Section 21-M:10 Environmental Protection Bureau.
I. There is established in the division of public protection an environmental protection bureau. The bureau shall be supervised by a senior assistant attorney general who shall be appointed by the attorney general in accordance with the provisions of RSA 21-M:3 and who shall carry out the duties imposed by this section under the supervision of the attorney general and do such other work as the attorney general may assign. The attorney general shall appoint such other assistant attorneys general pursuant to the provisions of RSA 21-M:3 and such additional clerical, stenographic, and other staff as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section within the limits of the appropriations made for the bureau.
II. The environmental protection bureau shall have the following duties and functions:
(a) Enforcing statutes pertaining to environmental protection, control, and preservation.
(b) Counseling state agencies and commissions given responsibility over environmental concerns, including, but not limited to, the department of environmental services and the pesticides control board.
(c) Exercising the common law powers of the attorney general to protect the environment.
(d) Bringing public nuisance and other actions in superior court in the name of the state upon complaint by private citizens when in the opinion of the attorney general the activity or activities complained of may have a substantial impact upon the environment of the state.
III. The environmental protection bureau is hereby authorized to call upon any other state department, agency, commission, authority, or institution for whatever help or assistance the senior assistant attorney general deems necessary to investigate and prosecute cases involving environmental damage and such other departments, agencies, commissions, authorities, and institutions are hereby required to immediately cooperate with and assist the division without charge.
Source. 1985, 300:1. 1986, 202:6, I(a), eff. Jan. 2, 1987. 1996, 228:3, eff. July 1, 1996.