(1) The change in lessee does not violate any of the standards in subsection 7;

(2) The transfer is not intended to circumvent the intent of subsection 8;

(3) The transfer is not for speculative purposes; and

(4) The transfer will not cause the transferee to be a tenant of any kind in leases covering an aggregate of more than 250 500 acres.

Sec. 8. 12 MRSA §6072-A, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 1997, c. 231, §6, is amended to read:

6. Public hearing. The commissioner may hold a public hearing on the proposed limited-purpose lease. The commissioner shall hold a public hearing if 5 or more persons request a public hearing within the 30-day comment periods provided in subsection 5. The commissioner shall provide notice of a public hearing to owners of riparian land within 1,000 feet of the proposed location of the lease and to the municipal officers of the municipality in which the limited-purpose lease activity would take place.__The commissioner shall publish notice of a public hearing in a newspaper of general circulation in the area proposed for a limited-purpose lease at least 30 days before the hearing.

Sec. 9. 12 MRSA §6072-A, sub-§7, as amended by PL 2003, c. 247, §11, is repealed.

Sec. 10. 12 MRSA §6072-A, sub-§7-A is enacted to read:

7-A.__Public scoping session.__The commissioner shall hold a public scoping session, as defined in rule, if 5 or more persons request a public scoping session within the 30-day comment periods provided in subsection 5.

Sec. 11. 12 MRSA §6673, as amended by PL 1999, c. 267, §3, is further amended to read:

§6673. Municipal leasing of flats

A municipality, which that has established a shellfish conservation program as provided under section 6671, may lease areas in the intertidal zone to the extreme low water mark, within the municipality for the purpose of shellfish