(A) As used in this section:

(1) "State institution of higher education" has the same meaning as in section 3345.011 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Board of trustees of a state institution of higher education" has the same meaning as in section 3345.61 of the Revised Code.

(B) The chairperson of the interuniversity council of Ohio and the secretary of the Ohio association of community colleges shall assist in coordinating the organization and operation of a committee to carry out this section. The committee shall be comprised of the presidents of the state institutions of higher education or their designees. The committee, in consultation with the Ohio facilities construction commission, shall develop guidelines for the board of trustees of each state institution of higher education to use in ensuring energy efficiency and conservation in on- and off-campus buildings. At a minimum, guidelines under this section shall do all of the following:

(1) Include a goal to reduce on- and off-campus building energy consumption by at least twenty per cent by 2014, using calendar year 2004 as the benchmark year, while recognizing the diverse nature and different energy demands and uses of such buildings and measures already taken to increase building energy efficiency and conservation;

(2) Prescribe minimum energy efficiency and conservation standards for any new, on- or off-campus capital improvement project with a construction cost of one hundred thousand dollars or more, which standards shall be based on general building type and cost-effectiveness;

(3) Prescribe minimum energy efficiency and conservation standards for the leasing of an off-campus space of at least twenty-thousand square feet;

(4) Incorporate best practices into energy efficiency and conservation standards and plans;

(5) Provide that each board develop its own fifteen-year plan for phasing in energy efficiency and conservation projects;

(6) Provide that project impact assessments include the fiscal effects of energy efficiency and conservation recommendations and plans;

(7) Establish mechanisms for each board to report periodically to the committee on its progress relative to the guidelines.

(C) The board of trustees of a state institution of higher education shall adopt rules under section 111.15 of the Revised Code to carry out the guidelines established pursuant to division (B) of this section, including in the execution of the board's authority under sections 3345.62 to 3345.66 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.127, HB 487, §101.01, eff. 9/10/2012.

Effective Date: 04-05-2007 .