                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

 VIRGINIA FUEL COMMISSION; PURPOSE; MEMBERSHIP; COMPENSATION; STAFF; POWERS AND
DUTIES; REPORT (§ 45.2-611)

A. The Virginia Fuel Commission (the Commission) may be established by the
Governor as a supervisory commission in the executive branch of state
government. The purpose of the Commission is to act for and on behalf of the
Governor in the enforcement of the powers and duties set forth in this article.

B. The Commission shall have a total membership of three nonlegislative citizen
members who are residents of the Commonwealth. Each member of the Commission
shall be appointed to serve at the pleasure of the Governor, and any vacancy
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. One member of
the Commission shall be designated by the Governor as chairman. A majority of
the members shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the Commission shall be
held at the call of the Governor or the chairman.

C. Members shall receive such compensation for the performance of their duties
as fixed by the Governor. Funding for the costs of compensation and expenses of
the members shall be provided by the Department.

D. The Department shall provide staff support to the Commission. All agencies of
the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission, upon request.

E. The Commission, subject to the approval of the Governor, shall have, in
addition to the powers and duties incident to this article that the Governor
delegates to it, the power and duty to:

   1. Adopt such regulations and issue such orders as are, in the judgment of the
   Commission, necessary to accomplish in full the purposes of this article. Such
   regulations and orders shall have the force and effect of law, and the
   violation thereof is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor;

   2. Appoint and employ such officers and personnel as are, in its judgment,
   required to carry out the provisions of this article; remove, in its
   discretion, any and all persons serving thereunder; and fix, subject to
   approval by the Governor, the remuneration of all such officers and other
   personnel. Such personnel shall work subject to such safety provisions as are
   in force on the property at the time of acquisition;

   3. Acquire under the power of eminent domain, or by purchase, lease, or
   otherwise, all of the property of any person used in the business of the
   mining, production, or marketing of coal, including all lands, tipples, mines,
   ores, rights-of-way, leaseholds, and every character and type of equipment
   deemed by the Commission necessary or incidental to the continuous mining and
   production of coal;

   4. Operate, manage, and control any property so acquired; purchase coal, coke,
   or other fuel and sell such fuel, either at retail or at wholesale; enter into
   contracts; allocate and provide for the distribution of coal and other fuels
   so as to ensure a distribution deemed most likely to promote the health,
   safety, and welfare of the people of the Commonwealth; and do any and all
   things necessary and incidental to the mining, production, or marketing of
   coal; and

   5. In any year in which the Commission meets, submit an annual report to the
   Governor and the General Assembly for publication as a report document as
   provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems
   for the processing of legislative documents and reports. In any year in which
   the Commission meets, the chairman shall submit to the Governor and the
   General Assembly an annual executive summary of the interim activity and work
   of the Commission no later than the first day of the next regular session of
   the General Assembly. The executive summary shall be submitted as a report
   document as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative
   Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents and reports and
   shall be posted on the General Assembly&#8217;s website.

HISTORY: Code 1950, §§ 45-149, 45-156; 1950, pp. 30, 33; 1966, c. 594, §§
45.1-149, 45.1-156; 1994, c. 28, §§ 45.1-161.316, 45.1-161.317; 2021, Sp.
Sess. I, c. 387.