Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) of Federal Oil, Gas,
and Sulphur Leases in the Outer Continental Shelf

Drilling and Well Permit and Reporting Forms

NOTE: 2002-N13 is available for download in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).

This Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) announces the revision of the following Minerals Management Service (MMS) drilling and well permit and report forms listed below:

Form MMS-123, Application for Permit to Drill (APD)
Form MMS-123S, Supplemental APD Information Sheet
Form MMS-124, Application for Permit to Modify (APM) (replaces Sundry
     Notices and Reports on Wells)
Form MMS-125, End of Operations Report (replaces Well Summary Report)
Form MMS-133, Well Activity Report (replaces Weekly Activity Report)

These revised forms are dated October 2002 and replace all older versions referenced in the regulations and other NTLs. You can download copies of these forms from the MMS Internet website at http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/mmsforms/frmindx.html. This website also includes the respective links to a reporter’s handbook that provides detailed guidance for completing these forms.

Background

The MMS is in the process of implementing the Government Paperwork Elimination Act and streamlining its data collection. Integral to these efforts, we determined that we would need to modify the paper versions of the subject forms to correspond to the forthcoming “E-Forms Permit Process.”  We anticipate the electronic option for drilling and well permitting and information submission will be fully implemented in FY 2003. In developing the revised forms, MMS worked with members of the Offshore Operators Committee (OOC) to address issues and concerns of the offshore oil and gas industry. We published the draft revised forms in the Federal Register on May 1, 2002 (67 FR 21718). We considered all of the comments we received in response to that notice and further refined and modified the forms. When we submitted the final versions to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act, we again published the forms in the Federal Register on August 16, 2002 (67 FR 53610). The OMB has approved the revised forms for use.

Transition Period

We recognize that a transition period might be necessary for you to convert to using the revised forms.  Therefore, for a period of 60 days from the effective date of this NTL, MMS regional and district offices will accept your submissions on either the superseded forms dated September 1999 or on the revised forms dated October 2002. After that time, we will accept only the revised forms.

Contact

If you have questions about the revised forms and reporting requirements or need further assistance, you may contact the following:

Gulf of Mexico OCS Region - Robert Lanza
Telephone:  (504) 736-2450; or E-mail:  robert.lanza@mms.gov

 Pacific OCS Region - Shannon Shaw
Telephone:  (805) 389-7797; or E-mail:  shannon.shaw@mms.gov

Alaska OCS Region - Kyle Monkelien
Telephone:  (907) 271-6065; or E-mail: kyle.monkelien@mms.gov

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) Statement

The OMB has approved the information collection for the MMS forms referred to in this NTL. The forms (and respective OMB control numbers) are:  Form MMS-123, Application for Permit to Drill (1010-0044); Form MMS-123-S, Supplemental APD Information Sheet (1010-0131); Form MMS-124, Application for Permit to Modify (1010-0045); Form MMS-125, End of Operations Report (010-0046); and Form MMS-133, Well Activity Report (1010-0132). This NTL does not impose additional information collection requirements subject to the PRA.