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Extreme Heat is on Democrats’ Infrastructure Agenda

Democratic senators call for stronger federal responses to extreme heat, in the midst of deadly heatwaves. Senators Ed Markey, Alex Padilla (D–CA), and Cory Booker(D-NJ), reintroduced today the Preventing Heat Illness and Deaths Act. Representative Charlie Crist (D–FL) will introduce similar legislation to the US House of Representatives. They want the measures to be included in the bipartisan infrastructure package or the budget reconciliation package, which Democrats are trying to push for.

Markey stated that the bill would establish the first federal financial assistance program for community-based projects specifically focused on extreme heat. It would also formalize the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, (NIHHIS), which was launched by President Obama.

Markey stated to The Verge that extreme heat poses a growing health risk. "Extreme heat" is a complex issue and will require a comprehensive solution.

Over the past 30 year, extreme heat has been the most deadly weather-related catastrophe in the US. In June alone, it claimed the lives of almost 200 people in Pacific Northwest. Many more people were treated in emergency rooms. In a region with mild summers, the record-breaking temperatures caused roads to buckle and power cables to melt. The soaring temperatures have made it an even more intense fire season in the Western US. Markey stated that the heat and pain caused by it this year was a wake-up call.

Experts in public health say that heat-related deaths can be prevented. It is possible to upgrade homes and buildings so they are cooler when it's hot outside. New York City is one of the cities that has worked hard to provide cooling services for residents when temperatures rise to dangerous levels.

Markey, Padilla and Booker proposed a financial assistance program that would provide $100 million for community projects over five-years. This could include planting trees in urban areas to cool down the area. These trees provide shade and heat removal through evapotranspiration. Retrofitting homes or buildings and painting pavements and rooftops lighter colors could be possible as dark surfaces trap heat. Research on extreme heat and raising awareness about how to keep safe are some other eligible projects.

Funds would be allocated to projects in low-income neighborhoods and communities that are more at risk for health problems related to environmental issues.

The bill's second section bolsters NIHHIS which is jointly run by the CDC and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations (NOAA). Although NIHHIS has coordinated federal agencies' efforts to combat extreme heat since 2015 and has received funding annually from Congress, it still researches and coordinates these efforts. The Preventing Heat Illness and Deaths Act, if passed, would provide $100 million for the NIHHIS over five year and establish an interagency committee that will guide its work. It would also commission a study of extreme heat in the US, which would look at ways to make the US more resilient to climate change.

Although the bill was introduced for the first time last July, it is more likely that proposed policies in environmental policy will be implemented under the Biden administration this year than under Donald Trump. However, Democrats have struggled to push ambitious climate agendas through a divided Congress. One bill was passed with bipartisan support, and the other through the budget reconciliation process. Despite negotiations being in flux, Sen. Markey wants the extreme heat measures to be included into either bill.

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