The authority, as a public corporation and governmental instrumentality exercising public powers of the state, may exercise all powers necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of this article, including, but not limited to, the power:

(1) To assist in the development and implementation of integrated cultural, historical and land resource management policies and programs in the national coal heritage area;

(2) To advise the executive director of the national coal heritage authority in retaining, enhancing and interpreting the significant values of the lands, waters and structures of the area;

(3) To enter into partnerships with various preservation groups, landmark commissions, certified local governments, county commissions and other entities to undertake the preservation, restoration, maintenance, operation, development, interpretation and promotion of lands and structures that possess unique and significant historic, architectural and cultural value associated with the coal mining heritage of the national coal heritage area;

(4) To make, amend, repeal and adopt bylaws for the management and regulation of its affairs;

(5) To appoint officers, agents and employees, and to contract for and engage the services of consultants;

(6) To execute contracts necessary or convenient for carrying on its business, including contracts with any other governmental agency of this state or of the federal government or with any person, individual, partnership or corporation to effect any or all of the purposes of this article;

(7) Without in any way limiting any other subdivision of this section, to accept grants and loans from and enter into contracts and other transactions with any federal agency;

(8) To maintain an office at such places within the state as it may designate;

(9) To accept gifts or grants of property, funds, money, materials, labor, supplies or services from the federal government or from any governmental unit or any person, firm or corporation;

(10) To construct, reconstruct, improve, maintain, repair, operate and manage certain facilities in the national coal heritage area as may be determined by the authority;

(11) To enter into contract with landowners and other persons holding an interest in the land being used for its recreational facilities to hold those landowners and other persons harmless with respect to any claim in tort growing out of the use of the land for public recreation or growing out of the public activities operated or managed by the authority from any claim except a claim for damages proximately caused by the willful or malicious conduct of the landowner or other person or any of his or her agents or employees;

(12) To assess and collect a reasonable fee from those persons who use the designated facilities which are part of the national coal heritage area, and to retain and utilize that revenue for any purposes consistent with this article; and

(13) To propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code, as are necessary to effectuate the provisions of this article.