Section 3-0306. Registry of public agencies and private organizations; notice of department hearings

1.  The  commissioner  shall  develop  and  maintain  a  registry   of
  government  agencies  and  officials  and  of  private  organizations of
  statewide, regional, county and  local  scope,  with  interests  in  the
  regulatory  and  other  programs  of  the  department for the purpose of
  providing written notice to such agencies and organizations of the time,
  date, place, subject and nature of hearings  on  rules  and  regulations
  under  consideration  by  the  department,  or  on  applications  to the
  department for permits relating to the use,  improvement,  construction,
  change  or  any  modification  whatsoever  of  the  air,  land, or water
  resources within the state, or in relation to any other business  before
  the  department  for which issuance of a public notice is required or is
  appropriate and  desirable  in  accord  with  the  interests  of  public
  participation in environmental planning and decision-making.
    2.  To  aid in the compilation of the registry, the commissioner shall
  advertise its purposes no less than annually  to  governmental  agencies
  and  the  public  through news releases and other media available to the
  department, stating that interested agencies and organizations may apply
  to be  listed  in  the  registry  by  completing  forms  requiring  such
  information  as  may  be  prescribed  by the commissioner. Said registry
  shall be prepared by the department to be as comprehensive  as  possible
  and the entries contained therein shall not be limited to those obtained
  in  response  to  advertisement by the department of the purposes of the
  registry.
    3. The commissioner shall  publish  and  distribute  or  cause  to  be
  published  and  distributed  said  registry,  not  less  frequently than
  annually and in whole or in part as deemed appropriate and desirable  by
  the  commissioner,  for  the  purpose of providing a directory to assist
  with communications between public agencies and private organizations in
  all manner of environmental affairs.
    4. Notices, as described herein,  shall,  at  the  discretion  of  the
  commissioner, be published not less frequently than once every two weeks
  in  a  departmental  publication  which  shall  be  mailed to registered
  agencies and organizations in the area to be affected by the subject  of
  said  notices  and  to  other  persons  subscribing to such publication;
  provided that the commissioner may require the payment of a subscription
  fee not to exceed the reasonable costs of such publication; and provided
  further that the commissioner may in lieu of publishing any such  notice
  mail  a copy thereof to registered agencies or organizations. In setting
  such fee the commissioner shall take into account the purposes  of  this
  section  to  provide  broad  public notice of department actions. Unless
  otherwise provided by statute or regulation, failure to  provide  notice
  as  herein  described shall in no way affect the ordinary proceedings of
  the department.