Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 94 Part 3.djvu/57

 PUBLIC LAW 96-501—DEC. 5, 1980

94 STAT. 2701

(A) there shall be established a regional agency known as the "Pacific Northwest Electric Power and Conservation Planning Council" which (i) shall have its offices in the Pacific Northwest, (ii) shall carry out its functions and responsibilities in accordance with the provisions of this Act, (iii) shall continue in force and effect in accordance with the provisions of this Act, and (iv) except as otherwise provided in this Act, shall not be considered an agency or instrumentality of the United States for the purpose of any Federal law; and (B) two persons from each State may be appointed, subject to the applicable laws of each such State, to undertake the functions and duties of members of the Council. The State may fill any vacancy occurring prior to the expiration of the term of any member. The appointment of six initial members, subject to applicable State law, by June 30, 1981, by at least three of such States shall constitute an agreement by the States establishing the Council and such agreement is hereby consented to by the Congress. Upon request of the Governors of two of the States, the Secretary shall extend the June 30, 1981, date for six additional months to provide more time for the States to make such appointments. (3) Except as otherwise provided by State law, each member appointed to the Council shall serve for a term of three years, except that, with respect to members initially appointed, each Governor shall designate one member to serve a term of two years and one member to serve a term of three years. The members of the Council shall select from among themselves a chairman. The members and officers and employees of the Council shall not be deemed to be officers or employees of the United States for any purpose. The Council shall appoint, fix compensation, and assign and delegate duties to such executive and additional personnel as the Council deems necessary to fulfill its functions under this Act, taking into account such information and analyses as are, or are likely to be, available from other sources pursuant to provisions of this Act. The compensation of the members shall be fixed by State law. The compensation of the members and officers shall not exceed the rate prescribed for Federal officers and positions at step 1 of level GS-18 of the General Schedule. (4) For the purpose of providing a uniform system of laws, in addition to this Act, applicable to the Council relating to the making of contracts, conflicts-of-interest, financial disclosure, open meetings of the Council, advisory committees, disclosure of information, judicial review of Council functions and actions under this Act, and related matters, the Federal laws applicable to such matters in the case of the Bonneville Power Administration shall apply to the Council to the extent appropriate, except that with respect to open meetings, the Federal laws applicable to open meetings in the case of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission shall apply to the Council to the extent appropriate. In applying the Federal laws applicable to financial disclosure under the preceding sentence, such laws shall be applied to members of the Council without regard to the duration of their service on the Council or the amount of compensation received for such service. No contract, obligation, or other action of the Council shall be construed as an obligation of the United States or an obligation secured by the full faith and credit of the United States. For the purpose of judicial review of any action of the Council or challenging any provision of this Act relating to functions and responsibilities of the Council, notwithstanding any other provision

Members, appointment.

Terms of office.

Compensation. 5 USC 5332 note.

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