Cash for saving energy? California considers this and first statewide green building code

Doesn't he mean an IOU for saving energy? It's not like California has any money to give. And oh, don't mind the further government intrusion into what you can and can't do to your own property. You don't really own it anyway.

USA Today -

Update 1/13: California approved the new building code Tuesday. Read more here.

California, long a trendsetter for eco-friendly living, is breaking ground again this week. It's set, as early as today, to adopt the nation's first statewide green building code, which environmentalists say is not tough enough, and is also considering paying residents to cut their energy use.


California, long a trendsetter in eco-wise living, is set to adopt the nation's first statewide green building code, backed by GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. He spoke at the United Nations climate conference last month in Copenhagen.
CAPTION
By Heribert Proepper, AP
On Monday, a state panel proposed that most of the new fees California plans to impose on greenhouse-gas emissions be returned to energy-saving consumers in the form of annual dividend checks that eventually could exceed $1,000 for a family of four, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The story says this proposal is part of an effort to find the most efficient way to change consumer behavior.

California is expected today to adopt a green building code that would reduce water use, mandate the recycling of construction waste and step up enforcement of energy efficiency in new homes, schools, hospitals and commercial buildings, the Los Angeles Times reports.