More States Enact "Green" Building Codes

San Francisco, CA (AHN) - On Tuesday, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom signed the city's latest environmental reforms to its building code, becoming just the latest of a larger movement towards enforcing "green" construction across the country.

The rush towards more energy efficient structures is reflected in the number of cities and counties which passed green building legislation, with three times as many new laws as compared to four years ago, said Jason Hartke of the U.S. Green Building Council.

In 2007, 14 states passed green building codes, while only one state did it in 2004. For 2008, eight more states and 22 localities pushed for green building policies, the council reported.

The states that joined this year the list of green building endorsers were Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Newson, who predicted more states and cities would pass green building laws, said, "It requires a mandate in order to get people to do what's in their best interest sometimes."

The National Association of Home Builders, though, said it was opposed to legislating environment-friendly measures. Carlos Martin, assistant staff vice president of the association, said mandates hike costs without providing an assurance the extra money spent will be recovered via lower energy bills.