(1)(a) The board of environmental quality shall consist of seven (7) members who shall be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate. The members shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. Each member of the board shall be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the state of Idaho, and a qualified elector and shall be appointed to assure appropriate geographic representation of the state of Idaho. Not more than four (4) members of the board shall be from any one (1) political party. Two (2) members of the board shall be chosen with due regard to their knowledge of and interest in solid waste; two (2) members shall be chosen for their knowledge of and interest in air quality; two (2) members shall be chosen for their knowledge of and interest in water quali
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(1)(a) The board of environmental quality shall consist of seven (7) members who shall be appointed by the governor, with the advice and consent of the senate. The members shall serve at the pleasure of the governor. Each member of the board shall be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the state of Idaho, and a qualified elector and shall be appointed to assure appropriate geographic representation of the state of Idaho. Not more than four (4) members of the board shall be from any one (1) political party. Two (2) members of the board shall be chosen with due regard to their knowledge of and interest in solid waste; two (2) members shall be chosen for their knowledge of and interest in air quality; two (2) members shall be chosen for their knowledge of and interest in water quality; and one (1) member shall be chosen with due regard for his knowledge of and interest in air, water and solid waste issues. At least four (4) of the board members shall represent the public’s interest and not derive any significant portion of their income from persons subject to air quality permits or enforcement orders.
(b) The members of the board of environmental quality shall be appointed for a term of four (4) years. In appointing members whose terms begin in 2000, the governor shall designate three (3) members to be appointed for a term of three (3) years, two (2) members appointed for a term of four (4) years, and two (2) members appointed for a term of two (2) years. Successors to the members appointed for a term of less than four (4) years shall be appointed for a term of four (4) years thereafter.
(2) The board annually shall elect a chairman, a vice chairman, and a secretary and shall hold such meetings as may be necessary for the orderly conduct of its business, and such meetings shall be held from time to time on seventy-two (72) hours’ notice of the chairman or a majority of the members. Five (5) members shall be necessary to constitute a quorum at any regular or special meeting, and the action of the majority of members present shall be the action of the board. The members of the board shall be compensated as provided in section 59-509 (h), Idaho Code.
(3) The board, in furtherance of its duties under this act and under its rules, shall have the power to administer oaths, to certify to official acts, and to issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, books, accounts, documents and testimony. The board may, if a witness refuses to attend or testify or to produce any papers required by such subpoenas, report to the district court in and for the county in which the proceeding is pending, by petition, setting forth that due notice has been given of the time and place of attendance of said witnesses or the production of said papers, that the witness has been properly summoned, and that the witness has failed and refused to attend or produce the papers required by this subpoena before the board or has refused to answer questions propounded to him in the course of said proceedings, and the board may ask an order of said court compelling the witness to attend and testify and produce said papers before the board. The court, upon the petition of the board, shall enter an order directing the witness to appear before the court at a time and place to be fixed by the court in such order, the time to be not more than ten (10) days from the date of the order, and then and there shall show cause why he has not attended and testified or produced said papers before the board. A copy of said order shall be served upon said witness. If it shall appear to the court that said subpoena was regularly issued by the board and regularly served, the court shall thereupon order that said witness appear before the board at the time and place fixed in said order and testify or produce the required papers. Upon failure to obey said order, said witness shall be dealt with for contempt of court.
(4) The director, his designee, or any party to the action may, in an investigation or hearing before the board, cause the deposition or interrogatory of witnesses or parties residing within or without the state to be taken in the manner prescribed by law for like depositions and interrogatories in civil actions in the district court of this state and to that end may compel the attendance of said witnesses and production of books, documents, papers and accounts.
(5) Any person aggrieved by an action or inaction of the department shall be afforded an opportunity for a fair hearing upon request therefor in writing pursuant to chapter 52, title 67, Idaho Code, and the rules promulgated thereunder. In those cases where the board has been granted the authority to hold such a hearing pursuant to a provision of the Idaho Code, the hearing may be conducted by the board at a regular or special meeting, or the board may designate hearing officers, who shall have the power and authority to conduct hearings in the name of the board at any time and place. In any hearing, a member of the board or a hearing officer designated by it shall have the power to administer oaths, examine witnesses, and issue in the name of the board subpoenas requiring the testimony of witnesses and the production of evidence relevant to any matter in the hearing.
(6) Any person adversely affected by a final determination of the board may secure judicial review by filing a petition for review as prescribed under the provisions of chapter 52, title 67, Idaho Code. The petition for review shall be served on the chairman of the board, the director of the department, and the attorney general of the state of Idaho. Such service shall be jurisdictional and the provisions of this section shall be the exclusive procedure for appeal.
(7) The board, by the affirmative vote of at least four (4) of its members, may adopt, amend or repeal the rules, codes, and standards of the department that are necessary and feasible in order to carry out the purposes and provisions of this act and to enforce the laws of this state. The rules and orders so adopted and established shall have the force and effect of law and may deal with any matters deemed necessary and feasible for protecting the environment of the state.
(8) All rulemaking proceedings and hearings of the board shall be governed by the provisions of chapter 52, title 67, Idaho Code.
(9) The board shall adopt contested case rules consistent with the rules of administrative procedure adopted pursuant to section 67-5206, Idaho Code, the provisions of this act and other statutory authority of the department.
[39-107, added 1972, ch. 347, sec. 7, p. 1017; am. 1974, ch. 23, sec. 51, p. 633; am. 1978, ch. 45, sec. 2, p. 82; am. 1980, ch. 34, sec. 1, p. 57; am. 1980, ch. 247, sec. 32, p. 604; am. 1980, ch. 325, sec. 2, p. 823; am. 1981, ch. 122, sec. 1, p. 209; am. 1993, ch. 216, sec. 23, p. 605; am. 2000, ch. 132, sec. 10, p. 325; am. 2022, ch. 107, sec. 1, p. 360; am. 2023, ch. 314, sec. 10, p. 964; am. 2025, ch. 47, sec. 8, p. 228; am. 2025, ch. 151, sec. 1, p. 736.]