83 FR 45463 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil and Gas Production Requirements

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 174 (September 7, 2018)

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

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 174 (Friday, September 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45463-45464]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19440]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement

[Docket ID BSEE-2018-0014; 189E1700D2 ET1SF0000.PSB000.EEEE500000; OMB 
Control Number 1014-0019]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil and Gas Production 
Requirements

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.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) by either of the following methods listed below:
     Electronically go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
Search box, enter BSEE-2018-0014 then click search. Follow the 
instructions to submit public comments and view all related materials. 
We will post all comments.
     Email [email protected], fax (703) 787-1546, or mail or 
hand-carry comments to the Department of the Interior; Bureau of Safety 
and Environmental Enforcement; Regulations and Standards Branch; ATTN: 
Nicole Mason; 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166. Please reference 
OMB Control Number 1014-0019 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.

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.
    We are 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. 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.

[[Page 45464]]

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 K, concern 
Oil and Gas Production Requirements (including the associated forms), 
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.
    The information collected under Subpart K is used in our efforts to 
conserve natural resources, prevent waste, and protect correlative 
rights, including the Government's royalty interest. Specifically, BSEE 
uses the information to:
     Evaluate requests to burn liquid hydrocarbons and vent and 
flare gas to ensure that these requests are appropriate;
     determine if a maximum production or efficient rate is 
required; and,
     review applications for downhole commingling to ensure 
that action does not result in harm to ultimate recovery.
    Form BSEE-0126, Well Potential Test Report, BSEE uses this 
information for reservoir, reserves, and conservation analyses, 
including the determination of maximum production rates (MPRs) when 
necessary for certain oil and gas completions. This requirement 
implements the conservation provisions of the OCS Lands Act and 30 CFR 
250. The information obtained from the well potential test is essential 
to determine if an MPR is necessary for a well and to establish the 
appropriate rate. It is not possible to specify an MPR in the absence 
of information about the production rate capability (potential) of the 
well.
    Form BSEE-0128, Semiannual Well Test Report, BSEE uses this 
information to evaluate the results of well tests to determine if 
reservoirs are being depleted in a manner that will lead to the 
greatest ultimate recovery of hydrocarbons. This information is 
collected to determine the capability of hydrocarbon wells and to 
evaluate and verify an operator's approved maximum production rate if 
assigned. The form was designed to present current well data on a 
semiannual basis to permit the updating of permissible producing rates, 
and to provide the basis for estimates of currently remaining 
recoverable gas reserves.
    Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 250, subpart K, Oil and Gas 
Production Requirements.
    OMB Control Number: 1014-0019.
    Form Number: BSEE-0126--Well Potential Test Report, and BSEE-0128--
Semiannual Well Test Report.
    Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Potential respondents comprise Federal 
OCS oil, gas, and sulfur lessees/operators and holders of pipeline 
rights-of-way.
    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: 10,819.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 30 minutes to 
100 hours, depending on activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 46,136.
    Respondent's Obligation: Most responses are mandatory, while others 
are required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion, weekly, monthly, semi-annual, 
annual, and varies by section.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: The Subpart K 
regulations require four non-hour cost burdens, for a total of 
$1,361,176. Three are service fees required to recover the Federal 
Government's processing costs of certain submissions. The fourth cost 
is an IC equipment expenditure. The details are as follows:

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Sec.   250.1156 requires a service fee when submitting a          $3,892
 request for approval to produce within 500 feet of a
 unit or lease line.....................................
Sec.   250.1157 requires a service fee when submitting a           4,953
 request for approval before producing gas-cap gas from
 each completion in an oil reservoir known to have an
 associated gas cap, or to continue producing if an oil
 reservoir is not initially known to have an associated
 gas cap, but begins to show characteristics of a gas
 well...................................................
Sec.   250.1158 requires a service fee for submitting a            5,779
 request for approval to downhole commingle hydrocarbons
Sec.   250.1163 requires respondents to purchase and              77,000
 install gas meters to measure the amount of gas flared
 or vented gas for those that produce more than 2,000
 bopd and do not already have a meter or need to replace
 a meter................................................
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    We have not identified any other non-hour cost burden associated 
with this collection of information.
    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: July 25, 2018.
Doug Morris,
Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2018-19440 Filed 9-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-VH-P