(a) operate, maintain, construct, reconstruct, improve, develop, finance, and promote the canal system;
(b) sue and be sued;
(c) have a seal and alter the same at pleasure;
(d) make and alter by-laws for its organization and internal management and make rules and regulations governing the use of its property and facilities;
(e) appoint officers and employees and fix their compensation;
(f) make and execute contracts and all other instruments necessary or convenient for the exercise of its powers and functions under this chapter;
(g) acquire, hold, and dispose of real or personal property for its corporate purposes;
(h) engage the services of private consultants on a contract basis for rendering professional and technical assistance and advice;
(i) procure insurance against any loss in connection with its activities, properties, and other assets, in such amount and from such insurers as it deems desirable;
(j) invest any funds of the canal corporation, or any other monies under its custody and control not required for immediate use or disbursement, at the discretion of the canal corporation, in obligations of the state or the United States government or obligations the principal and interest of which are guaranteed by the state or the United States government, or in any other obligations in which the comptroller of the state is authorized to invest pursuant to section ninety-eight-a of the state finance law;
(k) exercise those powers and duties of the authority delegated to it by the authority;
(l) prepare and submit a capital program plan pursuant to section ten of the canal law;
(m) approve and implement the New York state canal recreationway plan submitted pursuant to section one hundred thirty-eight-c of the canal law. The canal corporation's review and approval of the canal recreationway plan shall be based upon its consideration of a generic environmental impact statement prepared by the canal corporation in accordance with article eight of the environmental conservation law and the regulations thereunder. Prior to the implementation of any substantial improvement by the canal corporation on canal lands, canal terminals, or canal terminal lands, or the lease of canal lands, canal terminals, or canal terminal lands for substantial commercial improvement, the canal corporation, in addition to any review taken pursuant to section 14.09 of the parks, recreation and historic preservation law, shall conduct a reconnaissance level survey within three thousand feet of such lands to be improved of the type, location, and significance of historic buildings, sites, and districts listed on, or which may be eligible, for the state or national registers of historic places. The findings of such survey shall be used to identify significant historical resources and to determine whether the proposed improvements are compatible with such historic buildings, sites, and districts;
(n) enter on any lands, waters, or premises for the purpose of making borings, soundings, and surveys;
(o) accept any gifts or any grant of funds or property from the federal government or from the state or any other federal or state public body or political subdivision or any other person and to comply with the terms and conditions thereof; and
(p) waive any fee for a work permit which it has the power to issue if in its discretion the project which is subject to a work permit would add value to canal lands without any cost to the canal corporation, the authority, or the state. 10. (a) The canal corporation shall review the budget request submitted by the canal recreationway commission pursuant to section one hundred thirty-eight-b of the canal law.
(b) The canal corporation, on or before the fifteenth day of September of each year, shall submit to the director of the budget a request for the expenditure of funds available from the New York state canal system development fund pursuant to section ninety-two-u of the state finance law or available from any other non-federal sources appropriated from the state treasury.
(c) In the event that the request submitted by the canal corporation to the director of the budget differs from the request submitted by the commission to the canal corporation, then the request submitted by the canal corporation to the director of the budget shall specify the differences and shall set forth the reasons for such differences. 11. The canal corporation shall not have the power to issue bonds, notes, or other evidences of indebtedness; provided that notwithstanding the foregoing, the canal corporation may agree to repay amounts advanced to the canal corporation by the authority and to evidence such agreement by delivery of a promissory note or notes to the authority. 12. The canal corporation may do any and all things necessary or convenient to carry out and exercise the powers given and granted by this section. 13. The authority and all other state officers, departments, boards, divisions, commissions, public authorities, and public benefit corporations may render such services to the canal corporation within their respective functions as may be requested by the canal corporation. 14. Whenever any state political subdivision, municipality, commission, agency, officer, department, board, division, or person is authorized and empowered for any of the purposes of this title to cooperate and enter into agreements with the authority, such state political subdivision, municipality, commission, agency, officer, department, board, division, or person shall have the same authorization and power for any such purposes to cooperate and enter into agreements with the canal corporation.