(a) Except where the right to petition for a rule is restricted by statute to a designated group or except where the form of procedure for such petition is otherwise prescribed by statute, any municipality, corporation or any five (5) or more persons having an interest in a rule may petition an agency requesting the adoption, amendment or repeal of such rule.
(b) Such petition shall state clearly and concisely:
(1) The substance or nature of the rulemaking that is requested;
(2) The reasons for the request and the petitioner's interest in the request; and
(3) Reference to the authority of the agency to take the action that is requested.
(c) After submission of a petition, the agency shall, as promptly as is consistent with the orderly dispatch of its business, deny the request or grant the same or provide for some modified form of the proposed rule. If the agency denies the petition, it shall promptly give notice thereof to the person who filed the petition. If the agency grants the petition in whole or in part, it shall proceed to meet the rulemaking requirements set out in this chapter.