Content:
   Kumkum Ray

Pagemasters:
   OMM Web Team

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

Performance Measures for OCS Operators and Form MMS-131

NOTE: NTL 99-N03 is also available for download in Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).

This Notice to Lessees and Operators (NTL) supersedes NTL 98-6N and issues a revised Form MMS-131, Performance Measures Data Form.

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) issued NTL 98-6N to begin collecting data on an annual basis on Form MMS-131 related to a set of performance measures developed by a joint Government/industry workgroup. Representatives from 17 oil and gas companies, American Petroleum Institute, Offshore Operators Committee, Independent Petroleum Association of America, International Association of Drilling Contractors, National Oceans Industries Association, and the U.S. Coast Guard, participated in the workgroup. You can find the complete report with performance measures formulas on the MMS Web site at http://www.mms.gov/perfmeas.

Based on the first year of experience, we have made some minor revisions to the data collection form MMS-131. The revised form (MicroSoft Word 97 format) clarifies that drilling, workover and allied services are included in drilling operations and eliminates the simple arithmetic data elements. We have also expanded the measure involving permit exceedences of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System to include all noncompliances. A list of reporting element definitions is attached. Because of confusion in reporting company name(s), we now ask for your MMS Operator Code(s). If you do not know your operator code, please visit http://www.gomr.mms.gov/homepg/pubinfo/freeasci/leasing/freeleas.html to download the company list.

As an alternative, you may submit your data online at:  Web address: http://www.mms.gov/perfmeas.

Our objectives in collecting and analyzing the information continue to focus on:

	Determining if safety and environmental performance is improving over time through the implementation of the Safety and Environmental Management Program on the OCS,
	Providing an industry average and range for various quantitative measures against which companies can compare themselves,
	Providing offshore operators and organizations with a credible data source to demonstrate how well the offshore industry and individual companies are doing compared to those in other industries,
	Identifying "pacesetter" companies to make presentations at annual workshops, and
	Providing comparison data on which companies with good performance may base requests for an MMS approval of alternative compliance procedures.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 Statement: - The Office of Management and Budget has approved the collection of information on form MMS-131 and assigned OMB Control Number 1010-0112. This notice is explanatory only and does not impose additional information collection requirements subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

If you have any questions on this NTL, you may contact Staci Atkins at (703) 787-1620.

Carolita U. Kallaur [signed]
Associate Director, Offshore Minerals Management
Dated: 1/6/99