The authority shall have the following powers, together with all powers incidental thereto or necessary to the discharge thereof in corporate form: (1) To have succession by its corporate name for the duration of time (which may be in perpetuity) specified in its certificate of incorporation; (2) To maintain civil actions and have civil actions maintained against it in its corporate name, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, and to defend civil actions against it; (3) To adopt and make use of a corporate seal and to alter the same at pleasure; (4) To amend its certificate of incorporation by filing in the office of the Secretary of State a certificate signed by all of the directors of the authority setting forth the details of the amendment, such certificate to be acknowledged in the same manner as the certificate of incorporation; (5) To adopt and alter bylaws for the regulation and conduct of its affairs and business; (6) To acquire, receive and take title to, by purchase, gift, lease, devise or otherwise, to hold, keep and develop and to transfer, convey, lease, assign or otherwise dispose of property of every kind and character, real, personal and mixed, and any and every interest therein, whether located within or outside of the area of operation or within or outside of the State of Alabama; (7) To acquire, purchase, construct, own, operate, maintain, enlarge, extend and improve any equipment, plant, apparatus or system of whatever kind and character used or which may be useful in connection with the control, abatement or prevention of water, air or general environmental pollution directly or indirectly, to enter into arrangements for the operation or joint operation of the same, to construct or install the same on the property of others with their assent or in conjunction with or as an integral part of equipment, plants or systems of others with their assent, and to lease, lend or sell any of the same to counties, municipalities, communities, industries, firms, businesses and other public corporations and authorities, with or without valuable consideration, in connection with the control, abatement or prevention of water, air or general environmental pollution and to discard or otherwise dispose of the same, with or without valuable consideration, in the sole discretion of the authority; (8) To undertake and to make or cause to be made, either singly or in conjunction and cooperation with others, appropriate studies, surveys, arrangements, undertakings and construction designs and plans and supervision having to do, directly or indirectly, with the control, abatement or prevention of water, air or general environmental pollution; provided, however, that the authority shall not pay out any of its funds by way of any form of remuneration or compensation to any persons engaged in the making of any such studies, surveys, arrangements, undertakings and construction designs, plans and supervision other than to persons who are directly employed in that connection by the authority and who are not answerable to any other person; (9) To make available and give, subject to the provisions of subdivision (8) of this section, to counties, municipalities, communities, industries, firms, businesses and other public corporations and authorities, financial and technical assistance and aid of every kind and character which will directly or indirectly promote, encourage or effect the control, abatement or prevention of water, air or general environmental pollution; (10) To engage in works of watershed improvement, either singly or in conjunction and cooperation with others; (11) To make, enter into and execute such contracts, agreements, leases and other legal arrangements and to take such other steps and actions as may be necessary or convenient in the furtherance of any purpose or the exercise of any power provided or granted to it by law; (12) To borrow money for any corporate purpose, function or use and to issue in evidence of the borrowing, in the authority’s discretion, interest-bearing bonds payable solely from the revenues derived from the operation of any of its equipment, plants, apparatus or systems (regardless of what equipment, plant, apparatus or system is the object of or will benefit from such borrowing); (13) To pledge for the payment of any bonds issued or obligations assumed by the authority any revenues from which those bonds or obligations are made payable and to execute and deliver, as security for such bonds and obligations, mortgages, deeds of trust, trust indentures and pledge indentures as provided for in Section 9-6-9; (14) To exercise the power of eminent domain in the manner provided in and subject to the provisions of Title 18 of this code; provided, however, that this subdivision shall not be deemed to authorize the authority to take, without the consent of the owner or owners thereof, any existing equipment, plant, apparatus or system of any kind; (15) Without regard to the provisions of Sections 41-16-50 through 41-16-63 that might otherwise be applicable, to appoint, employ, contract with and provide for the compensation of such officers, employees and agents, including, but without limitation to, consulting engineers, attorneys and fiscal agents as may be necessary or convenient in the orderly carrying on of the business and affairs of the authority and, at its option, to provide a system of disability pay, retirement compensation and pensions or any of them; (16) To provide for such insurance as the authority may deem advisable; (17) To invest any of its funds deemed by the authority to be not presently needed in the operation of its properties and undertakings in bonds of the United States of America, bonds of the state, bonds of any county or municipality within the state and interest-bearing deposits in banks and savings and loan institutions or any thereof; and (18) To cooperate with the United States of America and any agency or instrumentality thereof, any state and its agencies and instrumentalities, any county or municipality or other political subdivision of a state, any public corporation and any public or private utility, industry, firm or business, and to make and enter into contracts and all manner of legal arrangements with them or any of them and to obtain money by way of loans, grants or payments from them or any of them or property or other forms of assistance as the authority may deem advisable to accomplish the purposes for which the authority was created.
