(a) Before the department agrees to participate in the cost of a project to beneficially use dredge material that requires the acquisition of an interest in property, the commission shall hold a public hearing on the desirability of the project.
(b) The commission shall publish notice of the date, time, and place of the hearing at least once a week for three successive weeks before the hearing in a newspaper of general circulation published in the county seat of each county in which the project is located.

(c) The department may agree to participate in the cost of the project if the commission determines, after the public hearing, that the project can be accomplished without unjustifiable waste of publicly or privately owned natural resources or a permanent and substantial adverse effect on the environment, wildlife, or fisheries.