(a) Once BOEM has determined a project qualifies for an agreement, BOEM will begin the project evaluation process to decide whether to enter into a negotiated noncompetitive agreement.

(b) BOEM will coordinate with relevant Federal agencies, State, and local governments and any potentially affected federally recognized Indian tribes or Alaska Native Corporations in the project evaluation.

(c) BOEM will evaluate the project and additional information provided pursuant to §§ 583.300 and 583.305, to determine if the information is sufficient to conduct necessary technical and environmental reviews to comply with the requirements of applicable statutes and regulations, which may include, but are not limited to: OCSLA (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the ESA (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSFCMA) (16 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.), and the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) (16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.).

(d) BOEM will not enter into a negotiated noncompetitive agreement with the applicant until the information requested for the evaluation has been provided and BOEM has evaluated it.