151.720 Powers of authority. - Kentucky Statutes

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151.720 Powers of authority. The Kentucky River Authority is authorized and empowered to:
(1) Construct, reconstruct, provide for the major maintenance, or repair the locks and dams on the Kentucky River and all real and personal property pertaining thereto, as
well as maintain the channel; (2) Acquire by purchase, exercise of the rights of eminent domain, grant, gift, devise, or otherwise, the fee simple title to or any acceptable lesser interest in any real or
personal property and by lease or other conveyance, contract for the right to use and
occupy any real or personal property selected in the discretion of the authority as
constituting necessary, desirable, or acceptable sites to fulfill its statutory authority
and power; (3) Lease its real or personal property to other state agencies, political subdivisions of the Commonwealth, corporations, partnerships, associations, foundations, or
persons as the authority deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this section; (4) Sell or otherwise dispose of its real or personal property in accordance with KRS 56.463 and 45A.045; (5) Collect water use fees from all facilities using water from the Kentucky River basin, except those facilities using water primarily for agricultural purposes. Facilities
charged such a fee may pass on all or any part of the fee; (6) Issue revenue bonds in accordance with KRS 151.730;
(7) Employ persons to carry out the authority's responsibilities with revenue from the water use fees, including an executive director who shall serve at the pleasure of the
authority; (8) Contract for services with other state agencies, political subdivisions of the Commonwealth, corporations, partnerships, associations, foundations, or persons to
perform its duties; (9) Promulgate administrative regulations providing for clean water, which shall not be less stringent than the state and federal regulations for clean water; (10) Exercise all other powers necessary to perform its public purpose to implement and enforce the plans developed by the authority pursuant to this section and KRS
151.727 and 151.728, and to enforce administrative regulations promulgated by the
authority. The long-range water resource plan and drought response plan shall be
implemented for the basin upon the direction of the authority; (11) Develop comprehensive plans for the management of the Kentucky River within the basin, including a long-range water resource plan and a drought response plan. Each
county within the basin shall develop a long-range water resource plan and submit it
to the authority. The authority, after consultation with the Energy and Environment
Cabinet, shall develop a unified long-range water resource plan for the basin. The
unified long-range water resource plan shall be implemented over short-range and
long-range time periods. The short-range plan shall be for a period of six (6) years
and the long-range plan shall be for a period of twenty (20) years. The authority
shall conduct a public hearing on the plan prior to its adoption and amend the plan
as appropriate based on the comments received. The Energy and Environment Cabinet shall review the draft unified plan and provide comment during the public
comment period concerning the consistency of the plan with the state requirements
under KRS Chapters 224 and 151. A drought response plan for the basin shall be
developed by the authority and shall be coordinated with the Energy and
Environment Cabinet to assure consistency with KRS Chapters 224 and 151, and
this plan shall be implemented for the basin upon the direction of the authority; (12) Develop and promote a plan for the protection and use of groundwater within the basin. Administrative regulations may be promulgated implementing the plan, and
these regulations shall not be less stringent than state and federal regulations
protecting groundwater; (13) Promote private investment in the installation of hydroelectric generating units on all existing constructed and reconstructed Kentucky River dams under the
jurisdiction of the authority, by developing a standard lease, establishing reasonable
financial responsibility requirements, verifying that the proposed installation of the
hydroelectric unit will not adversely affect the structural integrity of the dam, and
adopting a schedule of reasonable fees for water used in the generation of
hydroelectric power; (14) Develop recreational areas within the basin. These recreational areas may be operated and funded by the state Department of Parks, Kentucky State Nature
Preserves Commission, or other governmental entity as specifically authorized or
permitted within the biennial executive budget. There is hereby created the
Kentucky River Park to be located as determined by the authority; (15) Utilize funds provided for recreational purposes within the biennial executive budget for major or minor maintenance if the authority certifies to the secretary of
the Finance and Administration Cabinet that a significant need exists for the repairs
and no other funds are available for the maintenance; (16) Coordinate the Kentucky River basin water resources activities among state agencies; (17) Report quarterly on all of its activities to the legislative Committee on Appropriations and Revenue; (18) Receive reports from state agencies on litigation concerning the Kentucky River, which agencies are hereby directed to report to the authority; (19) Credit to the authority any income derived from the interest earned on the investment of the water use fees collected, which shall be available for the
authority's expenditure; and (20) Accomplish the watershed management mission of the authority, which is to fulfill the provisions of this section for the Kentucky River basin, the boundary of which
shall be defined by a hydrologic map promulgated in an administrative regulation. Effective: July 15, 2010
History: Repealed and reenacted 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 15, effective February 25, 2010; and amended ch. 24, sec. 181, effective July 15, 2010. -- Amended 2008 Ky.
Acts ch. 139, sec. 15, effective July 15, 2008. -- Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 265,
sec. 4, effective July 14, 2000; and ch. 287, sec. 4, effective July 14, 2000. --
Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 229, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1996. -- Amended 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 453, sec. 1, effective July 14, 1992. -- Amended 1990 Ky. Acts ch. 496,
sec. 44, effective July 13, 1990; and ch. 500, sec. 2, effective July 13, 1990. --
Created 1986 Ky. Acts ch. 383, sec. 3, effective July 15, 1986. Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/2010). This section was amended by 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 24 and repealed and reenacted by 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 5.
Notwithstanding KRS 446.260, these Acts do not appear to be in conflict and have
been codified together. Legislative Research Commission Note (2/25/2010). 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 5, sec. 28, provides that the repeal and reenactment of this section in that Act "shall apply
retroactively to July 15, 2008." Legislative Research Commission Note (7/15/96). In 1990, KRS 45.360 was repealed, and its provisions on the disposal of state-owned real or personal property were
incorporated into KRS 45A.045 by amendment of that statute. See 1990 Ky. Acts
ch. 496, secs. 67 and 1. Accordingly, pursuant to KRS 7.136(1)(e), the prior
reference to the repealed statute in subsection (4) of this section has been replaced
with the citation for the current statute.