Reliable and affordable energy sources are fundamental to U.S.
economic growth—and the roofing industry's in particular.
Unfortunately, trend lines for domestic energy production and usage
show the gap widening even when efficiency increases are taken into
account.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports U.S. energy production has
grown only 13 percent since 1973 while consumption has increased 30
percent. Also, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) predicts
Americans will use 28 percent more energy by 2030. But the U.S.
Energy Information Administration projects less than 10 percent of
U.S. energy use will be supplied by renewable sources at that
time.
The implications for the roofing industry are great because
construction is an energy-intensive activity that requires trucks
and motorized equipment. Additionally, this issue is an important
factor for asphalt and most other roofing materials, which include
natural resources as part of their chemical compositions.
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 that passed under Republican
majorities in the previous Congress recognized this problem by
incorporating tax incentives for renewable source and efficiency
programs, as well as incentives to spur more oil and gas
production. Republicans passed another energy bill Dec. 9, 2006,
that opened up 8.3 million acres of the Outer Continental Shelf in
the Gulf of...
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