After receipt of mineral information from the State Geologist pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 2761, the board may, by regulation adopted after a public hearing, designate specific geographic areas of the state as areas of statewide or regional significance and specify the boundaries of the geographic areas. The designation shall be included as a part of the state policy and shall indicate the reason for which the particular area designated is of significance to the state or region, the adverse effects that might result from premature development of incompatible land uses, the advantages that might be achieved from extraction of the minerals of the area, and the specific goals and policies to protect against the premature incompatible development of the area.

(Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 472, Sec. 5. (SB 814) Effective January 1, 2014.)