Biden reveals measures to combat extreme heat
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden directly linked recent record heat waves with climate change Thursday and announced new measures aimed at helping communities endure extreme weather, as rising temperatures scorch much of the country and amplify alarms about global warming.
The announcement came as the National Weather Service warned that temperatures in the nation’s capital could hit triple digits for the first time in nearly seven years.
“Even those who deny we are in a climate crisis can’t deny the impact extreme heat is having on Americans,” Biden said, citing examples like a woman in Phoenix who fell out of a wheelchair and received third-degree burns after five minutes on the ground.
Calling heat extremes “the No. 1 weather-related killer,” responsible for about 600 deaths in the United States annually, Biden announced new protections for workers who are most vulnerable to heat deaths, funding to improve weather prediction and grants to help ensure clean drinking water across the West.
The kind of measures announced — trying to adapt to the effects of global warming rather than dealing with its source — illustrate Biden’s bind on the climate. Even as heat waves smash temperature records on three continents, Biden has faced a Congress that is hostile to climate legislation. Republicans unanimously opposed Biden’s climate law and in recent months have sought to slash much of it, calling new solar and wind manufacturing tax credits enacted through the legislation a gift to China.
Still, some members of Biden’s party have called for him to be more aggressive in blocking fossil fuel projects. In recent months, he approved a major oil project in Alaska; allowed expanded exports of liquefied natural gas; and threw the administration’s support behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline, which has been the subject of years of legal challenges from environmental groups.
“Worker protections and water access are vital in this deadly heat, but incremental steps like these are the reason we’re suffering this record-shattering summer,” said Jean Su, the energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group. “Real relief won’t come until Biden confronts the culprit of deadly fossil fuels.”
Scientists called the new measures important but insufficient. With research showing that recent heat waves in the United States and Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without the influence of human-made climate change, many climate experts said Biden needed to take a strong stand against new fossil fuels.
“We know with almost perfect confidence that we are supercharging these heat extremes — we’re doing it by burning fossil fuels,” said Jonathan Overpeck, the dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan. He added, “If we don’t stop the burning of fossil fuels, all of this continues to get worse.”
On Thursday, Biden said the Labor Department will issue a first-ever heat hazard alert that will require the agency to provide information on what employers “can and should be doing now to protect their workers.”
The department also will ramp up inspections and other enforcement of heat safety violations in what the White House called “high-risk” industries like construction and agriculture.
The Biden administration plans to spend $7 million to develop more detailed weather predictions to anticipate extreme weather like heat waves, plus $152 million to boost drinking water infrastructure and climate resilience in California, Colorado and Washington.
Biden was joined on Thursday by acting Labor Secretary Julie Su, as well as the leaders of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio, two cities that have suffered from the heat waves, participated in the White House event virtually.
“Phoenix is known for heat,” said Mayor Kate Gallego. “We are often called the Valley of the Sun. But right now, this summer has really been unprecedented. It’s taking a real toll on our community. We feel like we are very much on the front lines of climate change.”
San Antonio saw at least 15 straight days of 100-plus F temperatures. At least 13 deaths in Texas have been blamed on the extreme heat.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said his city has moved to end the use of coal and is launching its first advanced rapid transit line, which will feature low- or zero-emission vehicles. The city is also developing solar power and other renewable energy, he said.
MORE MEASURES
Thursday’s announcement follows other steps that the Biden administration has taken to adapt to increasing threats from extreme heat. Among those it is highlighting:
The Labor Department is developing a standard for how workplaces deal with heat. The proposed rule by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require employers to provide adequate water and rest breaks to outdoor workers, as well as medical services and training to address signs and symptoms of heat-related illness. That agency s holding meetings this summer to hear comments on how the heat standard would affect small businesses.
To keep low-income populations cool, the Department of Health and Human Services expanded its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to provide more access to air conditioning and cooling centers such as libraries, senior centers or other public buildings. The Environmental Protection Agency also has provided assistance to help communities develop cooling centers within schools.
NOAA has been helping cities and towns map “heat islands” with dense buildings and fewer trees, and the Department of Agriculture issued guidance for creating more tree canopy coverage, which helps with cooling environments.
In addition, the administration launched a website called heat.gov with interactive maps, weather forecasts and tips for keeping cool amid record-breaking heat.
More than 100 members of Congress, led by Democratic Reps. Greg Casar and Sylvia Garcia of Texas and Judy Chu of California have called on the administration to implement the new heat standard for outdoor workers as quickly as possible.
“We know extreme weather events such as heat waves are becoming more frequent and more dangerous due to climate change,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter Monday. “Urgent action is needed to prevent more deaths.”
The United Farm Workers and other groups also called on OSHA to immediately issue a nationwide rule protecting outdoor workers after farm worker deaths this month in Florida and Arizona.
“Farm workers need and deserve the access to shade, water and paid breaks,” said UFW President Teresa Romero. “How many more workers will we let dangerous heat and callous employers kill before this nation acts?”
Casar, a freshman lawmaker from Austin, staged a “thirst strike” on Tuesday outside the U.S. Capitol, forgoing water breaks for nearly nine hours, to protest a new Texas law that bans local governments from requiring water breaks and other safety measures for outdoor workers. Casar called the law “insane” and accused Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of being “on the wrong side of history.” Republican lawmakers and other supporters of the law say it eliminates a patchwork of local regulations that are burdensome to businesses, and they say it won’t stop workers from taking breaks.