(A) The director of development services shall appoint and fix the compensation of the director of the Ohio coal development office. The director shall serve at the pleasure of the director of development services.

(B) The director of the office shall do all of the following:

(1) Biennially prepare and maintain the Ohio coal development agenda required under section 1551.34 of the Revised Code;

(2) Propose and support policies for the office consistent with the Ohio coal development agenda and develop means to implement the agenda;

(3) Initiate, undertake, and support projects to carry out the office's purposes and ensure that the projects are consistent with and meet the selection criteria established by the Ohio coal development agenda;

(4) Actively encourage joint participation in and, when feasible, joint funding of the office's projects with governmental agencies, electric utilities, universities and colleges, other public or private interests, or any other person;

(5) Establish a table of organization for and employ such employees and agents as are necessary for the administration and operation of the office. Any such employees shall be in the unclassified service and shall serve at the pleasure of the director of development services.

(6) Convene the technical advisory committee established under section 1551.35 of the Revised Code;

(7) Review, with the assistance of the technical advisory committee, proposed coal research and development projects as defined in section 1555.01 of the Revised Code, and coal development projects, submitted to the office by public utilities for the purpose of section 4905.304 of the Revised Code. If the director and the advisory committee determine that any such facility or project has as its purpose the enhanced use of Ohio coal in an environmentally acceptable, cost effective manner, promotes energy conservation, is cost effective, and is environmentally sound, the director shall submit to the public utilities commission a report recommending that the commission allow the recovery of costs associated with the facility or project under section 4905.304 of the Revised Code and including the reasons for the recommendation.

(8) Establish such policies, procedures, and guidelines as are necessary to achieve the office's purposes.

(C) With the approval of the director of development services, the director of the office may exercise any of the powers and duties that the director of development services considers appropriate or desirable to achieve the office's purposes, including, but not limited to, the powers and duties enumerated in sections 1551.11, 1551.12, and 1551.15 of the Revised Code.

Additionally, the director of the office may make loans to governmental agencies or persons for projects to carry out the office's purposes. Fees, charges, rates of interest, times of payment of interest and principal, and other terms, conditions, and provisions of the loans shall be such as the director of the office determines to be appropriate and in furtherance of the purposes for which the loans are made. The mortgage lien securing any moneys lent by the director of the office may be subordinate to the mortgage lien securing any moneys lent or invested by a financial institution, but shall be superior to that securing any moneys lent or expended by any other person. The moneys used in making the loans shall be disbursed upon order of the director of the office.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. 25, HB 59, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2013.

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

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01. See act for effective dates.

Effective Date: 06-26-2003 .