California's green building code, the first of its kind in the nation, will be used as a resource in the development of a proposed international green code for commercial buildings.

"California continues to lead the nation and the world in protecting the environment and fighting climate change," Golden State Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement on Tuesday.

"I am proud that our efforts to reduce energy consumption and carbon output serve as an example for the rest of the nation and the world, and I applaud the International Code Council for recognizing that we must take action now to fight global warming."

The International Code Council announced earlier this summer that it is developing a new code for commercial buildings. Schwarzenegger's administration said this week that the California Green Building Standards Code will be used as a major reference in the process.

A 29-mermber committee of experts working on the proposed ICC code includes Dave Walls, the executive director of the California Building Standards Commission. The group drafting the International Green Construction Code is expected to have a version available for public comment next spring.

"California frequently leads the nation on innovation, and we expect that their Green Building Standards Code will provide a key resource as we develop the IGCC for national and international usage," ICC Chief Executive Officer Richard P. Weiland said in a statement.

The California Building Standards Commission adopted the state's green building code in July 2008. It went into effect on August 1 this year.

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