Notice2022-21271
Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil Spill Financial Responsibility
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
September 30, 2022
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to renew an information collection request (ICR) with revisions.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 189 (Friday, September 30, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 189 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59451-59453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21271]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[OMB Control Number 1010-0106; Docket ID BOEM-2017-0016]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil Spill Financial
Responsibility
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 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 Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing to renew an
information collection request (ICR) with revisions.
DATES: Comments must be received by October 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Submit your written comments on this ICR to the Office of
Management and Budget's desk officer for the Department of the Interior
at <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a> within 30 days of publication of
this notice. From the <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a> landing page,
find this information collection by selecting ``Currently under
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
Please provide a copy of your comments by parcel delivery to the BOEM
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Anna Atkinson, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166;
or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6f0e01010e410e1b0406011c00012f0d000a0241080019"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9bfaf5f5fab5faeff0f2f5e8f4f5dbf9f4fef6b5fcf4ed">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1010-0106 in the subject line of your comments. You may also
comment by searching the docket number BOEM-2017-0016 at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Atkinson by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93f2fdfdf2bdf2e7f8fafde0fcfdd3f1fcf6febdf4fce5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8eefe0e0efa0effae5e7e0fde1e0ceece1ebe3a0e9e1f8">[email protected]</span></a> or by telephone at 703-787-1025. Individuals in
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, BOEM provides the general public and other Federal
agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and
continuing collections of information. This helps BOEM assess the
impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand BOEM's
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in
the desired format.
Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 553, ``Oil Spill Financial
Responsibility for Offshore Facilities.''
Abstract: This ICR concerns the paperwork requirements in 30 CFR
part 553 and forms BOEM-1016 through -1023 and BOEM-1025. This ICR also
includes paperwork requirements found in any supplementary notices to
lessees and operators that provide clarification, description, or
explanation of these regulations.
BOEM uses forms to collect information to ensure proper and
efficient administration of its oil spill financial responsibility
requirements. BOEM collects information to:
<bullet> Provide a standard method for establishing whether a party
is required to demonstrate oil spill financial responsibility for
offshore facilities;
<bullet> Identify and maintain a record of those offshore
facilities that have a potential oil spill liability requiring the
demonstration of oil spill financial responsibility;
<bullet> Establish and maintain a continuous record of evidence of
oil spill financial responsibility to assure payment of claims for oil
spill cleanup and damages resulting from operations conducted on
covered offshore facilities and from the transportation of oil from
covered offshore facilities;
<bullet> Establish and maintain a continuous record of responsible
parties, as defined in title I of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, and
their agents or authorized representatives for oil spill financial
responsibility for covered offshore facilities; and
<bullet> Establish and maintain a continuous record of persons to
contact and U.S. agents for service of process for claims associated
with oil spills from covered offshore facilities.
OMB Control Number: 1010-0106.
Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved information
collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Designated applicants and holders of
leases, permits, right-of-way grants, and right-of-use and easement
grants on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) and in State coastal waters
who are responsible parties. Other respondents may be designated
applicants' insurance agents and brokers, bonding companies, and
guarantors. Some respondents may also be claimants.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,233 responses.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 34,695 hours.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion or annual.
Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: There is no non-hour
cost burden associated with this collection.
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The current
annual burden for this collection is 22,133 hours. BOEM proposes to
increase the annual burden to 34,695 hours to account for changes in
industry operations due to COVID and remote work. As COVID restrictions
ease and OCS energy companies resume production, BOEM expects an
increase in the annual number of respondents as those companies re-
establish oil spill financial coverage. This increase is attributable
to the continued use of remote work practices developed during the
pandemic by those companies.
Remote work led to changes in how industry reviews and processes
required documents. Prior to COVID, in-person meetings with a group of
reviewers were held to complete the task quickly and efficiently. Now
with many employees working from home, document preparation, review,
and editing take longer as the documents move through several
individual reviewers. Through its outreach efforts, BOEM received this
feedback from industry. Therefore, BOEM is increasing hour burdens to
account for the additional review and editing time. This increase in
respondents and burden hours may be temporary and will be revisited by
BOEM during future reviews of this control number.
[[Page 59452]]
The following table details the hour burden estimates of this ICR.
In the table, the term ``oil spill financial responsibility'' has been
shortened to ``OSFR.''
Burden Breakdown
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Average number
Citation 30 CFR part 553 Reporting requirement * Hour burden of annual Annual burden
reponses hours
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Various sections...................... The burdens for all references to submitting evidence of 0
OSFR, as well as required or supporting information,
are covered with the forms below.
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Applicability and Amount of OSFR
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11(a)(1); 40; 41...................... Form BOEM-1016-- 3 250 750
Designated Applicant
Information
Certification.
11(a)(1); 40; 41...................... Form BOEM-1017-- 10 750 7,500
Appointment of
Designated Applicant.
11(a)(1); (2)......................... Form BOEM-1025-- 2 200 400
Independent Designated
Applicant Information
Certification.
12, 45................................ Request for 2 5 10
determination of OSFR
applicability. Provide
required and supporting
information.
15.................................... Notify BOEM of change in 1 1 1
ability to comply.
15(f)................................. Provide claimant written 1 15 15
explanation of denial.
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Subtotal.......................... ........................ .............. 1,221 8,676
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Methods for Demonstrating OSFR
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21-28; 40............................. Form BOEM-1018--Self- 3 50 150
Insurance Information,
including renewals.
30; 40; 41; 43........................ Form BOEM-1023-- 2 50 100
Financial Guarantee.
29; 40; 41; 43........................ Form BOEM-1019-- 120 150 18,000
Insurance Certificate.
31; 40; 41; 43........................ Form BOEM-1020--Surety 24 4 96
Bond.
32.................................... Proposal and supporting 120 1 120
information for
alternative method to
evidence OSFR
(anticipate no
proposals, but
regulations provide the
opportunity).
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Subtotal.......................... ........................ .............. 255 18,466
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Requirements for Submitting OSFR Information
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14; 40; 41; 43........................ Form BOEM-1021--Covered 10 255 2,550
Offshore Facilities.
40-42................................. Form BOEM-1022--Covered 10 500 5,000
Offshore Facility
Changes.
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Subtotal.......................... ........................ .............. 755 7,550
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Claims for Oil-Spill Removal Costs and Damages
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Subpart F............................. Claims: BOEM is not involved in the claims process. 0
Assessment of burden for claims against the Oil Spill
Liability Trust Fund (33 CFR parts 135, 136, 137) falls
under the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard.
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60(d)................................. Claimant request for 2 1 2
BOEM assistance to
determine whether a
guarantor may be liable
for a claim.
62.................................... Within 15-calendar days 1 1 1
of claim, designated
applicant must notify
the guarantor and
responsible parties of
the claim.
Subtotal.......................... ........................ 2 .............. 3
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Total Burden.................. ........................ .............. 2,233 34,695
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* In the future, BOEM may require electronic filing of financial and bonding submissions.
A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period on
this proposed ICR was published on April 11, 2022 (87 FR 21133). BOEM
did not receive any comments during the 60-day comment period.
BOEM is again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR. BOEM is
especially interested in public comments addressing the following
issues: (1) is the collection necessary to the proper functions of
BOEM; (2) what can BOEM do to ensure that this information is processed
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the burden estimate accurate; (4)
how might BOEM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how might BOEM minimize the burden
of this collection on the respondents, including minimizing the burden
through the use of information technology?
[[Page 59453]]
Comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. You should be aware that your entire comment--including
your address, phone number, email address, or other personally
identifiable information included in your comment--may be made publicly
available. Even if BOEM withholds your information in the context of
this ICR, your comment is subject to the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA). If your comment is requested under the FOIA, your information
will only be withheld if BOEM determines that a FOIA exemption to
disclosure applies. BOEM will make such a determination in accordance
with the Department of the Interior's (DOI) FOIA regulations and
applicable law.
In order for BOEM to consider withholding from disclosure your
personally identifiable information, you must identify, in a cover
letter, any information contained in your comments that, if released,
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal
privacy. You must also briefly describe any possible harmful
consequence of the disclosure of information, such as embarrassment,
injury, or other harm.
Note that BOEM will make available for public inspection all
comments on <a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>, in their entirety, submitted by
organizations and businesses or by individuals identifying themselves
as representatives of organizations or businesses.
BOEM protects proprietary information in accordance with FOIA (5
U.S.C. 552), DOI's implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2), and 30 CFR
parts 550 and 552 promulgated pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1352(c)).
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid
OMB control number.
The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Karen Thundiyil,
Chief, Office of Regulations, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2022-21271 Filed 9-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on September 30, 2022.
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