(a) Environmental impact evaluations and a summary thereof, including any negative findings shall be submitted for comment and review to the Council on Environmental Quality, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Office of Policy and Management, the Department of Housing in the case of a proposed action that affects existing housing, and other appropriate agencies, and to the town clerk of each municipality affected thereby, and shall be made available to the public for inspection and comment at the same time. The sponsoring agency shall publish forthwith a notice of the availability of its environmental impact evaluation and summary in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality at least once a week for three consecutive weeks and in the Environmental Monitor. The sponsoring agency preparing an environmental impact evaluation shall hold a public hearing on the evaluation if twenty-five persons or an association having not less than twenty-five persons requests such a hearing within ten days of the publication of the notice in the Environmental Monitor.

(b) All comments received by the sponsoring agency and the sponsoring agency’s responses to such comments shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management.

(c) All comments and responses so forwarded to the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management shall be available for public inspection.