The bill amends several sections of South Dakota's laws regarding the notice and hearing procedures of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Key changes include reducing the notification period for landowners from thirty days to ten days after an application for a permit is filed, and requiring that the notice includes a color aerial map of the proposed facility's location. Additionally, the bill specifies that the PUC must provide reasons for denying or returning an application and allows for a prehearing conference to be requested by any party involved.

Further amendments establish clearer timelines for the PUC's decision-making process, mandating that in uncontested cases, a decision must be made within twelve months of receiving the application, while in contested cases, an evidentiary hearing must commence within the same timeframe. The bill also allows for extensions of deadlines upon request from any party or by the commission itself. Lastly, it clarifies that a permit for constructing a transmission facility can override local land use regulations if the commission finds them unreasonably restrictive based on specific criteria.

Statutes affected:
Introduced, 02/05/2025: 49-41B-5.2, 49-41B-13, 49-41B-14, 49-41B-24, 49-41B-24.1, 49-41B-28