With parts of US hotter than Middle East, Biden acts to protect outdoor workers

US President to declare a 'hazard alert' as temperatures hit the high-40s

Construction workers do street repair during a heatwave in Corpus Christi, Texas. Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday plans to strengthen heat protections for outdoor workers, as the country struggles with a dangerous heatwave that has left parts of the nation experiencing temperatures hotter than the Middle East.

Mr Biden has asked the Labour Department to issue a hazard alert to “reaffirm that workers have heat-related protections under federal law”, the White House said.

“We should be protecting workers from hazardous conditions, and those states where they do not, I'm going to be calling them out when they refuse to protect these workers from this awful heat,” Mr Biden said on Thursday.

The White House highlighted that farmworkers, farmers, firefighters, and construction workers, are disproportionately impacted by extreme heat conditions.

Heat is the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US. Temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona were expected to hit 46°C on Thursday, hotter than Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Riyadh.

Temperatures in Furnace Creek, in California's Death Valley, reached 53.3°C on Sunday.

“We really want to pretend these things are normal. Experts say extreme heat is already costing America $100 billion a year and hits our most vulnerable the hardest … But none of this is inevitable,” Mr Biden added.

The Labour Department will also increase enforcement of heat-safety violations and increase inspections in high-risk industries.

Mr Biden announced the investments after a meeting with the mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday to hear how the extreme heat had affected their communities.

The south-western US has suffered the brunt of the searing heat that is expected spread across much of the country.

Phoenix has experienced 26 consecutive days with high temperatures of 43°C or greater, a streak that far exceeds the previous record of 18 days in 1974.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego spoke online alongside the President, warning that “this summer has really been unprecedented”.

“In Phoenix, it's taking a real toll on our community. We feel like we are very much on the front lines of climate change,” she said.

Ms Gallego asked the President to work with Congress to allow her to declare severe heat a disaster, which would open up new avenues for federal aide.

Congress is paying increased attention to climate action, though a partisan split on climate science continues to plague debates between Democrats and Republicans.

The Senate budget committee on Wednesday heard from experts and state officials at a hearing on the fiscal costs of climate change.

Democratic committee chairman Sheldon Whitehouse reiterated the warnings from communities such as Phoenix, speaking directly to Republicans who continued to decry large investments in “green” energy.

“The dangers are clear and present. I hope that the message is getting through. This is real,” Mr Whitehouse told the committee.

The National Weather Service said night temperatures at Phoenix Sky Harbour fell below 32°C at 11pm local time on Wednesday, for the first time since July 9.

Meanwhile, cities along the I-95 corridor were forecast to suffer a heatwave from Saturday, with high temperatures and humidity contributing to heat index values of at least 40°C, the NWS said in its Thursday bulletin.

“Major metropolitan areas such as Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Boston are under a Heat Advisory, while an Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for the New York City metro area,” the NWS reported.

The weather agency expects the stretch to be the hottest this summer with numerous temperature records likely to be broken.

Mr Biden also announced a $7 million investment to improve the nation's weather forecasts with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and an additional $152 million investment to expand water storage in California, Colorado and Washington state.

The administration has also launched an online platform, heat.gov, where at-risk residents can go to find “life-saving information that you may need to know about”, Mr Biden said.

“We want the American people to know that know help is here, and we're going to make it available to anyone who needs it,” the President added.

Separately, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the appointment of a new Climate Counsellor who will lead the department's efforts to facilitate financing for a net-zero economy. The department's climate hub was created in 2021.

Ms Yellen will oversee a meeting on Friday to receive an update on the Financial Stability Oversight Council's climate-related financial risk committee.