(a) No permit shall be issued, modified, renewed or reopened without first providing the public an opportunity to comment and request a public hearing on the proposed permit action. The request for a public hearing on the issuance of a permit shall set forth the basis for the request and a public hearing shall be held if, in the judgment of the secretary, there is sufficient reason.

(b) The secretary shall affirm, modify or reverse the decision on such permit after the public comment period or public hearing, and shall affirm the issuance of any permit the terms and conditions of which comply with all requirements established by rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to the Kansas air quality act. Any person who participated in the public comment process or the public hearing who otherwise would have standing under Kan. Stat. Ann. § 77-611, and amendments thereto, shall have standing to obtain judicial review of the secretary’s final action on the permit pursuant to the Kansas judicial review act in the court of appeals. Any such person other than the applicant for or holder of the permit shall not be required to have exhausted administrative remedies in order to be entitled to review. The court of appeals shall have original jurisdiction to review any such final agency action. The record before the court of appeals shall be confined to the agency record for judicial review and consist of the documentation submitted to or developed by the secretary in making the final permit decision, including the permit application and any addenda or amendments thereto, the permit summary, the draft permit, all written comments properly submitted to the secretary, all testimony presented at any public hearing held on the permit application, all responses by the applicant or permit holder to any written comments or testimony, the secretary’s response to the public comments and testimony and the final permit.

(c) When determined appropriate by the secretary, the procedures set out in subsection (a) may be required prior to the issuance, modification, renewal or reopening of an approval.