| Though 90% of United States citizens agree that | | | | of 30 nuclear power plants. However, it is |
| we should be employing solar energy to combat | | | | extremely more cost-effective. The program is |
| our climate and energy crises, the U.S. | | | | estimated to cost anywhere between $2-3 billion |
| government has been slow to embrace and | | | | per year. |
| develop legislation that addresses those concerns. | | | | The average power plant produces about 1,000 |
| In a bill titled "10 Million Solar Roofs & 10 Million | | | | megawatts for the $10 billion spent to build it. |
| Gallons of Solar Hot Water Act" and introduced | | | | Sanders' 10 Million Solar Roofs & 10 Million Gallons |
| by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on February 4, | | | | of Solar Hot Water Act aims to produce 30x the |
| 2010, United States citizens in all 50 states would | | | | energy of a nuclear power plant for only $30 |
| be eligible for rebates for the installation of solar | | | | billion. It would take $300 billion to produce that |
| electric and solar thermal systems. | | | | much energy from nuclear sources. |
| The bill known as the 10 Million Solar Roofs & 10 | | | | Distributed energy is much more efficient than |
| Million Gallons of Solar Hot Water Act adopted its | | | | energy produced from coal, oil, and nuclear. Yet, it |
| name from California Solar Initiative "Million Solar | | | | has not benefited from the same amount of |
| Roofs" program and is modeled after the | | | | funding as the other more traditional methods. |
| incentive programs in California and New Jersey- | | | | Proponents of the 10 Million Solar Roofs & 10 |
| number 1 and 2 in solar energy, respectively. It | | | | Million Gallons of Solar Hot Water Act include |
| would provide for up to half the cost of any new | | | | Environment and Public Works Committee Chair |
| photovoltaic or solar thermal system. | | | | Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Senators Patrick |
| The 10 Million Solar Roofs & 10 Million Gallons of | | | | Leahy (D-VT), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Robert |
| Solar Hot Water Act will produce 30,000 new | | | | Menendez (D-NJ), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben |
| megawatts of electricity in the next 10 years. | | | | Cardin (D-MD), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Kirsten |
| This amount of energy is equivalent to the output | | | | Gillibrand (D-NY), and Arlen Specter (D-PA). |