Minerals Management Service February 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice is hereby given that effective with this publication, the following NAD 83based Outer Continental Shelf Official Protraction Diagrams last revised on the date indicated are available for information only, in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Office, New Orleans, Louisiana. Copies are also available for download at https:// www.mms.gov/ld/atlantic.htm. The Minerals Management Service in accordance with its authority and responsibility under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is updating and depicting the ambulatory Submerged Lands Act boundary and Limit of ``8 (g) Zone'' for the entire Continental United States and Alaska, except where fixed under a Supplemental Decree of the United States Supreme Court. This effort is being conducted under a joint project with the NOAA National Ocean Service and the Department of State's Interdepartmental Baseline Committee to develop a new National Baseline for the United States. These diagrams constitute the basic record of the marine cadastre in the geographic area they represent.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is giving notice of public workshops concerning the valuation of crude oil produced from Indian oil and gas leases.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in Form MMS-144, ``Rig Movement Notification Report.'' This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 206. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements. We changed the title of this ICR to clarify the regulatory language we are covering under 30 CFR 206. The previous title of this ICR was ``Request to Exceed Regulatory Allowance Limitation.'' The new title of this ICR is ``30 CFR 206 Product Valuation, Subpart BIndian Oil, Sec. 206.54; Subpart C Federal Oil, Sec. 206.109; Subpart DFederal Gas, Sec. Sec. 206.156 and 206.158; and Subpart EIndian Gas, Sec. 206.177 (Form MMS-4393, Request to Exceed Regulatory Allowance Limitation).''

The MMS proposes to modify its regulations at 30 CFR 250.175, which govern SOO's for oil and gas leases on the OCS. The proposed revision will allow MMS to grant SOO's to lessees or operators who plan to drill ultra-deep wells. MMS proposes this revision because of the added complexity and costs associated with planning and drilling an ultra-deep well. MMS expects that this revision will lead to increased drilling of ultra-deep wells and increased domestic production.

On March 16, 2005, the MMS will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in Eastern GOM Oil and Gas Lease Sale 197, pursuant to the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended) and the regulations issued thereunder (30 CFR Part 256). The Final Notice of Sale 197 Package (FNOS 197 Package) contains information essential to bidders, and bidders are charged with the knowledge of the documents contained in the Package.

The Secretary's decision to consider offering the Chukchi Sea/ Hope Basin Planning Area and the Norton Basin Planning Area in the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2002-2007 provides for an 18-month ``special-interest'' process beginning with publication of this Call. Based on the information and specific nominations received as a result of this Call, a decision will be made whether to proceed with a sale for these separate planning areas. In the past MMS has issued separate Calls for these areas; however, because the areas are both ``special-interest areas'' and tentative process milestones are the same, the decision was made to combine the Calls.