Minerals Management Service March 2009 – 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 part 251, Geological and Geophysical (G&G) Explorations of the Outer Continental Shelf.

This notice provides a listing of civil penalties paid from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2008, for violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. The goal of the MMS Outer Continental Shelf Civil Penalties Program is to assure safe and clean oil, gas, sulphur, or other minerals operations on the Outer Continental Shelf. 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 applicable statutes and regulations. The purpose of publishing the penalties summary is to provide information to the public on violations of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act and to provide an additional incentive for safe and environmentally sound operations.

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 CFR parts 202, 206, and 207. 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 the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements in the regulations under title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 202, 204, and 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 reflect the consolidation of two ICRs relating to Federal oil and gas valuation. The new title of this ICR is ``30 CFR Parts 202, 204, and 206, Federal Oil and Gas Valuation.'' In this extension, we are consolidating the following ICRs, which allow programwide review of Federal oil and gas leases: 1010-0136, previously titled ``30 CFR Part 202Royalties, Subpart CFederal and Indian Oil and Subpart DFederal Gas; and Part 206Product Valuation, Subpart CFederal Oil and Subpart DFederal Gas;'' and 1010-0155, previously titled ``30 CFR Part 204 Alternatives for Marginal Properties, Subpart CAccounting and Auditing Relief.''

On February 10, 2009, the Secretary of the Interior announced a new comprehensive approach to the Nation's offshore energy plan, which includes four parts and affects the Draft Proposed 5-year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2010-2015 (DPP), published on January 16, 2009, by the previous Administration. The Secretary's four steps are [cir] An additional 180 days for public comment on the DPP and the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the proposed 5-year program to September 21, 2009; [cir] Preparation by MMS and the U.S. Geological Survey of a report setting forth all the information available on our offshore energy resources, with the report to be completed within 45 days of the Secretary's announcement; [cir] Regional meetings to be convened by the Secretary on each coast and in Alaska to gather the best ideas for how to move forward with a comprehensive offshore energy plan, with the meetings to occur in the 30 days following completion of the report; and [cir] Commitment by the Secretary to issuing a final rulemaking on offshore renewable energy resources in the coming months. This Federal Register Notice announces the 180-day extension of time for receipt of comments on the DPP and the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the proposed 5-year program. The original comment period was announced in the Federal Register on January 21, 2009 (74 FR 3631) with a closing date of March 23, 2009. The new closing date is September 21, 2009. The additional time will give states, stakeholders, and affected communities the opportunity to provide input on how, whether, and where the Nation's offshore areas should be considered as part of the Nation's energy strategy. Section 18 of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) specifies a multi- step process of consultation and analysis that must be completed before the Secretary of the Interior may approve a new 5-year program. The required steps following this notice include the development of a proposed program, a proposed final program, and Secretarial approval. Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the MMS also will prepare an EIS for the new 5-year program. The notice in the Federal Register on January 21, 2009 (74 FR 3631) started the formal scoping process for the EIS under 40 CFR 1501.7, and solicited information regarding issues and alternatives that should be evaluated in the EIS. The EIS will analyze the potential impacts of the adoption of the proposed 5-year program.