Contact with District Offices and the Pipeline Section
Outside Regular Work Hours

 

This Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) supersedes NTL No. 2003-G15, effective August 13, 2003.  It replaces the emergency beeper numbers with cellular telephone numbers for all Minerals Management Service (MMS) Gulf of Mexico OCS Region (GOMR) District offices and the Pipeline Section; deletes one of the telephone numbers for the Houma District office; deletes references to the Corpus Christi Subdistrict office (both in the NTL and in the Attachment to the NTL), since that office was closed on October 1, 2003; and changes the procedures for notification of pipeline repairs.

Introduction

The regulations at 30 CFR 250 and 30 CFR 254 require you to obtain various drilling, production, and pipeline approvals from and make notifications to the MMS GOMR.  The purpose of this NTL is to describe the procedures you can use when you must contact an MMS GOMR District office or the MMS GOMR Pipeline Section to fulfill these requirements at times other than during regular office hours.  Direct calls and telefaxes regarding drilling or production activities to the appropriate MMS GOMR District office.  See the Attachment to this NTL for description of the areas of responsibility for the various MMS GOMR District offices.  Direct calls and telefaxes regarding OCS pipeline operations to the MMS GOMR Pipeline Section.

Office Hours Information

Regular office hours for the MMS GOMR District offices and the Pipeline Section are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Central Time, Monday through Friday.  Direct all telephone calls outside these hours to the cellular telephone number for the appropriate District office or the Pipeline Section.  Engineering personnel assigned to respond after hours will return your calls.

Contact Information

Addresses, telephone numbers, telefax numbers, and cellular telephone numbers for the MMS GOMR District offices and the MMS GOMR Pipeline Section are the following:

 

 

Activity Approval Request and Notification Procedures

Please limit calls requesting non-emergency operational approvals to regular office hours.  Your calls outside regular office hours must be for emergencies or to request approval to avoid shut-in of a drilling rig or production facility.  The assigned personnel will return your calls the same day within a reasonable response time; however, you may experience a delay in some instances if assigned response personnel must attend to more immediate matters.

According to 30 CFR 250.191(a) and (b), you must notify the appropriate MMS GOMR District office of all serious accidents; any death or serious injury; and all fires, explosions, and blowouts connected with any activities or operations on your lease or pipeline right-of-way.  If the incident involves an OCS pipeline, notify the MMS GOMR Pipeline Section.  Make these notifications immediately upon discovery.

For non-emergency situations involving drilling or production activities that occur outside regular GOMR office hours (e.g., items lost overboard according to 30 CFR 250.300(d)), you may notify the appropriate MMS GOMR District office by telefax instead of orally.  In these cases, the MMS GOMR accepts the date and time of the telefax as the official notification.

For matters involving OCS pipelines, contact the MMS GOMR Pipeline Section during regular office hours to make the notifications required by 30 CFR 250.1008(a), (c), and (d) and the pipeline repair notifications required by 30 CFR 250.1008(e).  For non-emergency situations involving OCS pipelines that occur outside regular MMS GOMR office hours, call the Pipeline Section cellular telephone number listed above. 

Oil Spill Notification Procedures

As required by 30 CFR 254.46(a), you must immediately notify the National Response Center at (800) 424-8802 if you observe an oil spill from your facility, an oil spill from another offshore facility, or an offshore spill of unknown origin.

According to 30 CFR 254.46(b), you must notify the MMS GOMR without delay if you have a spill from your facility that is one (1) barrel or more or, if the volume is unknown, is thought to be one barrel (1) or more.  If the spill is 10 barrels or less, make the required notification by telefax to the appropriate MMS GOMR District office or the GOMR Pipeline Section (if the spill is related to OCS pipeline activities).  If the spill is more than 10 barrels, make the required notification to the appropriate MMS GOMR office by telephone.

According to 30 CFR 254.46(c), you must immediately notify the appropriate MMS GOMR District office and the responsible party, if known, if you observe a spill resulting from operations at another offshore facility.  If you suspect the spill is related to OCS pipeline activities, notify the MMS GOMR Pipeline Section and the responsible party, if known.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Statement

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information collection requirements for the regulations referenced in this NTL and assigned OMB control numbers.  Each Part referenced in this NTL includes a section in the regulations (see 30 CFR 250.199 and 30 CFR 254.9) listing the applicable OMB control number(s).  This NTL does not impose additional information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding this NTL, please contact the MMS GOMR Office of Field Operations at (504) 736-2845.

                       

[original signed]

 

Chris C. Oynes
Regional Director

Attachment