The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA) announced its support for the Building STAR Energy Efficiency Rebate Act of 2010, recently introduced in the U.S. Senate.
BETHESDA, Md. - The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA)
announced its support for the Building STAR Energy Efficiency Rebate Act of
2010, recently introduced in the U.S. Senate.
This proposed bill, introduced by
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Pryor (D-AR), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Sherrod
Brown (D-OH), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Ben Cardin (D-MD), will create jobs by
promoting the installation of energy-efficient renovations in commercial and
multi-family residential buildings.
The Building STAR program
utilizes rebates and low-interest loans to leverage between two and three
dollars in private investment for every federal dollar spent. The bill would
stimulate $18 billion to $24 billion in total investment, resulting in more than
150,000 new jobs.
These jobs would provide good
pay, allow companies to rehire laid off workers and infuse capital into small
businesses and hard-hit communities across the country. The savings accrued by
building owners and the profits earned by laborers and manufacturers will power
even more economic growth.
“Emphasizing energy efficiency
isn't just important for environmental reasons, it represents an engine for job
creation today by providing additional incentives for commercial building
retrofitting,” said Mike DuCharme, director of product marketing, Carlisle
SynTec, and chairman of the board for the EPDM Roofing Association. “Commercial
building retrofits are an essential part of the nation's construction industry
recovery program and we fully support this effort by Congress to chart a path
forward."
"Building STAR would provide
economic relief for an industry that greatly needs it," said Bill Tippins, EPDM
product manager for Firestone Building Products and a member of the ERA
Technical Committee. "But it would also push forward the vital concept of
sustainable performance that will be the core principle of responsible building
in the coming years.”
Building STAR would:
• Create 25,000 jobs in 2010 for
every $1 billion of federal investment for the hard-hit construction and
building services, manufacturing, and distribution sectors.
• Maximize federal investment, by
leveraging $2-3 in private investment for every federal dollar spent, making it
a great model for a public-private partnership and maximizing resource
efficacy.
• Provide direct benefits to
thousands of small businesses, including the
91 percent of commercial
contractors that have fewer than 20 employees.
• Use a simple application
process so building owners can participate easily.
• Work quickly, because the
rebate and incentive levels are established in legislation, rather than by
agencies. In addition, this program is based on existing, already- proven
utility rebate programs and tax incentives.
• Deliver real energy savings and
greenhouse gas emission reductions, because of the typically large size and
scope of commercial and multi-family building retrofits. For example, such
retrofits could save industry $3.3 billion a year, based on data compiled by the
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.
Building STAR is also supported
by Rebuilding America, a ground-breaking coalition of unions, contractor
associations, manufacturers, financial services companies and energy efficiency
advocates.