The White House Takes Preemptive Action To Protect Americans From Extreme Weather

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Last updated on July 3rd, 2024 at 11:41 am

The White House is taking preemptive steps and action to protect Americans and communities from extreme weather.

According to a White House fact sheet provided to PoliticusUSA:

The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is proposing a rule to protect workers that, if finalized, would establish the nation’s first-ever federal safety standard addressing excessive heat in the workplace. The risk that extreme heat poses to certain workers has long been recognized – even apart from the impacts of climate change. Recognizing these risks, the proposed rule includes requirements for identifying heat hazards, developing heat illness and emergency response plans, providing training to employees and supervisors, and implementing work practice standards — including rest breaks, access to shade and water, and heat acclimatization for new employees. If finalized, OSHA projects the rule would affect approximately 36 million workers and substantially reduce heat injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is announcing nearly $1 billion dollars in awards for 656 projects across the country to help communities protect against disasters and natural hazards, including extreme heat, storms, and flooding. Historic funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program will go to projects that will eliminate or reduce flood damage, mitigate the effects of extreme heat, and enhance infrastructure resilience. Projects include $50 million to Philadelphia, PA, to improve the resilience of a stormwater pump station and mitigate flooding; $6 million to Goldsboro, NC, for an improved flood drainage channel; and $724,000 to build shaded bus stops in areas of high heat exposure in Washington, D.C. This program is part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to ensure 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal climate, clean energy and other investment areas flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

The President can’t change the weather, but the Biden administration’s attitude is different from that of his opponent, who believes that climate change and extreme weather are great because they will create more beachfront property. It is important that as the nation faces more extreme weather, such as the recent deadly heat dome that threatened most of the nation recently.

Trump is promising to turn energy policy over to the fossil fuel industries, while Biden is trying to protect workers and communities from extreme weather.

With extreme weather and extreme weather events becoming more common, the nation needs a president who accepts the cause of the crisis and is willing to do something about it.

Biden is taking action, as Trump promises inaction that will jeopardize lives and the planet.