[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 11, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 25364-25365] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-11843] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Minerals Management Service Outer Continental Shelf: Operations, Rescission of Certain Letters and Notices to Lessees and Operators (LTLs and NTLs)
Agency
Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.
Action
Notice.
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Summary
The MMS periodically issues letters and notices to lessees and operators of oil and gas or sulphur leases in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), commonly referred to as LTLs and NTLs. This Federal Register notice informs you that we are in the process of reviewing all of the regional LTLs and officially rescinding certain ones. We are also rescinding one NTL.
EFFECTIVE DATE: May 11, 1999.
Addresses
You may obtain copies of NTLs (and LTLs for the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region) through our website at WWW.MMS.GOV or by contacting the National office or the OCS Region that issued the document at the following addresses:
National Office
Minerals Management Service, Engineering and Operations Division, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, VA 20170-4817, Attention: Ms. Alexis London; Telephone (703) 787-1600.
Alaska OCS Region
Minerals Management Service, 949 East 36th Avenue, Room 308, Anchorage, AK 99508-4363, Attention: Ms. Christine Huffaker; Telephone (907) 271-6621.
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region
Minerals Management Service, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70123-2394, Attention: Mr. Michael Dorner; Telephone (504) 736-2599.
Pacific OCS Region
Minerals Management Service, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo, CA 93010-6064, Attention: Ms. Freddie Mason; Telephone (805) 389-7566.
For Further Information Contact
Alexis London, Engineering and Operations Division; Telephone (703) 787-1600.
Supplementary Information
The MMS is responsible for oil and gas or sulphur operations in the OCS to ensure operational safety and protection of the environment. In addition to our regulations, we issue NTLs to provide guidance and to further clarify, interpret, or describe regulatory requirements on a national or regional basis. In the past, our regional offices have also issued LTLs for this purpose or to communicate information to OCS lessees and operators. Last year we reviewed all of the active NTLs to determine if they were still viable. As a result, we rescinded a number of NTLs in a Federal Register notice published on November 10, 1998 (63 FR 63071). We updated and reissued most of the remaining NTLs to reflect current technologies and to correct regulatory citations. We are subjecting the regional LTLs to the same process. Our initial review has identified numerous LTLs that we can immediately rescind. Throughout the year, we will update the remaining LTLs that need to remain active. However, when we reissue them, they will be converted to NTLs. Once we complete this process, all LTLs will be eliminated. We will provide guidance and supplementary information through the use of NTLs only. This should provide a more uniform, consistent approach for the benefit of the users in keeping track of our guidance documents and informational issuances. Effective with the publication of this notice, we are officially rescinding one NTL and a number of LTLs that are no longer current, have served their purpose, or because recently revised regulations and policies have eliminated the need for them. All other NTLs and LTLs that are currently in effect will remain in force until superseded or rescinded. For the Gulf of Mexico OCS Region the following are rescinded or were recently superseded:
NTL 94-02, 2/24/94, Air Emissions Reporting Requirements LTL, 5/30/96, Requirements for Submittal of Documents Under 30 CFR 250, Subpart I, Platforms and Structures (Superseded by NTL 99-G05) LTL, 1/26/96, Transfer of Platform Records for Leases Reassigned LTL, 12/7/95, Quality Assurance and Performance of Safety and Pollution Prevention Equipment LTL, 10/30/95, Submittal of Logs or Charts of Electrical, Radioactive, Sonic, and Other Well-logging Operations (Superseded by NTL 97-06) LTL, 2/13/95, Exploratory Well Requirements on 8-Year Leases LTL, 11/17/94, Safety & Environmental Management Program (SEMP) LTL, 4/14/94, Letter of Concurrence by Lessee of Record LTL, 1/28/94, Policy Change Concerning the Overboard Disposal of Produced Solids Containing NORM LTL, 1/14/94, Policy Concerning the Testing of Blowout Preventers (BOP's) LTL, 1/14/94, Implementation of New Reporting Forms LTL, 11/5/93, Surety Bond Requirements (Superseded by NTL 99-604) LTL, 11/16/92, Providing Crude Oil, Condensate, and Natural Gas Liquids to Small and Independent Refiners LTL, 12/11/91, Clarification of NORM Requirements (Superseded by NTL 96-03) LTL, 6/13/91, Approvals to Obtain Prior to Commencing Well Operations LTL, 4/25/91, Mail Stop Numbers for Production and Development LTL, 11/20/90, Disposal of Solids Containing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials LTL, 10/1/90, Submission of Wellbore & Directional Surveys (Superseded by NTL 97-06) LTL, 5/14/90, Trash and Debris Washing Ashore LTL, 5/8/90, Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) LTL, 11/27/89, Release of Geological Data and Analyzed Geological Information LTL, 6/7/89, Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) Information Requests For the Pacific OCS Region the following are rescinded: LTL, 6/5/96, Crane Operations LTL, 9/19/95, Quality Assurance Certification Repair Parts LTL, 11/1/94, Pressure Safety Devices Test Tolerance LTL, 8/17/94, Helideck Conditions LTL, 5/6/94, Supplemental Bonds LTL, 3/19/91, Requirements for a Pressure Safety Valve (PSV) on Flare/ Vent Scrubbers
Please note that the Alaska OCS Region has no LTLs or NTLs currently in effect.
Dated: April 30, 1999. Carolita U. Kallaur, Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management. [FR Doc. 99-11843 Filed 5-10-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-MR-U