(a) Within 45 days of receipt of the application or motion for designation, the commission shall commence public informational hearings in the county or counties where the proposed transmission corridor zone would be located.

(b) The purpose of the hearings shall be to do all of the following:

(1) Provide information about the proposed transmission corridor zone so that the public and interested agencies have a clear understanding of what is being proposed.

(2) Explain the relationship of the proposed transmission corridor zone to the commission’s strategic plan for the state’s electric transmission grid, as set forth in the most recent integrated energy policy report adopted pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 25300).

(3) Receive initial comments about the proposed transmission corridor zone from the public and interested agencies.

(4) Solicit information on reasonable alternatives to the proposed transmission corridor zone.

(Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 638, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2007.)