The Dormitory Authority, a New York state agency that provides financing and construction services to public and private universities and nonprofit health care facilities, will require new projects to meet LEED standards, AP reports.

The state’s construction arm is responsible for about a billion dollars of libraries, classrooms and other public buildings each year, The Times Union reports. 

The Dormitory Authority has more than 72 projects that total more than $3.5 billion already in the works, but those projects will not be forced to meet the new standards.

State officials expect to launch a similar number of projects in years to come, which means billions of dollars worth of green construction projects expected to reduce energy use by 32 percent per building.