82 FR 57289 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Unitization

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 231 (December 4, 2017)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposes to renew an information collection with revisions.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57289-57290]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26049]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

[Docket ID BSEE-2017-0004; 189E1700D2 ET1SF0000.PSB000 EEEE500000; OMB 
Control Number 1014-0015]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Unitization

AGENCY: Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) proposes to renew 
an information collection with revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 3, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement; Regulations and 
Standards Branch; ATTN: Nicole Mason; 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 
20166; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control 
Number 1014-0015 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Nicole Mason by email at [email protected], or 
by telephone at (703) 787-1607. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact 
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information 
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired 
format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
August

[[Page 57290]]

29, 2017 (82 FR 41051). No comments were received.
    We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is 
described below. We are especially interested in public comments 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the 
proper functions of BSEE; (2) Will this information be processed and 
used in a timely manner; (3) Is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) 
How might BSEE enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (5) How might BSEE minimize the burden 
of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of 
information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The regulations at 30 CFR part 250, subpart M, concern 
Unitization and are the subject of this collection. This request also 
covers any related Notices to Lessees and Operators (NTLs) that BSEE 
issues to clarify, supplement, or provide additional guidance on some 
aspects of our regulations.
    BSEE must approve any lessee's proposal to enter an agreement to 
unitize operations under two or more leases and for modifications when 
warranted. We use the information to ensure that operations under the 
proposed unit agreement will result in preventing waste, conserving 
natural resources, and protecting correlative rights including the 
government's interests.
    Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 250, subpart M, Unitization.
    OMB Control Number: 1014-0015.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Potential respondents comprise Federal 
OCS oil, gas, and sulfur lessees/operators.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: Not all of the 
potential respondents will submit information in any given year and 
some may submit multiple times.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 93.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1 hour to 520 
hours, depending on activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 7,800.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Non Hour Burden Cost: We have identified 
three non-hour cost burdens associated with this information 
collection. Section 250.1303 requires respondents to pay filing fees 
when (1) applying for a voluntary unitization proposal or unit 
expansion ($12,619), as well as a (2) unitization revision ($896). The 
filing fees are required to recover the Federal Government's processing 
costs. Section 250.1304(d) provides an opportunity for parties notified 
of compulsory unitization to request a hearing; therefore Sec.  
250.1304(e) requires the party seeking the compulsory unitization to 
(3) pay for the court reporter and three copies of the verbatim 
transcript of the hearing (approximately $500).
    It should be noted there have been no such hearings in the recent 
past, and none are expected in the near future. We have not identified 
any other non-hour cost burdens associated with this collection of 
information. We estimate a total reporting non-hour cost burden of 
$195,757.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

    Dated: November 6, 2017.
Doug Morris,
Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2017-26049 Filed 12-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-VH-P