In pursuance of article four of the compact there shall be five commissioners. One shall be the Commissioner of Environmental Conservation or, if designated by him, one of his principal deputies. The other four commissioners shall be designated by the Governor to serve at his pleasure. Each commissioner shall have three-fifths of one vote and is hereby given all of the powers conferred on a commissioner by the compact or which shall be necessary or incidental to the performance of his functions as such a commissioner. It is hereby specifically recognized that the interests and activities of the Great Lakes Commission contemplate many aspects of the great lakes and of their relation to the member states. Accordingingly, it is declared to be the legislative intent that each of the New York commissioners, and such commissioners as a group, shall confer and consult with all other agencies and officers of the state government whenever appropriate to coordinate or make known the views and policies of such agencies and officers with respect to the work of the commission or the interests of the state in the great lakes basin.
New York Legal Code