Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Surveying the Heat Island Effect across Large Divisions Act” or the “SHIELD Act”.
Surveying the Heat Island Effect across Large Divisions Act
A BILL
To provide for an analysis and plan with respect to addressing the heat island effect on military installations, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Analysis and plan for addressing heat island effect on military installations
Installation analysis— At the direction of the Secretary of Defense, the commander of each large military installation (as determined by the Secretary) shall conduct an analysis of—
how the effect known as the “heat island effect” exacerbates summer heat conditions and necessitates the increased use of air conditioning on the installation; and
inventory on the percentage of tree cover and plant shade trees on the property of the installation.
Report— Not later than September 30, 2023, the commander of each large military installation shall submit to the Secretary of the analysis conducted by the commander under subsection (a).
Plan— The Secretary shall—
review the reports submitted under subsection (b);
identify any installation that is a significant heat island with large expanses of concrete or asphalt; and
direct the commander of any installation so identified to increase the tree coverage on the property of the installation by 10 to 30 percent by not later than September 30, 2025.
Heat island defined— The term “heat island” means an area with a high concentration of structures (such as building, roads, and other infrastructure) that absorb and re-emit the sun’s heat more than natural landscapes such as forests or bodies of water.