As large swaths of the country boil under extreme heat, President Biden called the effects of climate change impossible to deny during a speech at the White House on Thursday.
“I don’t think anybody can deny the impact of the climate change anymore,” Biden said. “I don’t know anybody who honestly believes climate change is not a serious problem.”
He blasted “MAGA extremists” in Congress who have tried to repeal his administration’s climate actions. Republicans have repeatedly sought to repeal tax credits for climate-friendly energy sources passed last year under the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act.
In the speech, Biden highlighted new announcements from the administration that it would look to increase enforcement against heat safety violations and increase inspections of conditions for workers in high-risk industries such as construction and agriculture.
He also noted its effort to issue a “hazard alert” for extreme heat that he said “clarifies that workers have federal heat-related protections.”
Such actions won some praise from climate and worker safety advocates, but some also called for further action — particularly for a regulation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which mandates that employers implement safety protocols.
“It is fitting for President Biden to push for protections from the heat in what will likely be the hottest month in recorded history,” Juley Fulcher, worker health and safety advocate with Public Citizen, said in a written statement.
But, she said, “While OSHA is able to educate employers and inspect workplaces for heat hazards, it is a band-aid for a problem that won’t be solved until employers are required to protect workers. …. Only a workplace heat standard will give OSHA the tools to fully protect workers.”
The administration said nearly two years ago that it would pursue such a rule, but has yet to issue a proposal.
Thursday’s event at the White House also featured the mayors of Phoenix and San Antonio. Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, whose city has seen nearly four consecutive weeks of 110-degree days, said Congress should give Biden the ability to declare heat a disaster to bring more resources to impacted communities.