Each joint agency shall have all the rights and powers necessary or convenient to carry out and effectuate the purposes and provisions of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the rights and powers:
(a) To adopt bylaws for the regulation of the affairs and the conduct of its business, and to prescribe rules, regulations and policies in connection with the performance of its functions and duties;
(b) To adopt an official seal and alter the same at pleasure;
(c) To maintain an office at such place or places as it may determine;
(d) To sue and be sued in its own name, and to plead and be impleaded;
(e) To receive, administer and comply with the conditions and requirements respecting any gift, grant or donation of any property or money;
(f) To acquire by purchase, lease, gift, or otherwise, or to obtain options for the acquisition of, any property, real or personal, improved or unimproved, including an interest in land less than the fee thereof in conformity with state law;
(g) To sell, lease, exchange, transfer or otherwise dispose of, or to grant options for any such purposes with respect to, any real or personal property or interest therein in conformity with state law;
(h) To pledge or assign any money, rents, charges, or other revenues and any proceeds derived by the joint agency from the sales of property, insurance or condemnation awards;
(i) To issue bonds of the joint agency for the purpose of providing funds for any of its corporate purposes;
(j)(1) To acquire by negotiated purchase or lease from an electric supplier any portion of a project or projects under construction on the date of approval of this chapter, or on which construction will commence subsequent to the date of approval of this chapter, either individually or jointly with one or more municipalities in any other state, owning electric generation, transmission, or distribution facilities, or with any political subdivisions or agencies of any other state and to pay all or any part of the cost of it from the proceeds of bonds of the joint agency or from any other funds available to the joint agency;
(2) To, prior to and in connection with such acquisition of a project or projects, study, plan, finance, own, operate, and maintain such project or projects and after such acquisition, to study, plan, finance, acquire, construct, reconstruct, improve, enlarge, extend, own, operate and maintain one or more additional projects;
(k) To authorize the construction, operation or maintenance of any project or projects by any person, firm or corporation, including political subdivisions and agencies of any state, of the United States;
(l) a project under construction, or other property, either individually or jointly, with one or more municipalities in this State or any other state owning electric distribution facilities or with any political subdivisions or agencies of any other state or with other joint agencies created pursuant to this chapter;
(m) To dispose of by negotiated sale or lease, an existing project, a project under construction, or other property either individually or jointly with one or more municipalities in this State or any other state owning electric distribution facilities or with any political subdivisions or agencies of any other state or with other joint agencies created pursuant to this chapter;
(n) To fix, charge and collect rents, rates, fees and charges for electric power or energy and other services, facilities and commodities sold, furnished or supplied through any project;
(o) To generate, produce, transmit, deliver, exchange, purchase, or sell for resale only, electric power or energy, and to enter into contracts for any or all such purposes;
(p) To negotiate and enter into contracts for the purchase, exchange, interchange, wheeling, pooling, transmission, marketing, sale, or use, for resale only, of electric power and energy with any electric supplier within the State, or with any person, firm, or corporation, public or private, outside this State;
(q) to negotiate and enter into contracts for the purchase, exchange, interchange, wheeling, pooling, transmission, marketing, sale, or use, for resale only, of electric power and energy, with any electric supplier within the State, or with any person, firm, or corporation, public or private, outside this State, and the contract may provide that the joint agency is to be obligated to make the payments required by the contract whether the facilities from which the contracted services are provided, are completed, operable or operating, notwithstanding the suspension, interruption, interference, reduction or curtailment of the output of the facilities, or the power and energy contracted for, and that the payments under the contract must not be subject to any reductions, whether by offset or otherwise, and are not conditioned upon the performance or nonperformance of any party to the contract;
(r) To make and execute contracts and other instruments necessary or convenient in the exercise of the powers and functions of the joint agency under this chapter, including contracts with persons, firms, corporations and others;
(s) To apply to the appropriate agencies of the State, the United States or any state thereof, and to any other proper agency for such permits, licenses, certificates or approvals as may be necessary, and to construct, maintain and operate projects in accordance with such licenses, permits, certificates or approvals, and to obtain, hold and use any license, permits, certificates or approvals, in the same manner as any other person or operating unit of any other person, previously obtained by such person;
(t) To employ engineers, architects, attorneys, appraisers, financial advisors and such other consultants and employees as may be required in the judgment of the joint agency and to fix and pay their compensation from funds available to the joint agency therefor.
HISTORY: 1978 Act No. 473, Section 10; 1979 Act No. 176, Sections 7-9; 1996 Act No. 358, Sections 2-5.