(1) The department shall provide the attorney general with a copy of a completed application upon receiving it. The attorney general shall review the completed application, and within forty-five days of the first public hearing held under RCW 70.45.050 shall provide a written opinion to the department as to whether or not the acquisition meets the requirements for approval in RCW 70.45.070.
(2) The department shall review the completed application to determine whether or not the acquisition meets the requirements for approval in RCW 70.45.070 and 70.45.080. Within thirty days after receiving the written opinion of the attorney general under subsection (1) of this section, the department shall:
(a) Approve the acquisition, with or without any specific modifications or conditions; or
(b) Disapprove the acquisition.
(3) The department may not make its decision subject to any condition not directly related to requirements in RCW 70.45.070 or 70.45.080, and any condition or modification must bear a direct and rational relationship to the application under review.
(4) A person engaged in an acquisition and affected by a final decision of the department has the right to an adjudicative proceeding under chapter 34.05 RCW. The opinion of the attorney general provided under subsection (1) of this section may not constitute a final decision for purposes of review.
(5) The department or the attorney general may extend, by not more than thirty days, any deadline established under this chapter one time during consideration of any application, for good cause.
[ 1997 c 332 § 6.]