§22B-1-1. Declaration of policy and purpose.

It is hereby declared to be the policy of this state and the purpose of this chapter to provide fair, efficient and equitable treatment of appeals of environmental enforcement and permit actions to the boards set forth herein.

It is also the intent of the Legislature to consolidate and combine the legal, technical and support personnel of the three boards, to provide for consistent appellate processes and to maintain continuity of the boards’ functions and membership. The boards shall share physical facilities, hearing rooms, technical and support staff and general overhead. In addition, it is the policy of this state to retain and maintain adequate funding and sufficient support personnel to ensure knowledgeable and informed decisions.

It is the policy of this state that administrative hearings and appeals be conducted in a quasi-judicial manner providing for discovery and case management. The appellate functions of the several environmental boards should be accomplished with similar procedural rules designed to assure expeditious and equitable hearings and decisions. Further, there shall be a central depository for appellate information and the filing of appeals. It is also the policy of this state that the rule-making authority set forth in this chapter be implemented in an efficient manner consistent with the public policy of this state.

Furthermore, it is the intent of the Legislature that all actions taken pursuant to this chapter assure implementation of the policies set forth in this chapter and chapter twenty-two of this code.