Notice2026-09793
Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities
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
May 15, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes this information collection request (ICR) to revise Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number 1010-0106.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 94 (Friday, May 15, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 94 (Friday, May 15, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27981-27983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-09793]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[OMB Control Number 1010-0106; Docket ID: BOEM-2026-0496]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Oil Spill Financial
Responsibility for Offshore Facilities
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) proposes this information
collection request (ICR) to revise Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number 1010-0106.
DATES: Comments must be received by BOEM no later than July 14, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this ICR by mail 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#46272828276827322d2f28352928062429232b68212930"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="80e1eeeee1aee1f4ebe9eef3efeec0e2efe5edaee7eff6">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB control
number 1010-0106 in the subject line of your comments. You may comment
on the ICR and view related documents by searching for the docket
number ``BOEM-2026-0496'' at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Atkinson by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#83e2edede2ade2f7e8eaedf0ecedc3e1ece6eeade4ecf5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="95f4fbfbf4bbf4e1fefcfbe6fafbd5f7faf0f8bbf2fae3">[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 of 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.
BOEM is soliciting comments on the proposed ICR described below.
BOEM is
[[Page 27982]]
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?
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. BOEM will include or summarize each comment in its ICR
to OMB for approval of this information collection. 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 at any time. Even if BOEM
withholds your personally identifiable information in the context of
this ICR, your comment is subject to the Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552). Your information will only be withheld if a
determination is made that one of the FOIA exemptions to disclosure
applies. Such a determination will be made in accordance with the
Department of the Interior's (DOI) FOIA implementing regulations (43
CFR part 2) 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 the submittal of your comments
that, if released, would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
your personal privacy. You must also briefly describe any possible
harmful consequences of the disclosure of information, such as
embarrassment, injury, or other harm. Note that BOEM will make
available for public inspection, in their entirety, all comments
submitted by organizations and businesses, or by individuals
identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or
businesses.
BOEM protects proprietary information in accordance with FOIA,
DOI's implementing regulations at 43 CFR part 2, and 30 CFR 580.70,
promulgated pursuant to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCS
Lands Act) (43 U.S.C. 1352(c)).
Title of Collection: 30 CFR part 553, ``Oil Spill Financial
Responsibility for Offshore Facilities.''
Abstract: Title I of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) (33 U.S.C.
2701 et seq.) provides at section 1016 that oil spill financial
responsibility (OSFR) for offshore facilities be established and
maintained according to methods determined acceptable to the President.
Section 1016 of the OPA, as amended, supersedes the offshore facility
oil spill financial responsibility provisions of the OCS Lands Act.
These authorities and responsibilities are among those delegated to
BOEM under which BOEM issues regulations governing oil and gas and
sulfur operations in the OCS.
This information collection request addresses the regulations at 30
CFR 553, Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities.
BOEM collects the information to ensure proper and efficient
administration of its oil spill financial responsibility requirements.
BOEM collects this 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.
BOEM uses the information collected under 30 CFR part 553 to verify
compliance with section 1016 of OPA. This information is necessary to
confirm that designated applicants can cover cleanup costs and damages
resulting from hydrocarbon discharges originating from offshore
facilities. BOEM uses these forms to ensure the effective and efficient
administration of oil spill financial responsibility requirements.
BOEM is revising Forms BOEM-1019 (Insurance Certificate), BOEM-1020
(Surety Bond), and BOEM-1023 (Financial Guarantee) to reflect updated
requirements for oil spill financial responsibility, expressly tying
the applicable coverage period to when an incident begins. The
revisions align the forms with BOEM's updated policy that OSFR
providers going forward are responsible only for claims arising from
incidents that occur on or after the effective date of the applicable
OSFR instrument and before its termination. These changes do not apply
retroactively to OSFR providers on earlier iterations of the forms.
OMB Control Number: 1010-0106.
Form Number(s):
<bullet> BOEM-1016, Designated Applicant Information Certification
<bullet> BOEM-1017, Appointment of Designated Applicant
<bullet> BOEM-1018, Self-Insurance Information
<bullet> BOEM-1019, Insurance Certificate
<bullet> BOEM-1020, Surety Bond
<bullet> BOEM-1021, Covered Offshore Facilities
<bullet> BOEM-1022, Covered Offshore Facility Changes
<bullet> BOEM-1023, Financial Guarantee
<bullet> BOEM-1025, Independent Designated Applicant Information
Certification
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 OCS and in State coastal waters who are responsible
parties. Other respondents may be designated applicants and brokers,
bonding companies, and guarantors. Some respondents may also be
claimants.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,223 responses.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 28,245 hours.
Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory
Frequency of Collection: On occasion or annual.
Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: None.
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden:
The current annual burden for this collection is 34,695 hours. BOEM
proposes reducing the burden to 28,245 hours due to faster OSFR
demonstration methods, such as increased use of self-insurance and
financial guarantees, and a decrease in the number of companies
maintaining OSFR coverage.
The following table details the regulatory sections containing
information collections and their respective hour burden estimates. In
the table, the term ``oil spill financial responsibility'' has been
shortened to ``OSFR.'' In calculating the burdens, we assumed the
respondents perform
[[Page 27983]]
certain requirements in the normal course of their activities. We
consider these to be usual and customary and took that into account in
estimating the burden.
Burden Table
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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 determination 2 5 10
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 60 180
Insurance Information,
including renewals..
30; 40; 41; 43....................... Form BOEM-1023--Financial 2 85 170
Guarantee.
29; 40; 41; 43....................... Form BOEM-1019--Insurance 115 100 11,500
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......................... ......................... .............. 250 12,066
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Requirements for Submitting OSFR Information
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14; 40; 41; 43....................... Form BOEM-1021--Covered 10 250 2,500
Offshore Facilities.
40-42................................ Form BOEM-1022--Covered 10 500 5,000
Offshore Facility
Changes.
Subtotal......................... ......................... .............. 750 7,500
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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 BOEM 2 1 2
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.
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Subtotal......................... ......................... 2 3
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Total Burden................. ......................... .............. 2,223 28,245
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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.).
Karen Thundiyil,
Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs,Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management.
[FR Doc. 2026-09793 Filed 5-14-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 15, 2026.
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