Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Sen. Ruben Gallego is introducing legislation today aimed at solving the problem of heat islands as large swaths of the U.S. break springtime temperature records this week.
Why it matters: Urban temperature hotspots, created when pavement and buildings trap heat, are an increasingly acute problem for states like Arizona and cities across the country.
- Cities, particularly in their poorer areas, often get much hotter than the surrounding region because they lack tree cover that can cool temperatures.
Driving the news: The Excess Urban Heat Mitigation Act, seen first by Axios, would create a $30 million federal grant program to fund cooling centers, tree planting and building improvements that can keep temperatures down.
- Gallego first introduced the bill as a member of the House.
- Sens. Ed Markey, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley are cosponsors on the latest version.
- "As summers in Arizona and across the country get longer and hotter, they also get deadlier — especially in cities where a lack of shade and miles of concrete push temperatures even higher," Gallego said in a statement.
Yes, but: The Trump administration has halted an existing $75 billion tree-planting program from the IRA intended to address this exact issue.
- Still, the issue isn't going away. Phoenix nearly hit 100 degrees this week, and East Coast cities are also having intensifying spring heat waves.
