Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Oil Spill Financial Responsibility for Offshore Facilities

Issuing agencies

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 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 203 (Thursday, October 22, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66736-66737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21604]


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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; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 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 the OMB desk officer no later than 
November 23, 2026.

ADDRESSES: Submit your written comments on this ICR to the OMB'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>. 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 service or 
U.S. mail to the BOEM Information Collection Clearance Officer, Bureau 
of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, VA 20166 or 
by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a5d7c0c2d0c9c4d1cad7dc8bc4c3c3c4ccd7d6e5c7cac0c88bc2cad3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2d5f484a58414c59425f54034c4b4b4c445f5e6d4f424840034a425b">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control 
Number 1010-0106 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Thundiyil by email at 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ff8d9a988a939e8b908d869e99999e968d8cbf9d909a92d1989089"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f0829597859c91849f828991969691998283b0929f959dde979f86">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>, or by telephone at 202-742-0970. 
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 published a Federal Register notice with a 60-day public 
comment period on the proposed ICR on May 15, 2026 (91 FR 27981). Five 
sets of comments were received: three from oil and gas industry 
stakeholders, one from insurance associations, and one from the general 
public. Stakeholders broadly support BOEM's proposed revisions, 
emphasizing improved clarity, reduced ambiguity, and the necessity for 
restoring stability in the OSFR insurance market. Commenters agree that 
clarifying coverage triggers aligns with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. 
The revised forms are expected to increase insurer participation, 
expand coverage, reduce premiums, and decrease administrative disputes. 
Commenters support BOEM's burden hour estimates and recommend 
electronic submission for efficiency. No comments alter the purpose, 
need, cost, or hour burden of the ICR.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, 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?
    (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 and will be available for public review on 
<a href="http://www.reginfo.gov">www.reginfo.gov</a>. 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

[[Page 66737]]

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.
    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. 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 the 
Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552), DOI's implementing 
regulations (43 CFR part 2), and 30 CFR part 581.7, promulgated 
pursuant to the OCSLA (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 part 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 coverage 
going forward will be applicable only in relation to each incident 
first occurring on or after the effective date of the applicable OSFR 
instrument and on or 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:

<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 Cost Burden: None.
    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.
    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. 2026-21604 Filed 10-21-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P


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