"Cool-America Plan" Announces Green Jobs WPA to Curb America's Energy Consumption at Cool-America.com

PHOENIX, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- At the beginning of the President Obama's Stimulus in 2009, Transportation experts estimated that for every $1 billion spent towards general infrastructure some 35,000 jobs would be created, which of course didn't happen. If Obama is going to re-introduce a Stimulus, it better provide real solutions that will make a difference this time.  

One such solution is the Cool-America Plan (www.Cool-America.com):  A Green Jobs WPA which will put Americans back to work in programs to re-build America's infrastructure with cool clean solutions. This is a "fast track" emergency plan to create green jobs supporting improvement and preservation of our nations transportation (roads/parking lots) and building stock (roofs/facades) with a proven action plan to conserve energy, combat urban heat domes, improve air and water quality, and public health and safety.

The Cool-America Plan sets the bar, which is based upon 8 years of research by the Department of Energy Urban Heat Island Group calling for the implementation of cool roofs and cool pavement  which directly offset urban heat and energy consumption.  Painting America Cool (.4+ Solar Reflectance) will create thousands of jobs while offsetting millions in CO2 emissions, wasted energy and excess heat, and in general improving quality of life in America.  

Leading By Example

Demonstrating a commitment to lead by example, in 2009 President Obama signed Executive Order 13514 that set sustainability goals for Federal agencies and focused on making improvements in their environmental, energy and economic performance.  The Federal Government occupies nearly 500,000 buildings all of which have roofs and pavement that should be the first goal.

If President Obama needs a plan to stimulate jobs, and support sustainable communities, this is it!  The Executive Order "Climate Change Adaptation Plan" for 2020 has a deadline of September 30, 2011.  The petition for the "Cool-America Plan", signed by thousands of Americans, eliminates the time needed to present it to the public, so the country can roll up its sleeves and get to work now.

Death, Taxes and Asphalt

Implementation of cool roofs, and now "cool pavements", will save cities millions in kilowatt hours. What is little known is that there is now more surface area of parking lots in America than roads (over 200 Billion sq.ft.) making our cities "Asphalt Heat Islands" forming "heat domes" like those we all suffered this summer.  Cool coatings for asphalt are now available which mitigate this effect, and America needs to get busy now before the summer of 2012 which is expected to be even hotter given the predicted Solar Flares.

The Clinton Plan supports the use of cool white coatings for tar roofs covering millions of American buildings with his 14 point plan. Mayor Bloomberg has started a program to hire and train young people to paint New York's roofs white. Painting the roofs white can lower the electricity use by 20 percent on a hot day! In California, the AB 296 Cool Pavement Bill now requires that state paving projects use at least 75% "cool pavement."  It also insures that cool pavements will reach local public work departments using Caltrans' specifications. Under the Cool-America Plan, every city in America will now be incentivized to do this.

A Win-Win for All

Projected benefits from Cool-America Plan include providing America's top "Job Creators" with tax incentives equivalent to solar rebates. Small business will benefit through incentives to develop advanced coatings technologies. Homeowners will benefit with deductions on their tax returns. Schools will benefit from government-backed guarantees issued to finance cool coatings for toxic inner city playgrounds. One (1) million out of work construction workers will have an endless supply of projects.

In 2009 President Barack Obama announced that this new commitment to clean energy could lead to more than 800,000 new jobs by 2012.  The Cool-America plan supports this agenda and is in line with the vision of Secretary of Energy Steven Chu to "dramatically reduce our carbon emissions and reinvigorate our economy at the same time. This is not only our opportunity; it is our responsibility to future generations."  

"As we recover from this recession, the transition to clean energy has the potential to grow our economy and create millions of jobs - but only if we accelerate that transition. Only if we seize the moment." -- Barack Obama

If in the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover visualized a "chicken in every pot", then Obama can surely put a paint brush in every hand to stimulate a "Rooseveltian" Green Jobs WPA to get Americans back to work.

Mr. President, "NOW IS THE TIME."

SOURCE Cool-America.com