If I Had A Hammer...

CA has been criticized for its expensive regulatory environment, which piles up the costs on both business and consumers. CA also has environmental laws that have a similar effect. Surely no one would be silly enough to combine the two...: State Adopts Greenest Building Code

Newly constructed hospitals, schools, shopping malls and homes in California will be some of the greenest in the world, after a state commission voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the most stringent, environmentally friendly building code standards of any state in the nation.

The new code, dubbed Calgreen, will take effect next January and requires builders to install plumbing that cuts indoor water use, divert 50 percent of construction waste from landfills to recycling, use low-pollutant paints, carpets and floorings and, in nonresidential buildings, install separate water meters for different uses. It mandates the inspection of energy systems by local officials to ensure that heaters, air conditioners and other mechanical equipment in nonresidential buildings are working efficiently. And it will allow local jurisdictions, such as San Francisco, to retain their stricter existing green building standards, or adopt more stringent versions of the state code if they choose.

"This is (something) no other state in the country has done - integrating green construction practices into the very fabric of the construction code," said Tom Sheehy, acting secretary of the state Consumer Services Agency and chair of the California Building Standards Commission, which approved the standards. "These are simple, cost-effective green practices. ... California should be proud."

Haven't these guys gotten the memo? "Climate Change" is a fraud! Any laws or "green regulations" based on Climate Change are similarly suspect. The worst thing: this wasn't even approved by the Legistlature. Instead, one of CA's many commissions promulgated these regulations. No one's ever heard of these guys until now, but we will no doubt be living with their eco-vanity for years to come.