Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
Introduced
Summary
Would create a HUD grant program to reduce extreme heat in low-income urban neighborhoods. It would prioritize high-heat, low-tree-canopy census tracts and fund projects like tree planting, cool roofs, and cooling centers.
Show full summary
- Families and residents in covered census tracts would get priority for cooling projects, with at least 75 percent of grant dollars directed to eligible high-poverty tracts, increasing local access to shade, cooling centers, and cooler pavements.
- Local governments, Indian tribes, metropolitan planning organizations, and territorial governments could receive grants under a federal matching framework that defaults to an 80 percent federal share and allows a waiver up to 100 percent for economic hardship.
- Nonprofits and community groups can get technical assistance capped at 3 percent of program appropriations and compete for funds that support tree planting, urban forestry plans, canopy assessments, arboriculture training, maintenance, and other heat-mitigation actions; an oversight board may use up to 5 percent of program funds to evaluate progress.
*Authorizes $30 million annually from 2026 through 2033 to carry out the program, increasing federal spending over that period.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
New urban heat grants and funding
This bill would create a HUD-run urban heat mitigation grant program. It would authorize $30 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2033. HUD would have to set up the program within one year and issue application guidance within 180 days. By default the federal share of a project would be up to 80 percent, but HUD could raise that to 100 percent for applicants that show economic hardship. Each year at least 75 percent of grant dollars would go to projects in covered census tracts. The bill would allow up to 5 percent of funds for an oversight board and up to 3 percent for technical help. HUD would have to give priority to groups serving low-income, low-tree-canopy, or hotter urban areas and report winners and award geography to Congress each year.
Who can get heat-reduction grants
This bill would define who is eligible and what projects qualify for the grants. A "covered census tract" would mean a tract with at least 20 percent poverty by ACS 2019–2023 data, or that includes areas marked 'hazardous' or 'definitely declining' on HOLC maps. Eligible applicants would include states, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, tribes, territorial governments, and nonprofits working with those governments or in consortia. Eligible projects would include tree planting and maintenance (with preferences for native, high-shade, and food-producing trees), cool pavements and roofs, green roofs, transit shelters and shade, community gardens and agroforestry, cooling centers (with collaboration and renewable energy preferences), outreach and education, urban forestry plans and canopy assessments, and related training and maintenance.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
MA • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
OR • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
VT • I
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
NJ • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
CA • D
Sponsored 3/27/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov