§5D-1-5b. Public hearing before final consideration of bond issue or exercise of right of eminent domain.

(a) Prior to any final decision of the board to take action with respect to the issuance of revenue bonds or to authorize the exercise of the right of eminent domain with respect to any electric power or natural gas transmission project, the authority shall:

(1) Prepare and reduce to writing the nature of the proposed project, a summary of the data supporting the board's determination and a description and location identification of the proposed real property, right of way, or easement to be acquired. The written statement under this section and the environmental impact statement or assessment required pursuant to section five of this article shall be available for public inspection at the office of the county clerk at the county courthouse of each county in which the project is located during the two successive weeks before the date of the public hearing required by this section;

(2) Provide for a public hearing to be held at a reasonable time and place within at least one county in which the project is located to allow interested members of the public to attend the hearing without undue hardship. Members of the public may be present, submit statements and testimony and question the authority's representative appointed pursuant to this section;

(3) Not less than thirty days prior to such public hearing, provide notice to all members of the Legislature, unless otherwise notified by a member that such member does not desire such notice, to the county commission of each county within which the project is located and to the municipal council of each municipality in said county;

(4) Cause to be published a notice of the required public hearing. The notice shall be published as a Class II legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code and the publication area shall be each county in which the project is located. The public hearing shall be held no earlier than the fourteenth successive day and no later than the twenty-first successive day following the first publication of the notice. The notice shall contain the time and place of the public hearing along with a brief description of the project and its proposed location;

(5) Cause a copy of the required notice to be posted at the county seat of each county within which the project is located for members of the public to observe. Such notice shall remain posted for two successive weeks prior to the date of the public hearing;

(6) Appoint a representative of the authority who shall conduct the required public hearing. The representative of the authority shall make a report of the public hearing available for inspection by the public or, upon written request of any interested person, provide a written copy thereof and to all individuals previously receiving written notice of the hearing within thirty days following the public hearing; and

(7) The representative of the authority conducting the public hearing shall make the results of the hearing available to the board for its consideration prior to the board making decisions regarding the proposed project.

(b) No final action of the board with respect to the issuance of revenue bonds or authorizing the exercise of the right of eminent domain with respect to a proposed project may be made before the thirtieth successive day following the public hearing required by this section, but in no event shall final action of the board be made prior to fifteen days after the report of the public hearings are made available to the public in general.