Top US health official acknowledges more federal money for utility help is needed for extreme heat

PHOENIX (AP) — Visiting Phoenix amid triple-digit temperatures, the U.S. government’s top health official acknowledged on Wednesday that a federal program that helps low-income people pay their utility bills needs to focus more on cooling homes in the summer instead of overwhelmingly on wintertime heating.

“What we’re beginning to see is the prominence of extreme heat and no longer just the issue of extreme cold and the weather effects that come from snowstorms and heavy rains, flooding, hurricanes,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “Today it is things that happen as a result of the heat — heat exposure, the need to deal with growing numbers of wildfires.”

Becerra said it is up to Congress to allocate more money for such measures but that his agency is committed to working with lawmakers and states to alleviate the effects of extreme heat.

“People are dying on our streets because of extreme heat. These are incidents that were not occurring a generation or so ago.” Becerra said, adding, “The climate change that we are experiencing cannot be denied. It has created, has led to a public health crisis.”

Arizona’s Maricopa County, which encompasses Phoenix, saw a record 645 heat-related deaths last year. County public health officials say 66 heat-related deaths have been confirmed this year as of Aug. 3, with another 447 deaths under investigation.

Three-quarters of the 156 people who died indoors in Maricopa County from heat-related factors last year had an air conditioner, but in at least 20 of those cases, it was not turned on or there was no electricity to power it, underscoring the financial inequities around energy and cooling units that people on fixed incomes can have problems paying.

Federal data shows Arizona was awarded nearly $31 million of $3.6 billion allocated nationwide for utility assistance this year. Nevada got $15 million, while California received more than $227 million, more than any other state.

The executive director of a policy organization for state officials overseeing federal funds distributed through the Low Income Energy Assistance Program told a House subcommittee in May that 85% of that money is targeted for heating homes.

“As temperatures rise, there is also an increased need in summer months to help families avoid the effects of extreme heat,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, told the subcommittee.

Wolfe said Wednesday that his organization asked for $6 billion for the assistance programs in the upcoming 2025 fiscal year, plus another $1 billion in contingency funds, but so far the House has agreed to $4 billion and the Senate to $4.1 billion. Final budget approval isn’t expected until later this year.

“I’m sure the administration would give more if it could, but then you have to get it through Congress,” he said.