Minerals Management Service – 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 associated with 30 CFR 250, Subpart A, ``General,'' and related documents. 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 for approval of the paperwork requirements in the study being conducted in Alaska, Alaska Subsistence Study. This notice also provides the public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these regulatory requirements.

Final regulations for valuing gas produced from Indian leases, published August 10, 1999, require MMS to determine major portion prices and notify industry by publishing the prices 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 prices. This notice provides the major portion prices for the 12 months of 2007.

The purpose of the NOP is to gather information on oil and gas leasing, exploration, and development that might result from an OCS oil and gas lease sale tentatively scheduled for mid-2010.

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Minerals Management Service of the Department of the Interior is issuing public notice of its intent to amend 7 existing Privacy Act system of records notices to add a new routine use to authorize the disclosure of records to individuals involved in responding to a breach of Federal data.

This final rule will revise the production measurement regulations to establish meter proving, meter verification/calibration, and well test requirements after hurricanes and other events beyond the control of the lessee. This rulemaking will eliminate some reporting burden on industry, and it will eliminate the need for MMS to grant waivers to the reporting requirements in certain situations. The final rule will also add new definitions providing clarity in the training regulations, which should lead to improved training of Outer Continental Shelf workers.

On Wednesday, August 19, 2009, MMS will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in WPA Oil and Gas Lease Sale 210, 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 NOS 210 Package contains information essential to bidders, and bidders are charged with the knowledge of the documents contained in the Package.

Notice is given that the MMS will issue five limited leases authorizing wind resource data collection on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) offshore New Jersey and Delaware. Five OCS blocks will be leased for a term of 5 years; and the annual rent will be $3.00 per acre as established in the interim policy published in the Federal Register (72 FR 214, pp. 62673-62675) on November 6, 2007. The OCS blocks will be leased subject to the terms set forth in the lease form published in the Federal Register (73 FR 77, pp. 21363-21375) on April 21, 2008, and also subject to stipulations. The MMS will issue leases for four OCS blocks off the coast of New Jersey and one off the coast of Delaware to four companies: Bluewater Wind Delaware, LLC; Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy LLC; Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey, LLC, and Deepwater Wind, LLC. The OCS blocks off the coast of New Jersey are Wilmington NJ 18-02 Block 6936 to Bluewater Wind New Jersey Energy, LLC; Wilmington NJ 18-02 Block 6931 to Fishermen's Energy of New Jersey, LLC; Wilmington NJ 18-02 Block 6738 and Wilmington NJ 18-02 Block 7033 to Deepwater Wind, LLC. The OCS block MMS will lease off the coast of Delaware is Salisbury NJ 18-05 Block 6325 to Bluewater Wind Delaware, LLC.

The MMS proposes to require operators to develop and implement

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. This information collection request concerns the paperwork requirements in the regulations under 30 CFR 250, Subpart A, ``General.'' The MMS is renewing OMB approved Emergency Request 1010-0177 because information needs to be collected for a longer period than allowed in the Emergency Request. After a major weather event, like a hurricane, lessees and operators need to keep reporting new information to MMS until all MODUs are determined to be safe.

This notice provides the official MMS determination of which Gulf of Mexico price thresholds have been exceeded by annual market prices for oil or gas, by lease vintage, for calendar year 2008. 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 2008 for our various deepwater and deep depth royalty relief programs.

Minerals Management Service (MMS), in accordance with Federal Regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), announces the availability of NEPA-related Site-Specific Environmental Assessments (SEA) and Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSI), prepared by MMS for the following oil-, gas-, and mineral- related activities proposed on the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic OCS.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a new collection of information that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information collection request (ICR) pertains to conducting a study, Alaska Subsistence Study.

The MMS is publishing final regulations to establish a program to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way (ROW) for renewable energy project activities on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), as well as certain previously unauthorized activities that involve the alternate use of existing facilities located on the OCS; and to establish the methods for sharing revenues generated by this program with nearby coastal States. These regulations will also ensure the orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible development of renewable energy sources on the OCS.

Pursuant to the authority vested in the Director of the Minerals Management Service 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 Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas lease sales to be held during the bidding period May 1, 2009 through October 31, 2009. The List of Restricted Joint Bidders published in the Federal Register October 9, 2008, covered the period November 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009.

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.

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 a Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) discussed below.

Pursuant to the regulations implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), MMS is announcing its intent to prepare a PEIS to evaluate potential environmental effects of multiple G&G activities on the Atlantic OCS. This NOI initiates the scoping process for this PEIS and also seeks interest from other Federal agencies, and State, tribal, and local governments to consider becoming cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS. Through the scoping process, Federal, state, and local government agencies and other interested parties have the opportunity to aid MMS in determining the significant issues and alternatives for analysis in the PEIS. Comments received in response to the NOI will assist MMS in developing the scope of the PEIS. This early planning and consultation step is important to ensure that all interests and concerns are communicated to MMS as it develops this PEIS and ultimately for future decisions regarding G&G operations under MMS regulatory authority. In order to assist MMS in developing the scope of G&G activities to be covered within the PEIS, we are also using this NOI to solicit information from industry on any potential interest for future G&G activities on the Atlantic OCS, including seismic surveys (high- resolution surveys as well as various types of seismic exploration and development surveys), side-scan sonar surveys, all types of electromagnetic surveys, geological and geochemical sampling, and remote sensing (including gravity and magnetic surveys) and the geographic areas of these activities. The MMS will specifically use this information to develop the scope of the PEIS scenario and its proposed action area. If details on activities, desired geographic locations, or other relevant information are not provided to MMS through this Call for Interest, then this information may not be included in the PEIS scenario and may require additional NEPA analysis if proposed at a later date. With this NOI, MMS notes that this PEIS is dependent upon availability of funding. MMS welcomes participation from outside sources consistent with appropriate authorities and mechanisms to award a contract to conduct the essential analyses and prepare the PEIS. The MMS would maintain sole oversight over selection and management of contractors and would maintain full authority over the content of the PEIS, protected resources analyses, and final decisions. Outside sources that are considering participating in this PEIS process should submit an expression of interest, along with the requested information on potential activities and geographic scope, to the MMS, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region's Regional Supervisor for Leasing and Environment (see Comments section for contact information). If a PEIS is funded and started in early 2009, MMS estimates completion of the PEIS by late 2010. Without funding, completion of the PEIS would be uncertain.

On Wednesday, March 18, 2009, the MMS will open and publicly announce bids received for blocks offered in CPA Oil and Gas Lease Sale 208, 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 208 Package (Final NOS 208 Package) contains information essential to bidders, and bidders are charged with the knowledge of the documents contained in the Package.

The Minerals Management Service hereby gives notice that it is extending the public comment period for the Proposed Oil and Gas Lease Sale 220 Call for Information and Interest/Nominations (Call) and Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which was published in the Federal Register on November 13, 2008, (Volume 73, No. 220) for an additional 15 days. Please see the above notice for more detailed information. Due to the holidays, the MMS will extend the comment period from December 29, 2008, to January 13, 2009.