(a) In order to obtain certification for a site and related facility, an application for certification of the site and related facility shall be filed with the commission. The application shall be in a form prescribed by the commission and shall be for a site and related facility that has been found to be acceptable by the commission pursuant to Section 25516, or for an additional facility at a site that has been designated a potential multiple-facility site pursuant to Section 25514.5 and found to be acceptable pursuant to Sections 25516 and 25516.5. An application for an additional facility at a potential multiple-facility site shall be subject to the conditions and review specified in Section 25520.5. An application may not be filed for a site and related facility, if there is no suitable alternative for the site and related facility that was previously found to be acceptable by the commission, unless the commission has approved the notice based on the one site as specified in Section 25516.

(b) The commission, upon its own motion or in response to the request of any party, may require the applicant to submit any information, document, or data, in addition to the attachments required by subdivision (i), that it determines is reasonably necessary to make any decision on the application.

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(c) The commission shall be the lead agency as provided in Section 21165 for all projects that require certification pursuant to this chapter and for projects that are exempted from such certification pursuant to Section 25541. Unless the commission’s regulatory program governing site and facility certification and related proceedings are certified by the Resources Agency pursuant to Section 21080.5, an environmental impact report shall be completed within one year after receipt of the application. If the commission prepares a document or documents in the place of an environmental impact report or negative declaration under a regulatory program certified pursuant to Section 21080.5, any other public agency that must make a decision that is subject to the California Environmental Quality Act, Division 13 (commencing with Section 21000), on a site or related facility, shall use the document or documents prepared by the commission in the same manner as they would use an environmental impact report or negative declaration prepared by a lead agency.

(d) If the site and related facility specified in the application is proposed to be located in the coastal zone, the commission shall transmit a copy of the application to the California Coastal Commission for its review and comments.

(e) If the site and related facility specified in the application is proposed to be located in the Suisun Marsh or the jurisdiction of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the commission shall transmit a copy of the application to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission for its review and comments.

(f) Upon receipt of an application, the commission shall forward the application to local governmental agencies having land use and related jurisdiction in the area of the proposed site and related facility. Those local agencies shall review the application and submit comments on, among other things, the design of the facility, architectural and aesthetic features of the facility, access to highways, landscaping and grading, public use of lands in the area of the facility, and other appropriate aspects of the design, construction, or operation of the proposed site and related facility.

(g) Upon receipt of an application, the commission shall cause a summary of the application to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county in which the site and related facilities, or any part thereof, designated in the application, is proposed to be located. The commission shall transmit a copy of the application to each federal and state agency having jurisdiction or special interest in matters pertinent to the proposed site and related facilities and to the Attorney General.

(h) Local and state agencies having jurisdiction or special interest in matters pertinent to the proposed site and related facilities shall provide their comments and recommendations on the project within 180 days of the date of filing of an application.

(i) The adviser shall require that adequate notice is given to the public and that the procedures specified by this division are complied with.

(j) For any proposed site and related facility requiring a certificate of public convenience and necessity, the commission shall transmit a copy of the application to the Public Utilities Commission and request the comments and recommendations of the Public Utilities Commission on the economic, financial, rate, system reliability, and service implications of the proposed site and related facility. If the commission requires modification of the proposed facility, the commission shall consult with the Public Utilities Commission regarding the economic, financial, rate, system reliability, and service implications of those modifications.

(k) The commission shall transmit a copy of the application to any governmental agency not specifically mentioned in this act, but which it finds has any information or interest in the proposed site and related facilities, and shall invite the comments and recommendations of each agency. The commission shall request any relevant laws, ordinances, or regulations that an agency has promulgated or administered.

(l) An application for certification of any site and related facilities shall contain a listing of every federal agency from which any approval or authorization concerning the proposed site is required, specifying the approvals or authorizations obtained at the time of the application and the schedule for obtaining any approvals or authorizations pending.

(Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 1040, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2001.)