I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 51 

To reduce the heat island effect and associated ground level ozone pollution 

from Federal facilities. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 5, 2011 

Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To reduce the heat island effect and associated ground level 

ozone pollution from Federal facilities. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Heat Island and Smog 

5 Reduction Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 The Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Parking lots, dark-colored rooftops, and 

9 lack of tree canopy in urban areas causes the ‘‘heat 

10 island’’ effect, wherein urban areas are significantly 


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1 hotter than surrounding rural areas due to solar 

2 heat being collected by components of the built envi3 ronment. 

4 (2) According to the EPA, this heat island ef5 fect can raise afternoon-to-evening temperatures of 

6 urban areas by up to 22 degrees Fahrenheit com7 pared to surrounding rural areas. 

8 (3) Higher air temperatures in urban areas lead 

9 to higher levels of ground level ozone pollution, com10 monly known as smog. 

11 (4) In hot weather, each additional degree Cel12 sius in heat causes approximately a 5-percent in13 crease in smog pollution, according to Lawrence 

14 Berkley National Laboratory studies. 

15 (5) Negative health impacts of smog include in16 creased incidence of asthma, throat irritation, scar17 ring of lung tissue, emphysema, and premature 

18 death. 

19 (6) The urban heat island effect increases elec20 tricity demand associated with air-conditioning; con21 versely, heat island mitigation through increased 

22 tree canopy can reduce air-conditioning costs by up 

23 to 50 percent, creating potential cost savings 

24 through lower Federal energy bills. 


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1 (7) According to the Lawrence Berkley Na2 tional Laboratory, the urban heat island is respon3 sible for 10 to 15 percent of peak electric demand, 

4 so mitigating the urban heat island effect will im5 prove the reliability of the power grid by reducing 

6 peak demand. 

7 (8) Urban heat island temperatures can be low8 ered by increasing tree canopy and by using paving 

9 and roofing materials with higher solar reflectivity. 

10 (9) Many metropolitan regions that include sub11 stantial Federal property, including the National 

12 Capital Region, fail to meet air quality standards for 

13 ozone. 

14 SEC. 3. HEAT ISLAND REDUCTION PLANS FOR FEDERAL 

15 PROPERTIES AND FACILITIES. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 1, 2012, each 

17 Federal department or agency shall develop a heat island 

18 reduction plan for all Federal property and facilities that 

19 are— 

20 (1) under the possession or control of such de21 partment or agency; and 

22 (2) located in an area that is designated under 

23 section 107(d) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 7407(d)) as being in nonattainment with respect to 

25 the national ambient air quality standards for ozone. 


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1 (b) CONTENTS.—Each heat island reduction plan 

2 under this section shall include measures— 

3 (1) to maximize tree cover on Federal property; 

4 and 

5 (2) to increase solar reflectivity through tech6 niques such as using roofs with high solar reflec7 tivity (cool roofs), vegetated roofs, and paving mate8 rials with higher solar reflectivity. 

9 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than one year after 

10 the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually there11 after, the Administrator of the General Services Adminis12 tration shall submit to the Committee on Oversight and 

13 Government Reform of the House of Representatives and 

14 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

15 Affairs of the Senate a report assessing the progress of 

16 Federal departments and agencies in developing and im17 plementing heat island reduction plans under this section. 

Æ 


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