§ 161. General provisions relating to the board. 1. The board, exclusive of the ad hoc members, shall have the power to adopt the rules and regulations relating to the procedures to be used in certifying facilities under the provisions of this article, including the suspension or revocation thereof, and shall further have the power to seek delegation from the federal government pursuant to federal regulatory programs applicable to the siting of major electric facilities. The chairperson, after consultation with the other members of the board exclusive of the ad hoc members, shall have exclusive jurisdiction to issue declaratory rulings regarding the applicability of, or any other question under, this article and rules and regulations adopted hereunder and to grant requests for extensions or amendments to or transfers of certificate terms and conditions, provided that no party to the proceeding opposes such request for extensions or amendments within thirty days of the filing of such request. Regulations adopted by the board may provide for renewal applications for pollutant control permits to be submitted to and acted upon by the department of environmental conservation following commercial operation of a certified facility. The board shall not accept any pre-application preliminary scoping statement or application for a certificate, or exercise any powers or functions until the department of environmental conservation has promulgated rules and regulations required by paragraphs (f) and (g) of subdivision one of section one hundred sixty-four of this article and section 19-0312 of the environmental conservation law; provided however that the board shall be authorized to adopt rules and regulations required by this article.

2. Upon receipt of a pre-application preliminary scoping statement under this article, the chair shall promptly notify the governor, the president pro tem of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chief executive officers representing the municipality and the county in which the facility is proposed to be located, and, if such facility is proposed to be located within the city of New York, the mayor of the city of New York, as well as the chairperson of the community board and the borough president representing the area in which the facility is proposed to be located. One ad hoc member shall be appointed by the president pro tem of the senate and one ad hoc member shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly from a list of candidates submitted to them, in the following manner. If such facility is proposed to be located outside of the city of New York, the chief executive officer representing the municipality shall nominate four candidates and the chief executive officer representing the county shall nominate four candidates for consideration. If such facility is proposed to be located outside of the city of New York and in a village located within a town, the chief executive officer representing the town shall nominate four candidates, the chief executive officer representing the county shall nominate four candidates, and the chief executive officer representing the village shall nominate four candidates for consideration. If such facility is proposed to be located in the city of New York, the chairperson of the community board, the borough president, and the mayor of the city of New York shall each nominate four candidates for consideration. Nominations shall be submitted to the president pro tem of the senate and the speaker of the assembly within fifteen days of receipt of notification of the pre-application preliminary scoping statement. In the event that the president pro tem of the senate does not appoint one of the candidates within thirty days of such nominations, the governor shall appoint the ad hoc member from the list of candidates. In the event that the speaker of the assembly does not appoint one of the candidates within thirty days of such nominations, the governor shall appoint the ad hoc member from the list of candidates. In the event that one or both of the ad hoc public members have not been appointed within forty-five days, a majority of persons named to the board shall constitute a quorum.

3. In addition to the requirements of the public officers law, no person shall be eligible to be an appointee to the board who holds another state or local office. No member of the board may retain or hold any official relation to, or any securities of an electric utility corporation operating in the state or proposed for operation in the state, any affiliate thereof or any other company, firm, partnership, corporation, association or joint-stock association that may appear before the board, nor shall either of the appointees have been a director, officer or, within the previous ten years, an employee thereof. The ad hoc appointees shall receive the sum of two hundred dollars for each day in which they are actually engaged in the performance of their duties pursuant to this article plus actual and necessary expenses incurred by them in the performance of such duties. The chairperson shall provide such personnel, hearing examiners, subordinates and employees and such legal, technological, scientific, engineering and other services and such meeting rooms, hearing rooms and other facilities as may be required in proceedings under this article. The board under the direction of the chairperson, may provide for its own representation and appearance in all actions and proceedings involving any question under this article. The department of environmental conservation shall provide associate hearing examiners. Each member of the board other than the ad hoc appointees may designate an alternate to serve instead of the member with respect to all proceedings pursuant to this article. Such designation shall be in writing and filed with the chairperson.