This chapter applies to contested hearings which the Secretary is required to conduct by statute or regulation except for those hearings for which specific procedural regulations have been promulgated. They do not apply to conferences, investigations, or to proceedings at which the general public has been assembled to provide comments and opinions on a permit or license proposed to be issued by the Department, or to hearings before the Department's Boards and Commissions which are authorized by law to conduct their own hearings. These procedures are intended to supplement the procedures required by law. In the event of conflict, statutory provisions take precedence over these regulations.