Biden-Harris Administration Launches First-Ever National Commitment to Addressing Extreme Heat
August 24, 2023
In late July 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration released the first-ever federal guidance on extreme heat, with a commitment to protect workers and vulnerable communities from the impacts of heat as the number one killer of all weather-related threats. Through this commitment, President Biden directed the Department of Labor to establish the federal Hazard Alert declaration system for heat alongside investments to help protect communities. President Biden also convened a White House meeting with Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona, and Mayor Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio, Texas to discuss their communities’ experiences with extreme heat. While the meeting was called in response to record-shattering extreme heat like the 31 consecutive days at or above 110 degrees F in Phoenix, since then, we continue to see the devastating impacts of heat emergencies, from the record-breaking wildfire devastation in Maui, Hawaii that was fueled in part by high temperatures and winds, to heat emergency declarations all the way from New Orleans to the Pacific Northwest. While Massachusetts was relatively lucky in our extreme heat experience this summer, we know that vulnerable residents and communities are already feeling the impacts of heat on their mental and physical health, wellbeing, and energy bills.
Federal Heat Hazard Alert System
For the first time, the federal government is establishing a Hazard Alert system for extreme heat, to be administered through the Department of Labor (DOL). This federal action emphasizes a need to protect workers from extreme heat, affirming worker heat-related protections under federal law as well as providing information to employers on heat worker safety and workers rights during heat emergencies. In partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), DOL intends to enforce heat safety violations through increased inspections for heat-vulnerable industries like construction and agriculture, as well as develop national standards for workplace heat safety.
Leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act & Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for Heat Resilience
Using up to $7 million of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will partner with academic and other institutions to establish a Data Assimilation Consortium to develop more sophisticated data collection, analysis, and weather-prediction capabilities. Through innovative weather-prediction systems, this funding hopes to better predict extreme weather events, including longer duration extreme heat emergencies like Phoenix experienced this summer. In addition to enhanced data collection, analysis, and weather-prediction at the federal level, the Department of Interior is also investing $152 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to increase water storage capacity in California, Colorado, and Washington, which will help to combat heat-related drought and prevent wildfires. Using both IRA and BIL funds in parallel, the Biden-Harris Administration is upgrading water infrastructure, investing in more effective and expanded water recycling and desalination projects, and expanding access to clean drinking water for communities that have legacies of contaminated water supplies and disinvestment.
Activating FEMA and other Federal Agencies for Heat Resilience
In addition to the federal announcement and commitment from the Biden-Harris Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies have also begun to ramp up their commitment and coordination on extreme heat emergency management during heat events, as well as longer-term heat resilience to protect vulnerable communities from future impacts of more intense and longer-duration heat. In addition to hosting two national calls on extreme heat response for the first time this summer, FEMA is also organizing a federal Heat Summit later this month, which will help to break down siloes and enhance coordinated and aligned approaches to heat across federal agencies. Please see the resources included below provided by FEMA and relevant agencies for your reference. If you would like to see more detailed notes from the recent FEMA calls on extreme heat, would like to get involved in A Better City’s heat work, and/or have any questions, then please contact Isabella Gambill.
Relevant Resources
- gov: National Integrated Heat Health Information System (federal landing page for extreme heat)
- Fact Sheet on the July 27, 2023, federal heat commitment from the Biden-Harris Administration
- Federal Heat & Health Data:
- Centers for Disease Control Heat & Health Tracker: interactive geospatial map with local heat and health information by county and by date, including the rate of emergency department visits for heat-related illness
- Heat-Related EMS Activation Surveillance Dashboard: geospatial data and comparisons by jurisdiction on EMS activations over time
- Environmental Protection Agency Heat Island Landing Page
- Federal funding opportunities for extreme heat
- Municipal Heat Guidance: FEMA is anticipated to release heat resilience guidance for municipalities in early fall 2023. At the state-level, we also anticipate an update to the Massachusetts State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) in September, which will likely include additional municipal guidance and funding opportunities for heat resilience across the Commonwealth.
