A new bill co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema aims to fight extreme heat issues impacting infrastructure and personnel along the border.
Sinema introduced the Border Weather Resiliency Act alongside Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas. If passed, it would require Customs and Border Protection to assess the risks and submit a plan to safeguard border personnel and infrastructure from extreme weather.
That includes record heat waves seen along the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks and freezing temperatures along the U.S.-Canadian border in past years.
The senators say the move comes after the hottest year on record and record-setting summer temperatures in Arizona last year — the U.S. also experienced a record-number of weather emergencies in 2023. A 2021 government watchdog report found that natural disasters have resulted in billions of dollars in federal spending in the five years before the report.
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2025 was the second-hottest year on record in Phoenix. And climate change made a number of other impacts on Arizona throughout last year. -
Arizona officials will begin reviewing recommendations to keep workers in the state safer in extreme heat after a task force submitted findings to the agency. -
We all know that Arizona is hot. Too hot, oftentimes, for workers to safely spend long periods working outdoors — or even indoors where there’s not good air conditioning or air flow. -
The calendar says it’s winter, but the weather says it’s spring. Even by Phoenix standards. -
Arizona has never had statewide regulations to protect workers from extreme heat. Neighboring California does have a workplace heat safety standard. A new study says California's policy saves lives.
