Minerals Management Service December 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) announces the availability of the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP). This EA will assist agency planning by facilitating the establishment of procedures for the disbursement of CIAP funds and providing an opportunity to involve the public, States, and coastal political subdivisions (CPSs). Specifically, this EA generally describes the potential environmental impacts of CIAP projects, provides comprehensive guidance to the States and CPSs for submitting the documentation needed to comply with relevant environmental laws at the time they request funding for proposed projects, and compiles information that may be appropriate to include in environmental compliance documents prepared for each proposed project.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) published final regulations on September 13, 2004 (69 FR 55076), codified at 30 CFR 204.200-215, to provide accounting and auditing relief for marginal Federal oil and gas properties. The rule requires MMS to publish in the Federal Register the decisions of the States concerned to allow or not to allow one or both forms of relief in their State. As required in the rule, MMS provided states receiving a portion of the Federal royalties with a list of qualifying marginal Federal oil and gas properties located in their State so that each affected State could decide whether to participate in one or both relief options. This notice provides the decisions by the States concerned to allow one or both types of relief.

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 Q, ``Decommissioning Activities.''