Minerals Management Service 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, Subpart C, ``Pollution Prevention and Control.''

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 280, ``Prospecting for Minerals Other than Oil, Gas, and Sulphur on the Outer Continental Shelf.''

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Director of the MMS by the joint bidding provisions of 30 CFR 256.41, each entity within one of the following groups shall be restricted from bidding with any entity in any other of the following groups at OCS oil and gas lease sales to be held during the bidding period May 1, 2005, through October 31, 2005. The List of Restricted Joint Bidders published October 18, 2004, in the Federal Register at 69 FR 61402 covered the period November 1, 2004, through April 31, 2005.

On March 28, 2005, pursuant to 30 CFR 256.29(c) as a matter of information to the public, the MMS published in the Federal Register the Notice of Availability of the proposed Notice of Sale for OCS Sale 196 in the Western GOM. The title of that Notice correctly identified the proposed sale as an oil and gas lease sale in the Western GOM. However, in the summary of the action, the sale was incorrectly identified as a Central GOM sale. We are issuing this Notice to correct that error.

Final regulations for valuing gas produced from Indian leases, published on August 10, 1999, require MMS to determine major portion values and notify industry by publishing the values in the Federal Register. The regulations also require MMS to publish a due date for industry to pay additional royalty based on the major portion value. This notice provides the major portion values for the 12 months of 2003. The due date to pay is May 31, 2005.

The Minerals Management Service is issuing this notice to advise the public that MMS has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) (Lease Sale 196) scheduled for August 2005. Proposed Lease Sale 196 is the fourth Western Planning Area (WPA) lease sale scheduled in the Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program: 2002-2007 (5-Year Program, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2002- 006). The preparation of this EA is an important step in the decisionmaking process for Lease Sale 196. The proposal for Lease Sale 196 (the offering of all available unleased acreage in the WPA) and its alternatives (the proposed action excluding the unleased blocks near biologically sensitive topographic features and no action) were identified by the MMS Director in January 2002 following the Call for Information and Nominations/Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and were analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2003-2007; Central Planning Area Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201; Western Planning Area Sales 187, 192, 196, and 200Final Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2002-052). The Multisale EIS analyzed the effects of a typical WPA lease sale by presenting a set of ranges for resource estimates, projected exploration and development activities, and impact-producing factors for any of the proposed WPA lease sales. The level of activities projected for proposed Lease Sale 196 falls within these ranges. In this EA, which tiers from the Multisale EIS and incorporates that document by reference, MMS reexamined the potential environmental effects of the proposed action and its alternatives based on any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were not available at the time the Multisale EIS was prepared. No new significant impacts were identified for proposed Lease Sale 196 that were not already assessed in the Multisale EIS. As a result, MMS determined that a supplemental EIS is not required and prepared a Finding of No New Significant Impact (FONNSI).

The MMS announces the availability of the proposed Notice of Sale for proposed Sale 196 in the Central GOM OCS. This Notice is published pursuant to 30 CFR 256.29(c) as a matter of information to the public. With regard to oil and gas leasing on the OCS, the Secretary of the Interior, pursuant to section 19 of the OCS Lands Act, provides the affected States the opportunity to review the proposed Notice. The proposed Notice sets forth the proposed terms and conditions of the sale, including minimum bids, royalty rates, and rentals.

This proposed rulemaking would revise certain existing definitions, add a first production notice requirement, and make some administrative changes. MMS recently redesigned and renamed some of its forms to aid submission and streamline data. MMS also discovered inconsistent practices in first production reporting, which is a prime parameter in determining inspection and testing schedules for safety system devices. This proposed rulemaking would correspond to recently revised forms, provide clarity and explanation of definitions and forms, and correct form submittal with first production notices. It would also clarify the basis upon which the Regional Director invokes the requirement for an archaeological survey on a lease area.

This notice provides a listing of civil penalties paid January 1, 2004, through December 31, 2004, for violations of the OCS Lands Act (OCSLA). The goal of the MMS OCS Civil Penalties Program is to assure safe and clean operations on the OCS. Through the pursuit, assessment, and collection of civil penalties and referrals for the consideration of criminal penalties, the program is designed to encourage compliance with OCS statutes and regulations. The purpose of publishing the penalties summary is to provide information to the public on violations of special concern in OCS operations and to provide an additional incentive for safe and environmentally sound operations.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The title of this information collection request (ICR) is ``30 CFR 208Sale of Federal Royalty Oil; Sale of Federal Royalty Gas; and Commercial Contracts (Forms MMS-4070, Application for the Purchase of Royalty Oil; MMS-4071, Letter of Credit; and MMS-4072, Royalty-in- Kind Contract Surety Bond).'' We changed the title of this ICR to clarify the regulatory language we are covering under 30 CFR part 208 and the Royalty-in-Kind (RIK) 5-Year Business Plan, and to reflect OMB consolidation approval of five RIK-related ICRs. Those ICRs were titled: 1010-0042: 30 CFR part 208Sale of Federal Royalty Oil; Royalty-in-Kind (RIK) Program (Form MMS-4070, Application for the Purchase of Royalty Oil); 1010-0119: 30 CFR part 208Sale of Federal Royalty Oil, Royalty Oil Sales to Eligible Refiners (30 CFR 208.4(a) and (d)); 1010-0126: Royalty-in-Kind (RIK) Pilot Program Directed Communications by Operators of Federal Oil and Gas Leases; 1010-0129: Royalty-in-Kind Pilot ProgramOffers, Financial Statements, and Surety Instruments for Sales of Royalty Oil and Gas; and 1010-0135: 30 CFR 208.11(a), (b), (d), and (e)Surety Requirements (Forms MMS-4071 and MMS-4072). In the five ICRs, much of the general information was repeated and cross referenced. This consolidated ICR 1010-0119 eliminates that duplication of effort and redundancy of data. It also provides for all RIK information-collection requirements to be reviewed on a MMS RIK operational program-wide basis.

MMS is considering an increase to the base level rentals and the use of sliding scale rentals in Gulf of Mexico lease sales. This notice explains the purpose of the change and what the sliding scale rentals might be. MMS requests comments on both the increase to the base amounts and on the structure of the sliding scale system and its potential effects.

The Minerals Management Service has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of structure-removal activities on the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The activities analyzed in the EA include vessel and equipment mobilization, structure preparation, nonexplosive- and explosive-severance activities, post-severance lifting and salvage, and site-clearance verification. The impact-producing factors of structure removals considered in the EA include seafloor disturbances, air emissions and water discharges, pressure and acoustic energy from explosive detonations, and space-use conflicts with other OCS users.

The MMS will hold OCS oil and gas lease Sale 195 on March 30, 2005, in accordance with provisions of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331-1356, as amended), the implementing regulations (30 CFR Part 256), and the OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2002-2007.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, Subpart D, ``Oil and Gas Drilling Operations,'' and forms MMS-123, MMS-123S, MMS-124, MMS- 125, MMS-133 and MMS-133S. The current OMB approval of these forms expires in October 2005. MMS has revised the forms, so that the paper forms and eWell submitted information will be compatible; we will submit these revisions to OMB for approval.

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 rulemaking for regulations under 30 CFR 250, subparts J, H, and I, Fixed and Floating Platforms and Structures. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

The MMS prepared six EAs for processing applications for Suspensions of Production or Operations for nine units and one non- unitized lease located on the Pacific OCS and issued a FONSI for each EA pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These environmental documents are available on MMS's Web site at https://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific.

MMS is adding a document to be incorporated by reference into the regulations governing oil and gas and sulphur operations in the OCS. The new document, API 510, is titled ``Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: Maintenance Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration.'' This incorporation will ensure that lessees use the best available and safest technologies while maintaining, repairing and altering pressure vessels in use on the OCS.

On March 16, 2005, the MMS will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in Central GOM Oil and Gas Lease Sale 194, 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 194 Package (FNOS 194 Package) contains information essential to bidders, and bidders are charged with the knowledge of the documents contained in the Package.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, subpart K, ``Oil and Gas Production Rates.''

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is issuing this notice to advise the public, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., that MMS intends to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) for proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas Lease Sale 196 in the Western Gulf of Mexico (GOM) (Lease Sale 196) scheduled for August 2005. The MMS is issuing this notice to facilitate public involvement. The preparation of this EA is the first step in the decision process for Lease Sale 196. The proposal and alternatives for Lease Sale 196 were identified by the MMS Director in January 2002 following the Call for Information and Nominations/Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and were analyzed in the Gulf of Mexico OCS Oil and Gas Lease Sales: 2003-2007; Central Planning Area Sales 185, 190, 194, 198, and 201; Western Planning Area Sales 187, 192, 196, and 200Final Environmental Impact Statement; Volumes I and II (Multisale EIS, OCS EIS/EA MMS 2002-052). This EA will reexamine the potential environmental effects of the proposed action (the offering of all available unleased acreage in the Western Planning Area (WPA)) and its alternatives (the proposed action excluding the unleased blocks near biologically sensitive topographic features, and no action) based on any new information regarding potential impacts and issues that were not available at the time the Multisale EIS was prepared.