2-15-3307. Board of water well contractors. (1) There is a board of water well contractors.

(2) The board is composed of seven voting members, consisting of:

(a) one technical adviser who is a hydrogeologist appointed by the Montana bureau of mines and geology;

(b) four licensed Montana water well contractors appointed by the governor with the concurrence of the senate, with preference given to contractors from diverse geographical areas of the state;

(c) one member appointed by the director of environmental quality; and

(d) one member appointed by the director of natural resources and conservation.

(3) The members of the board must have been bona fide residents of this state for a period of a least 3 years prior to such appointment.

(4) The members of the board shall serve for terms of 3 years. In case of a vacancy in the office of a member of the board, an appointment must be made to fill the vacancy in the manner prescribed by the constitution and laws of this state.

(5) The members of the board shall, upon entering on the duties of their office, take and subscribe to the oath specified in the constitution of Montana, and the oath must be filed in the office of the secretary of state.

(6) The board is allocated to the department of natural resources and conservation for administrative purposes only as prescribed in 2-15-121.

(7) A member of the board may not be a close relative to another member of the board.

(8) A member of the board may not be employed by the same firm, corporation, partnership, or other business entity as another member of the board.

(9) For the purposes of this section, "close relative" means a parent, child, sibling, or spouse or a relative of the same degree through marriage.