[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S6443]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SMITH (for himself and Ms. Cantwell):
  S. 3228. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a 
credit for green roofs; to the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to provide 
a residential and commercial tax credit for the installation of green 
roofs. I am pleased to have my colleague Senator Cantwell join me in 
this effort by serving as original cosponsor of this bill.
  The bill creates a tax credit for the installation of green roofs on 
residential and commercial property. On the residential side, the 
credit is 30 percent of the cost of installing a green roof, with a cap 
of $2,000. On the commercial side, the credit is 10 percent of the cost 
installing a green roof, without a cap. In my home state of Oregon, the 
city of Portland utilizes green roofs extensively. To date, the city 
has installed or plans to install over 100 green roofs.
  Green roofs provide many environmental and cost benefits. One of the 
more significant benefits provided by green roofs is stormwater 
management and energy savings. When it rains, water washes over roofs, 
streets, driveways, sidewalks, parking lots, and other surfaces. Rain 
water picks up pollutants, such as oil, pesticides, metals, chemicals, 
and soil. The polluted stormwater then drains into the storm system 
that eventually makes it way into our rivers and streams. The 
pollutants can endanger water quality of lakes, rivers, streams and 
waterways, making them unhealthy for people, fish, and wildlife. During 
rainstorms, green roofs act as a sponge, absorbing much of the water 
that would otherwise run off. The roofs serve as a natural rainwater 
filter by utilizing the vegetation root system's natural filtering 
processes. The benefit of this process increases as the vegetation on 
the rooftop matures.
  In addition to the storm water benefits, green roofs also absorb air 
pollution, collect airborne particulates, store carbon, provide living 
environments that provide habitats for birds, insects and other small 
animals, reduce outside noise transfer and insulate buildings from high 
temperatures.
  I believe that we have a responsibility to encourage efforts to 
conserve our natural resources. Oregon continues to build on a long 
history of innovation in environmental policy and practice. We urge our 
colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.
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