2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWELVE - Conservation (§§ 1-16 — 8162) › Subtitle 8 - Environment II (§§ 8001 — 8162) › Chapter 501 - Environmental Public Policy (§§ 8001 — 8007f) › Subchapter II - Environmental Quality Board (§§ 8002 — 8002p) › § 8002d - Transfer of authorities

The Board is hereby transferred the following powers and authorities which are by law vested in other agencies or instrumentalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, to wit:
(1) All powers and authorities that the provisions of the Air Contamination Control Act, §§ 341–341p of Title 24, and the regulations thereunder confer onto the Consulting Board created therein and onto the Department of Health of Puerto Rico and the Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico.
(2) All powers and authorities that the Water Pollution Control Act, §§ 341–341p of Title 24, the Regulations thereunder, and Reorganization Plan No. 5 of February 17, 1950, confer onto the Department and the Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico, respectively
(3) The authority of the Secretary of Transportation and Public Works, who is in charge of the custody of public land, to issue the authorization to sink regular wells or install watermills in public lands as granted under Section 21 of the Law of Waters of March, 1903.
(4) The Environmental Laboratory of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources is hereby transferred to and merged with the Laboratory of the Environmental Quality Board. The new entity shall be known as the “Puerto Rico Environmental Research Laboratory”.
The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Environmental Quality Board hereby transfer to the Puerto Rico Environmental Research Laboratory the functions, programs, services, and staff of their respective environmental laboratories; Provided, That, by mutual agreement, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Environmental Quality Board shall determine which files, documents, laboratory equipment, and any other personal property of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Environmental Quality Board that they shall transfer to the Puerto Rico Environmental Research Laboratory.
The staff of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources transferred to the Environmental Quality Board by virtue of this chapter shall conserve without impairment all rights vested under personnel laws and regulations, as well as the rights, privileges, obligations, and status in connection with any existing pension, retirement or savings and loan fund system or systems to which they may be affiliated at the time of approval of this act.
The creation of the Puerto Rico Environmental Research Laboratory and the transfer of functions, personal property, budget, and staff mentioned above shall neither affect nor interrupt research projects being conducted by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Environmental Quality Board at the time of transfer.
Funds, appropriations, and budget surpluses in the possession of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, as well as the unencumbered balance from other funds previously destined to functions discharged by the laboratory attached to the Environmental Quality Board prior to the date of effectiveness of this act.
History —Sept. 22, 2004, No. 416, § 10, eff. 6 months after Sept. 22, 2004.