Who may apply; how. Any United States citizen holding a valid exploration license may apply to the Administrator for issuance of a commercial recovery permit for all or part of the area to which the license applies. Any holder of a commercial recovery permit may apply to the Administrator for transfer of the permit. Applications must be submitted in the form and manner described in this subpart.

Place, form and copies. An application for the issuance or transfer of a commerical recovery permit must be in writing, verified and signed by an authorized officer or other authorized representative of the applicant. The application and 25 copies thereof must be submitted to:

General contents. The application must contain a proposed commerical recovery plan and the financial, technical, environmental and other information specified in this part, which in total are necessary for the Administrator to make the determinations required by the Act and this part. Although the ultimate standards for determinations under these rules are identical for both transferees and original preexisting licensees, NOAA anticipates that applicants who are transferees will have to supply more information with the application than licensees will [see subsection (e) in this section].

Identification of requirements. Each portion of the application should identify the requirements of this part to which it responds.

Information previously submitted in connection with an exploration license. Information previously submitted as part of an exploration license application, as well as information submitted during the course of license activities (such as data included in annual reports to NOAA), may be incorporated in the commercial recovery permit application by reference.

Request for confidential treatment of information. If an applicant wishes to have any information in its application not be subject to public disclosure, it must so request, at the time of submitting the information, pursuant to § 971.802 which will govern disposition of the request.

Pre-application consultation. The Administrator will make NOAA staff available to potential applicants for pre-application consultations on how to respond to the provisions of this part. In appropriate circumstances, the Administrator will provide written confirmation to the applicant of oral guidance resulting from such consultations. Such consultation is required for the purpose of § 971.207. The applicant is encouraged to consult with affected States as early as is practicable [see also §§ 971.213 and 971.606(b)].

Compliance with Federal consistency requirements. An applicant for a commercial recovery permit must comply with all necessary requirements, including procedures, pursuant to 15 CFR part 930, subpart D. Applications and other necessary data and information must be transmitted to the designated State agency as prescribed under 15 CFR 930.50.