeholders can
use—in conjunction with incident
reports and other sources of
information—to reduce safety and
environmental risks and continue
building a more robust OCS safety
culture.
On July 28, 2016, new BSEE
regulations became effective, requiring
in part, the reporting of well control
barrier-related failure event and analysis
information. Further, BSEE’s final rule
amending and updating oil and gas
production safety systems regulations
which require, in part, the reporting of
SPPE failure event and analysis
information will become effective on
November 8, 2016. BSEE requested and
BTS agreed to expand the scope of
SafeOCS to include reports of
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61735
equipment failure mandated by 30 CFR
250.730(c) or 30 CFR 250.803.
Both BTS and BSEE agree that reports
of equipment failures are considered a
type of precursor safety information that
can be included in SafeOCS to provide
a means of identifying industry-wide
data trends on barrier failures or
potential for barrier failures. This data
collection will provide companies in the
oil and gas industry a trusted means to
report sensitive proprietary and safety
information related to equipment
failures and to foster trust in the
confidential collection, handling, and
storage of the raw data.
Feedback from the industry during
the rulemaking and form drafting
processes indicates substantial
reluctance to provide detailed barrier
failure event information without the
additional protections of CIPSEA.
Reports submitted directly to BSEE use
an abbreviated data collection form that
includes only limited information
related to barrier failure events. Reports
submitted directly to BTS use a longer
data collection form that includes
additional essential detail about a
barrier failure event such as equipment
history information, certain important
event data information, and root cause
information. The additional detail
included in the longer form is critical to
comprehensively assess failures and
determine appropriate exposure
denominators for risk estimates, in
service of BSEE’s mission to prevent
safety and environmental harm.
BTS will use the data collected to
establish a comprehensive source of
barrier-related failure data for statistical
purposes. With input from subject
matter experts, BTS will process and
analyze information on equipment
failures, and publish results of such
analyses in public reports. Such reports
will provide BSEE, the industry, and all
OCS stakeholders with essential
information about failure types and
modes of critical safety barriers for
offshore operations, provide valuable
information to identify and close gaps in
risk management, and contribute to
research and development of
intervention programs aimed at
preventing accidents and fatalities in
the OCS.
BTS will: (1) Collect failure notices,
failure analysis reports, and design
change/modified procedures reports, as
described in 30 CFR 250.730(c) and 30
CFR 250.803, submitted by industry
operators, their contractors, original
equipment manufacturers, and others
employed in the oil and gas industry; (2)
develop an analytical database using the
reported data and other pertinent
information; (3) conduct statistical
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analyses; (4) develop and publish
aggregate public reports and other data
produces; and (5) protect the
confidentiality of notices and reports in
accordance with BTS’ own statute (49
U.S.C. 6307) and CIPSEA. In accordance
with these confidentiality statutes, only
statistical (aggregated) and nonidentifying data will be made publicly
available by BTS through its reports.
BTS will not release to BSEE or any
other public or private entity any
information that might reveal the
identity of individuals or organizations
mentioned in failure notices or reports
without explicit consent of the
respondent and any other affected
entities.
Respondents who report a barrierrelated failure will be asked to fill out
a form based upon the requirements of
30 CFR 250.730(c) and cited industry
standards. They will also be asked to
submit supplemental information and
analysis as described in 30 CFR
250.730(c) or 30 CFR 250.803 and cited
industry standards. Respondents will
have the option to mail or submit the
reports electronically to BTS.
Respondents will be asked to provide
information such as: (1) Name and
contact information; (2) time and
location of the failure event; (3) a short
description of the failure event and
operating conditions that existed at the
time of the event; (4) contributing
factors to the event; (5) results of an
investigation or safety analysis report;
(6) any design or procedural changes as
a result of the reported equipment
failure; and (7) any other information
that might be useful in determining
ways to prevents such failures from
occurring.
BTS requests emergency processing of
this information collection because the
use of normal clearance procedures is
likely to result in the collection of only
limited data on barrier failure events
during the established PRA time
periods. The use of normal clearance
procedures will prevent collection of
this data during the established PRA
time periods, which will inhibit BSEE’s
ability to comprehensively assess barrier
failures and risks, identify barrier failure
trends, and identify causes of critical
safety barrier failure events.
The BSEE Well Control Rule failure
data collection for BOP equipment was
substantially driven by an event of
major national significance, which also
captured international attention. One
important element of this event was the
failure of BOP equipment. The event
resulted in the deaths of 11 people and
the largest oil spill in US history. It is
in the public interest to commence
immediate collection of the additional
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information on equipment history and
important event data to enable a better
understanding of underlying root
causes.
III. Request for Public Comment
BTS requests comments on any
aspects of this information collection
request, including: (1) Ways to enhance
the quality, usefulness, and clarity of
the collected information; and (2) ways
to minimize the collection burden
without reducing the quality of the
information collected, including
additional use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research
and Technology, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2016–21390 Filed 9–6–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9X–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Internal Revenue Service
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request for Regulation Project
Internal Revenue Service (IRS),
Treasury.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
The Department of the
Treasury, as part of its continuing effort
to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, invites the general public and
other Federal agencies to take this
opportunity to comment on proposed
and/or continuing information
collections, as required by the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)). Currently, the IRS is
soliciting comments concerning estate
and gift taxes; qualified disclaimers of
property (Section 25.2518–2(b)).
DATES: Written comments should be
received on or before November 7, 2016
to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments
to Tuawana Pinkston, Internal Revenue
Service, Room 6526, 1111 Constitution
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20224.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the regulations should be
directed to Sara Covington, at Internal
Revenue Service, Room 6526, 1111
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington,
DC 20224, or through the Internet at
Sara.L.Covington@irs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
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Title: Estate and Gift Taxes; Qualified
Disclaimers of Property.
OMB Number: 1545–0959.
Regulation Project Number: TD 8095.
Abstract: Internal Revenue Code
section 2518 allows a person to disclaim
an interest in property received by gift
or inheritance. The interest is treated as
if the disclaimant never received or
transferred such interest for Federal gift
tax purposes. A qualified disclaimer
must be in writing and delivered to the
transferor or trustee.
Current Actions: There is no change to
this existing regulation.
Type of Review: Extension of a
currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,000.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 30
minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 1,000.
The following paragraph applies to all
of the collections of information covered
by this notice:
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, a collection of information
unless the collection of information
displays a valid OMB control number.
Books or records relating to a
collection of information must be
retained as long as their contents may
become material in the administration
of any internal revenue law. Generally,
tax returns and tax return information
are confidential, as required by 26
U.S.C. 6103.
Request for Comments: Comments
submitted in response to this notice will
be summarized and/or included in the
request for OMB approval. All
comments will become a matter of
public record. Comments are invited on:
(a) Whether the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; (d) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents, including
through the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology; and (e) estimates of capital
or start-up costs and costs of operation,
maintenance, and purchase of services
to provide information.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 173 (Wednesday, September 7, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61734-61736]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-21390]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
[Docket Number DOT-OST-2016-0169]
Agency Request for Emergency Approval of an Information
Collection
AGENCY: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S.
Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) (PRA), the Department of Transportation (DOT)
provides notice that it will submit an information collection request
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency
approval of a proposed information collection. Upon receiving the
requested six-month emergency approval by OMB, the Bureau of
Transportation Statistics (BTS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Research and Technology (OST-R), U.S. Department of Transportation will
follow the normal PRA procedures to obtain extended approval for this
proposed information collection.
This collection involves information on barrier failure reporting
in oil and gas operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), as
referenced in recently issued Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement (BSEE), U.S. Department of the Interior regulations at 30
CFR 250.730(c) (81 FR 25887, Apr. 29, 2016) and the BSEE final rule
amending and updating oil and gas production safety system (30 CFR
250.803) to be published in the Federal Register on September 7, 2016.
BTS and BSEE have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to
develop an industry-wide repository of barrier failure data, analyze
and aggregate information collected under this program, and publish
reports that will provide BSEE, the industry, and all OCS stakeholders
with essential information about failure types and modes of critical
safety barriers for offshore operations.
BTS and BSEE have determined that it is in the public interest to
collect and process barrier failure reports or other data deemed
necessary to administer BSEE's safety program pertaining to barrier
failures, under a pledge of confidentiality for statistical purposes
only. The confidentiality of notices and reports submitted directly to
BTS will be protected in accordance with the Confidential Information
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA) (44 U.S.C.
3501 note), which provides substantial additional confidentiality
protections than can be provided for reports submitted directly to
BSEE.
Currently, reports on equipment failures are submitted directly to
BSEE with limited information related to barrier failure events and
root cause. Feedback from the industry during the data collection form
drafting process indicates substantial reluctance to provide detailed
barrier failure event information without the additional protections of
CIPSEA. Reports submitted directly to BTS under CIPSEA will use a
longer data collection form that includes additional essential detail
about a barrier failure event such as equipment history information,
certain important event data information, and root cause information.
The additional detail included in the longer form is critical to
comprehensively assess failures and determine appropriate exposure
denominators for risk estimates, in service of BSEE's mission to
protect safety and prevent environmental harm.
Emergency processing of this collection of information is needed
prior to the expiration of time periods established under the PRA
because the use of normal clearance procedures is reasonably likely to
result in the collection of only limited data on barrier failure events
during the established PRA time periods. The use of normal clearance
procedures will prevent collection of this data during the established
PRA time periods, which will inhibit BSEE's ability to comprehensively
assess barrier failures and risks, identify barrier failure trends, and
identify causes of critical safety barrier failure events.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Information related to this ICR,
including applicable supporting documentation may be obtained by
contacting Demetra V. Collia, Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S.
Department of Transportation, Office of Statistical and Economic
Analysis, RTS-31, E36-302, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC
20590-0001; Phone No. (202) 366-1610; Fax No. (202) 366-3383; Email:
demetra.collia@dot.gov. Office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., EST,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
DATES: Comments should be submitted as soon as possible upon
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Comments and
questions should be
[[Page 61735]]
directed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA),
Attn: OST OMB Desk Officer, 725 17th Street NW., Washington DC 20503.
Comments and questions about the ICR identified below may be
transmitted electronically to OIRA at oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. The Data Collection
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35; as
amended) and 5 CFR part 1320 require each Federal agency to obtain OMB
approval to initiate an information collection activity. BTS is seeking
OMB approval for the following BTS information collection activity:
Title: Barrier Failure Reporting in Oil and Gas Operations on the
Outer Continental Shelf.
OMB Control Number: 2138-TBD.
Type of Review: Approval of data collection. This information
collection is limited to the establishment of BTS as an authorized
repository for the previously approved information collections (OMB
Control Number 1014-0028, expiration 04/30/2019, and OMB Control Number
1014-0003, expiration 08/31/2019) in order to ensure the
confidentiality of submissions under CIPSEA.
Respondents: BTS has entered into a MOU with BSEE to facilitate the
collection of information from respondents identified in the BSEE
notices for OMB Control Numbers 1014-0028 and 1014-0003. Responsibility
for establishing the actual scope and burden for this collection
resides with BSEE. This BTS information collection request does not
create any additional burden for respondents. For the purposes of this
collection BTS has identified BSEE as the sole respondent.
Number of Potential Responses: For the purposes of this collection
BTS has identified BSEE as the sole respondent reporting to BTS at the
annual frequency of one.
Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes.
Frequency: Once. Total Annual Burden: 1 hour.
Abstract: CIPSEA can provide strong confidentiality protection for
information acquired for statistical purposes under a pledge of
confidentiality. CIPSEA Guidance from the Office of Management and
Budget advises that a nonstatistical agency or unit (BSEE) that wishes
to acquire information with CIPSEA protection may consider entering
into an agreement with a Federal statistical agency or unit (BTS). BTS
and BSEE have determined that it is in the public interest to collect
and process the blowout preventer (BOP) failure reports required by 30
CFR 250.730(c), safety and pollution prevention equipment (SPPE)
failure reports required by 30 CFR 250.803, or other data deemed
necessary to administer BSEE's safety program pertaining to barrier
failures under a pledge of confidentiality for statistical purposes
only. BTS has agreed through an MOU with BSEE to undertake the
information collection identified in the BSEE notices for OMB Control
Numbers 1014-0028 and 1014-0003 in order to ensure the confidentiality
of submissions under CIPSEA. Since this information collection is
limited to the establishment of BTS as an authorized repository for the
previously approved information collections (OMB Control Number 1014-
0028, expiration 04/30/2019, and OMB Control Number 1014-0003,
expiration 08/31/2019), this information collection request does not
create any additional burden for respondents.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1:48 and 44 U.S.C. 3501 note.
II. Background
In August 2013, BTS and BSEE signed an interagency agreement (IAA)
to develop and implement SafeOCS, a voluntary program for confidential
reporting of `near misses' occurring on the Outer Continental Shelf
(OCS). The goal of the voluntary near miss reporting system is to
provide BTS with essential information about accident precursors and
other hazards associated with OCS oil and gas operations. Under the
program, BTS will develop and publish aggregate reports that BSEE, the
industry and all OCS stakeholders can use--in conjunction with incident
reports and other sources of information--to reduce safety and
environmental risks and continue building a more robust OCS safety
culture.
On July 28, 2016, new BSEE regulations became effective, requiring
in part, the reporting of well control barrier-related failure event
and analysis information. Further, BSEE's final rule amending and
updating oil and gas production safety systems regulations which
require, in part, the reporting of SPPE failure event and analysis
information will become effective on November 8, 2016. BSEE requested
and BTS agreed to expand the scope of SafeOCS to include reports of
equipment failure mandated by 30 CFR 250.730(c) or 30 CFR 250.803.
Both BTS and BSEE agree that reports of equipment failures are
considered a type of precursor safety information that can be included
in SafeOCS to provide a means of identifying industry-wide data trends
on barrier failures or potential for barrier failures. This data
collection will provide companies in the oil and gas industry a trusted
means to report sensitive proprietary and safety information related to
equipment failures and to foster trust in the confidential collection,
handling, and storage of the raw data.
Feedback from the industry during the rulemaking and form drafting
processes indicates substantial reluctance to provide detailed barrier
failure event information without the additional protections of CIPSEA.
Reports submitted directly to BSEE use an abbreviated data collection
form that includes only limited information related to barrier failure
events. Reports submitted directly to BTS use a longer data collection
form that includes additional essential detail about a barrier failure
event such as equipment history information, certain important event
data information, and root cause information. The additional detail
included in the longer form is critical to comprehensively assess
failures and determine appropriate exposure denominators for risk
estimates, in service of BSEE's mission to prevent safety and
environmental harm.
BTS will use the data collected to establish a comprehensive source
of barrier-related failure data for statistical purposes. With input
from subject matter experts, BTS will process and analyze information
on equipment failures, and publish results of such analyses in public
reports. Such reports will provide BSEE, the industry, and all OCS
stakeholders with essential information about failure types and modes
of critical safety barriers for offshore operations, provide valuable
information to identify and close gaps in risk management, and
contribute to research and development of intervention programs aimed
at preventing accidents and fatalities in the OCS.
BTS will: (1) Collect failure notices, failure analysis reports,
and design change/modified procedures reports, as described in 30 CFR
250.730(c) and 30 CFR 250.803, submitted by industry operators, their
contractors, original equipment manufacturers, and others employed in
the oil and gas industry; (2) develop an analytical database using the
reported data and other pertinent information; (3) conduct statistical
[[Page 61736]]
analyses; (4) develop and publish aggregate public reports and other
data produces; and (5) protect the confidentiality of notices and
reports in accordance with BTS' own statute (49 U.S.C. 6307) and
CIPSEA. In accordance with these confidentiality statutes, only
statistical (aggregated) and non-identifying data will be made publicly
available by BTS through its reports. BTS will not release to BSEE or
any other public or private entity any information that might reveal
the identity of individuals or organizations mentioned in failure
notices or reports without explicit consent of the respondent and any
other affected entities.
Respondents who report a barrier-related failure will be asked to
fill out a form based upon the requirements of 30 CFR 250.730(c) and
cited industry standards. They will also be asked to submit
supplemental information and analysis as described in 30 CFR 250.730(c)
or 30 CFR 250.803 and cited industry standards. Respondents will have
the option to mail or submit the reports electronically to BTS.
Respondents will be asked to provide information such as: (1) Name and
contact information; (2) time and location of the failure event; (3) a
short description of the failure event and operating conditions that
existed at the time of the event; (4) contributing factors to the
event; (5) results of an investigation or safety analysis report; (6)
any design or procedural changes as a result of the reported equipment
failure; and (7) any other information that might be useful in
determining ways to prevents such failures from occurring.
BTS requests emergency processing of this information collection
because the use of normal clearance procedures is likely to result in
the collection of only limited data on barrier failure events during
the established PRA time periods. The use of normal clearance
procedures will prevent collection of this data during the established
PRA time periods, which will inhibit BSEE's ability to comprehensively
assess barrier failures and risks, identify barrier failure trends, and
identify causes of critical safety barrier failure events.
The BSEE Well Control Rule failure data collection for BOP
equipment was substantially driven by an event of major national
significance, which also captured international attention. One
important element of this event was the failure of BOP equipment. The
event resulted in the deaths of 11 people and the largest oil spill in
US history. It is in the public interest to commence immediate
collection of the additional information on equipment history and
important event data to enable a better understanding of underlying
root causes.
III. Request for Public Comment
BTS requests comments on any aspects of this information collection
request, including: (1) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the collected information; and (2) ways to minimize the
collection burden without reducing the quality of the information
collected, including additional use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information technology.
Patricia Hu,
Director, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Research and Technology, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2016-21390 Filed 9-6-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
