WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – President Joe Biden has announced new measures to protect Americans from extreme weather events.
This came as the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record formed in the Atlantic and western states braced for a record-breaking heat wave.
President Biden has introduced a series of measures, including a new worker protection rule, to protect American workers from unprecedented heat. He says the rule will assist an estimated 36 million workers.
“We’re going to have a tough summer ahead of us, but we’ve taken significant steps,” Biden said.
After meeting with emergency officials and the mayor of Washington, DC, he stressed the need to respond to the record-breaking floods, hurricanes and deadly 100-degree heat currently ravaging the West.
“Summer has just begun. There are already heat warnings for tens of millions of Americans,” Biden said.
At his request, the Ministry of Labour is implementing the first worker protection directive of its kind.
The proposed rule would require all states to protect workers exposed to hazardous heat at work.
“This includes things like developing a heat illness response plan and training employees and supervisors,” Biden said.
Some states, including California and Minnesota, already have similar worker protection laws.
The rule will likely face opposition from states like Florida and Texas, whose Republican governors have each signed legislation to prevent such a policy.
The US Chamber of Commerce is also against it. It believes it will be tough for the various industries to comply with the regulations.
“Ignoring climate change is deadly, dangerous and irresponsible,” Biden said.
If the rule goes into effect, states that do not protect their remote workers will face significantly higher penalties.
The president also provided a nearly $1 billion grant that he said will assist more than 600 communities across the country make climate-related investments.
