Senator Cantwell Introduces Green Roof Tax Incentives with Help from ASLA

Senator Cantwell Introduces Green Roof Tax Incentives with Help from ASLA
Submitted energy legislation provides meaningful relief on related costs to spur jobs and encourage sustainable design.
As the House and Senate debate over solutions to the nation’s economic crisis, senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle have been proposing ideas on how to stimulate the economy. Though the main stimulus package is the major vehicle aimed at spurring the economy, other pieces of legislation have emerged with specific sectors or incentives in mind.
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (WA) introduced the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 (S. 320), legislation geared toward creating high-wage green-collar jobs and revitalizing the economy through clean energy investments. ASLA worked with Senator Cantwell’s office to ensure that a section of the bill was dedicated to green roof tax incentives.
“In these times of economic uncertainty, growing the green economy and investing in clean energy technologies is the key to job growth and breaking the United States’s debilitating dependence on foreign oil,” said Senator Cantwell. “While installing a green roof may seem like a small step, these upgrades save energy, filter and absorb pollution, and store carbon. As individuals and businesses continue to look for ways to combat high energy costs and improve the health of their neighborhoods and environment, providing green roof incentives just makes sense.”
The intent of the bill is to invigorate the economy through green-collar jobs for design professionals, manufacturers, nurseries, and installation and maintenance professionals. While a major portion of the projects that will be funded as a result of the stimulus package are large “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, the Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 (S. 320), particularly section 506 of the bill, will give a boost not only to the economy, but also to the environment by improving stormwater management, cutting energy consumption and costs, and lowering urban temperatures.
ASLA reached out to Senator Cantwell’s office immediately after the November elections to gauge her interest in sponsoring the green roof tax credit. ASLA and Senate staff then began hammering out language for section 506 of the bill, which gives a 30 percent tax credit for qualified green roof property expenditures on residential and commercial buildings. The language puts the cap at $5,000 on residential buildings and no cap for commercial buildings. The bill also outlines specific, ASLA-recommended language, defining “qualified green roofs” to mean any green roof at least half of which is a vegetated green roof system. The credit applies to any retrofit or new construction green roof.
In addition to the substantial input ASLA received from its expert green roof practitioner members, ASLA also received technical support from the nonprofit organization Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.