Top US health official acknowledges more federal money for utility help is needed for extreme heat
PHOENIX — Visit Phoenix amidst triple digit temperaturesThe U.S. government’s top health official acknowledged Wednesday that a federal program that helps low-income people pay their energy bills should focus more on cooling homes in the summer rather than primarily heating them in the winter.
“What we’re starting to see is the prominence of extreme heat and no longer just the issue of extreme cold and the weather impacts that come from snowstorms and heavy rains, flooding, hurricanes,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Today, it’s things that are happening because of the heat — heat exposure, the need to deal with the increasing number of wildfires.”
Becerra said it is up to Congress to provide more money for such measures, but that his agency is committed to working with lawmakers and states to alleviate the impacts of extreme heat.
“People are dying on our streets because of the extreme heat. These are incidents that didn’t happen a generation or so ago,” Becerra said, adding: “The climate change what we are experiencing cannot be denied. It has led to a public health crisis.”
Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, saw a record 645 heat-related deaths last year. County public health officials say 66 heat-related deaths confirmed this year through August 3, while 447 deaths are still under investigation.
Three-quarters of the 156 people who died indoors from heat-related factors in Maricopa County last year had air conditioning, but in at least 20 of those cases, The electricity was not turned on or there was no power, highlighting the financial inequality surrounding energy and cooling units that people on fixed incomes struggle to afford.
Federal data shows that Arizona received nearly $31 million of the $3.6 billion allocated nationwide for utilities this year. Nevada got $15 million, while California received more than $227 million, more than any other state.
The director of a policy organization for state officials that oversees federal funds distributed through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program told a House subcommittee in May that 85% of that money goes to heating homes.
“As temperatures rise, there is also a greater need in the summer months to help families avoid the impacts of extreme heat,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, told the subcommittee.
Wolfe said Wednesday that his organization was asking for $6 billion for relief programs in the upcoming 2025 fiscal year, plus another $1 billion in emergency funds, but so far the House has approved $4 billion and the Senate $4.1 billion. Final approval of the budget is not expected until later this year.
“I’m sure the administration would give more if it could, but you have to get it through Congress,” he said.