§ 970.200 General.

(a) Who may apply; how. Any United States citizen may apply to the Administrator for issuance or transfer of an exploration license. Applications must be submitted in the form and manner prescribed in this subpart. (b) Place, form and copies. Applications for the issuance or transfer of exploration licenses shall be submitted in electronic format, verified and signed by an authorized officer or other authorized representative of the applicant, to an email address or website as specified by NOAA. The application format shall be organized according to the specific regulatory topics and sections. For applications received electronically after the close of business, for purposes of computing the Administrator's required response time, the application shall be deemed to be received at 8 a.m. eastern time on the next business day. (c) Use of application information. The contents of an application, as set forth below, must provide NOAA with the information necessary to make determinations required by the Act and this part pertaining to the issuance or transfer of an exploration license. Thus, each portion of the application should identify the requirement in this part to which it responds. In addition, the information will be used by NOAA in its function under the Act of consultation and cooperation with other Federal agencies or departments in relation to their programs and authorities, in order to reduce the number of separate actions required to satisfy Federal agencies' responsibilities. (d) Pre-application consultation. To assist in the development of adequate applications and assure that applicants understand how to respond to the provisions of this subpart, NOAA will be available for pre-application consultations with potential applicants. This includes consultation on the procedures in subpart C. In appropriate circumstances, NOAA will provide written confirmation to the applicant of any oral guidance resulting from such consultations. (e) Priority of right. (1) Priority of right for issuance of licenses to pre-enactment explorers will be established pursuant to subpart C of this part. (2) Priority of right for issuance of licenses to new entrants will be established on the basis of the chronological order in which license applications, which are in substantial compliance with the requirements established under this subpart, pursuant to § 970.209, are filed with the Administrator. (3) Applications must be received by the Office of Ocean Minerals and Energy on behalf of the Administrator before a priority can be established. (4) Upon (i) a determination that: (A) An application is not in substantial compliance in accordance with § 970.209 or subpart C, as applicable; (B) An application has not been brought into substantial compliance in accordance with § 970.210 or subpart C, as applicable; (C) A license has been relinquished or surrendered in accordance with § 970.903; or (ii) A decision to: (A) Deny certification of a license pursuant to § 970.407; or (B) Deny issuance of a license pursuant to § 970.508, and after the exhaustion of any administrative or judicial review of such determination or decision, the priority of right for issuance of a license will lapse. (f) Request for confidential treatment of information. If an applicant wishes to have any information in his application treated as confidential, he must so indicate pursuant to 15 CFR 971.802.