Maryland Senator Ben Cardin recently introduced a bi-partisan bill that is sure to help bring down urban heat and create new jobs nationwide.  The Energy-Efficient Cool Roofs Act (S. 2388) was introduced on May 22, 2014 and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee, of which Senator Cardin is a member.   From Senator Cardin’s Press Release:

We don’t need to choose between good jobs and helping the environment – we can do both with the same policy.   Cool Roofs provides an opportunity to reduce energy consumption and add nearly 40,000 jobs to a sector of our economy that still has not felt the full effect of our emergent recovery.  It’s no wonder this bill, which provides incentives to install energy efficient roofs and simplifies the tax code, has such broad support across industries and labor.

This bill has been co-sponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.), and U.S. Representatives Tom Reed (R-NY) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) have introduced a companion bill in the House (H.R. 4740).

Additional supporters include:

Alliance to Save Energy
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC)
Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing (CEIR)
Global Cool Cities Alliance (GCCA)
Institute for Market Transformation (IMT)
Joint Roofing Industry Labor and Management Committee
National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)
Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association (PIMA)
Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA)
United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers

You can read more about this bill HERE.