§22C-2-3. West Virginia water pollution control revolving fund; disbursement of fund moneys; administration of the fund.

(a) Under the direction of the Division of Environmental Protection, the water development authority shall establish, administer and manage a permanent and perpetual fund, to be known as the "West Virginia Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund." The fund shall be comprised of moneys appropriated to the fund by the Legislature, moneys allocated to the state by the federal government expressly for the purposes of establishing and maintaining a state water pollution control revolving fund, all receipts from loans made from the fund to local entities, all income from the investment of moneys held in the fund, and all other sums designated for deposits to the fund from any source, public or private. Moneys in the fund shall be used solely to make loans to local entities to finance or refinance the costs of a project: Provided, That moneys in the fund shall be utilized to defray the costs incurred by the authority and the Division of Environmental Protection in administering the provisions of this article: Provided, however, That moneys in the fund shall be used to make grants for projects to the extent allowed or authorized by federal law.

(b) The director of the Division of Environmental Protection, in consultation with the authority, shall promulgate legislative rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, to:

(1) Govern the disbursement of moneys from the fund; and

(2) Establish a state water pollution control revolving fund program to direct the distribution of grants or loans from the fund to particular local entities and establish the interest rates and repayment terms of the loans.

(c) In order to carry out the administration and management of the fund, the authority is authorized to employ officers, employees, agents, advisers and consultants, including attorneys, financial advisers, engineers, other technical advisers and public accountants and, notwithstanding any provisions of this code to the contrary, to determine their duties and compensation without the approval of any other agency or instrumentality.

(d) The authority shall promulgate legislative rules in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to govern the pledge of loans to secure bonds of the authority.

(e) All moneys belonging to the fund shall be kept in appropriate depositories and secured in conformance with this code. Disbursements from the fund shall be authorized for payment by the director of the authority or the director's designee. Any depository or officer of the depository to which moneys of the fund are paid shall act as trustee of the moneys and shall hold and apply them solely for the purposes for which the moneys are provided under this article. Moneys in the fund shall not be commingled with other money of the authority. If not needed for immediate use or disbursement, moneys in the fund may be invested or reinvested by the authority in obligations or securities which are considered lawful investments for public funds under this code.