Minerals Management Service June 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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 part 250, subpart K, Oil and Gas Production Rates, and related documents. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

On April 22, 2008, pursuant to the authority vested in the Director of the Minerals Management Service by the joint bidding provisions of 30 CFR 256.41, as a matter of information to the public, the MMS published in the Federal Register the current List of Restricted Bidders. Under this authority, MMS determined that each entity within one of the following groups is restricted from bidding with any entity in any other of the following groups at Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease sales to be held during the bidding period May 1, 2008 through October 31, 2008. We inadvertently omitted a new group, ``Group IX.,'' that shall be restricted from bidding with any entity in any other group of restricted bidders during this bidding period. The corrected List of Restricted Joint Bidders is provided below and is effective as of the date of the previous Federal Register publication, April 22, 2008.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is promulgating new regulations that establish a process for a shipper transporting oil or gas production from Federal leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) to follow if it believes it has been denied open and nondiscriminatory access to pipelines on the OCS. The rule provides MMS with tools to ensure that pipeline companies provide open and nondiscriminatory access to their pipelines.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 part CFR 218, regarding (1) Cross-lease netting in calculation of late-payment interest; (2) designating a designee; and (3) recoupment of overpayments on Indian oil and gas leases. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of the regulatory requirements. We shortened the title of this ICR to meet OMB requirements. The new title of this information collection request (ICR) is ``30 CFR Part 218, Collection of Monies Due the Federal Government.'' The form associated with this collection is Form MMS-4425, Designation Form for Royalty Payment Responsibility.

This notice provides the official MMS documentation of which Gulf of Mexico price thresholds have been exceeded by annual market prices for oil or gas, by lease vintage, for calendar year 2007. This notice also explains in detail how MMS calculates the annual oil and gas prices and applicable price thresholds used to determine whether royalty relief applies in calendar year 2007 for our various deepwater and deep depth royalty relief programs.