(a) A person who is or may be adversely affected by the issuance or revision of a permit or a federal, state, or municipal agency may file written comments or objections to the permit or revision with the commissioner within 30 days after the last publication of the notice required in AS 27.21.130 and may include with the objection a request for an informal conference.
(b) The commissioner shall immediately provide a copy of any comments or objections filed under (a) of this section to the applicant and shall make them available to the public. If an informal conference is requested under (a) of this section, the commissioner shall hold an informal conference in the locality of the operations proposed in the application. Notice requirements and procedures for informal conferences must be set out in regulations adopted under this chapter.
(c) The commissioner shall notify the applicant, any person who filed a comment or objection under (a) of this section, and any participant in an informal conference held under (b) of this section, in writing, of the decision to grant, condition, modify, or deny the permit or revision, and, if the decision is not to grant the permit or revision, of the specific reasons for the decision. The commissioner shall provide notification of the decision within 60 days after an informal conference or, if there has not been an informal conference, within the time established in AS 27.21.180.
(d) If the application is approved, the permit shall be issued upon filing of the performance bond required by AS 27.21.160 or satisfactory compliance with the requirements of the statewide bonding pool for mining operations established under AS 27.19.040(b).