Extreme heat has become not just an environmental crisis, but a public health crisis, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra said during a visit to Arizona Wednesday. And Becerra said U.S. laws may need to be updated to keep up with the problem.
“What we’re facing with extreme heat today wasn’t what we were experiencing 30 years ago, 40 years ago,” Becerra told reporters at the state capitol in Phoenix. “What we want to make sure that we do is have a law that’s attuned to the 21st century needs of this country.”
Heat kills more people every year than any other natural disaster, according to the World Meteorological Organization. Arizona has seen a dramatic increase in heat-related deaths in recent years. In Maricopa County, the number of heat-related deaths has broken a new record every year since 2016.
Becerra praised Arizona’s efforts to reverse the trend.
Arizona this year released a statewide Extreme Heat Preparedness Plan and hired a chief heat officer for the first time. The state, Maricopa County, and municipalities have also expanded access to cooling centers this year.
But many of these heat relief programs rely on federal funding. Some Arizona officials have called for more assistance from the federal government to respond to life-threatening heatwaves.
For example, in a letter to members of Congress in March, Gov. Katie Hobbs said Arizona has not been getting its fair share of federal funding from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. That funding can be used to help people afford to keep their homes cool. But the current formula the government uses to allocate LIHEAP funds prioritizes cold weather states. Hobbs said Arizona only receives enough LIHEAP funding to assist about 5% of eligible people in the state.
Becerra’s department runs the LIHEAP program. But Becerra said it’s up to Congress to decide how the funding is distributed.
“We’ll do what we can with the authorities we have,” Becerra said. “I hope that there will be more attention in Congress to this effort. We need to make sure that we are partnering with resources and our authorities to help states like Arizona tackle this.”
