(1) No later than 45 days before the originally scheduled certification hearing, any party may propose alternate transmission line corridor routes for consideration under the provisions of this act.

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   (a) A notice of a proposed alternate corridor must be filed with the administrative law judge, all parties, and any local governments in whose jurisdiction the alternate corridor is proposed. The filing must include the most recent United States Geological Survey 1:24,000 quadrangle maps specifically delineating the corridor boundaries, a description of the proposed corridor, and a statement of the reasons the proposed alternate corridor should be certified.

   (b)1. Within 7 days after receipt of the notice, the applicant and the department shall file with the administrative law judge and all parties a notice of acceptance or rejection of a proposed alternate corridor for consideration. If the alternate corridor is rejected by the applicant or the department, the certification hearing and the public hearings shall be held as scheduled. If both the applicant and the department accept a proposed alternate corridor for consideration, the certification hearing and the public hearings shall be rescheduled, if necessary. If a filing for an alternate corridor is accepted for consideration by the department and the applicant, any newly affected local government must notify the administrative law judge and all parties not later than 10 days after the data concerning the alternate corridor has been determined complete as to whether the local government wishes to have such a public hearing. The local government is responsible for providing the location of the public hearing if held separately from the certification hearing. The provisions of s. 403.527(4)(b) and (c) shall apply. Notice of the local hearings shall be published in accordance with s. 403.5363.

   2. If rescheduled, the certification hearing shall be held no more than 90 days after the previously scheduled certification hearing, unless the data submitted under paragraph (d) is determined to be incomplete, in which case the rescheduled certification hearing shall be held no more than 105 days after the previously scheduled certification hearing. If additional time is needed due to the alternate corridor crossing a local government jurisdiction that was not previously affected, the remainder of the schedule listed below shall be appropriately adjusted by the administrative law judge to allow that local government to prepare a report pursuant to s. 403.526(2)(a)5. Notice that the certification hearing has been deferred due to the acceptance of the alternate corridor shall be published in accordance with s. 403.5363.

   (c) Notice of the filing of the alternate corridor shall be published by the alternate proponent in accordance with s. 403.5363(2). If the notice is not timely published or does not meet the notice requirements, the alternate shall be deemed withdrawn.

   (d) Within 21 days after acceptance of an alternate corridor by the department and the applicant, the party proposing an alternate corridor shall have the burden of providing all data to the agencies listed in s. 403.526(2) and newly affected agencies necessary for the preparation of a supplementary report on the proposed alternate corridor.

   (e)1. Reviewing agencies shall advise the department of any issues concerning completeness no later than 15 days after the submittal of the data required by paragraph (d). Within 22 days after receipt of the data, the department shall issue a determination of completeness.

   2. If the department determines that the data required by paragraph (d) is not complete, the party proposing the alternate corridor must file such additional data to correct the incompleteness. This additional data must be submitted within 14 days after the determination by the department.

   3. Reviewing agencies may advise the department of any issues concerning completeness of the additional data within 10 days after the filing by the party proposing the alternate corridor. If the department, within 14 days after receiving the additional data, determines that the data remains incomplete, the incompleteness of the data is deemed a withdrawal of the proposed alternate corridor. The department may make its determination based on recommendations made by other affected agencies.

   (f) The agencies listed in s. 403.526(2) and any newly affected agencies shall file supplementary reports with the applicant and the department which address the proposed alternate corridors no later than 24 days after the data submitted pursuant to paragraph (d) or paragraph (e) is determined to be complete.

   (g) The agency reports on alternate corridors must include all information required by s. 403.526(2).

   (h) When an agency whose agency head is a collegial body, such as a commission, board, or council, is required to submit a report pursuant to this section and is required by its own internal procedures to have the report reviewed by its agency head prior to finalization, the agency may submit to the department a draft version of the report by the deadline indicated in paragraph (f), and shall submit a final version of the report after review by the agency head no later than 7 days after the deadline indicated in paragraph (f).

   (i) The department shall file with the administrative law judge, the applicant, and all parties a project analysis consistent with s. 403.526(3) no more than 16 days after submittal of agency reports on the proposed alternate corridor.

   (2) If the original certification hearing date is rescheduled, the rescheduling shall not provide the opportunity for parties to file additional alternate corridors to the applicant’s proposed corridor or any accepted alternate corridor. However, an amendment to the application which changes the alignment of the applicant’s proposed corridor shall require rescheduling of the certification hearing, if necessary, so as to allow time for a party to file alternate corridors to the realigned proposed corridor for which the application has been amended. Any alternate corridor proposal shall have the same starting and ending points as the realigned portion of the corridor proposed by the applicant’s amendment, provided that the administrative law judge for good cause shown may authorize another starting or ending point in the area of the applicant’s amended corridor.

   (3)(a) Notwithstanding the rejection of a proposed alternate corridor by the applicant or the department, any party may present evidence at the certification hearing to show that a corridor proper for certification does not satisfy the criteria listed in s. 403.529 or that a rejected alternate corridor would meet the criteria set forth in s. 403.529. Evidence may not be admitted at the certification hearing on any alternate corridor, unless the alternate corridor was proposed by the filing of a notice at least 45 days before the originally scheduled certification hearing pursuant to this section. Rejected alternate corridors shall be considered by the board as provided in s. 403.529(4) and (5).

   (b) The party proposing an alternate corridor has the burden to prove that the alternate corridor can be certified at the certification hearing. This act does not require an applicant or agency that is not proposing the alternate corridor to submit data in support of the alternate corridor.

   (4) If an alternate corridor is accepted by the applicant and the department pursuant to a notice of acceptance as provided in this subsection and the corridor is ultimately determined to be the corridor that would meet the criteria set forth in s. 403.529(4) and (5), the board shall certify that corridor.

s. 36, ch. 90-331; s. 392, ch. 94-356; s. 151, ch. 96-41