Fourteen attorneys general from U.S. states and the District of Columbia are urging the federal government to recognize extreme heat and wildfire smoke as major disasters.
The push comes after heat advisories plagued much of the United States in recent weeks, and ongoing wildfires devastate portions of the western U.S. Currently, the Federal Emergency Management Agency does not recognize extreme heat and wildfire smoke as "major disasters" under the Stafford Act. This means emergency funding for relief is not available to states experiencing abnormally high temperatures or oppressive smoke impacts.
"The proposed changes to FEMA regulations, if adopted, would enhance the capacity of our jurisdictions to mitigate the impacts of high-severity extreme heat and wildfire smoke events before they occur — and to respond as effectively as possible to them when they do happen," Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wrote in the letter to FEMA cosigned by the other state officials.
The letter cited rising global temperatures as increasing the prevalence of high-severity extreme heat and wildfire smoke events over the past several decades.
"Rising average global temperatures have made extreme heat events longer, more intense, more widespread, and deadlier," the letter said. "Wildfire intensity has also increased across North America in recent decades, in part because drier, warmer conditions driven by climate change reduce vegetation moisture."
It continued: "We urge FEMA to update its regulations to prepare for this hotter, smokier future."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, extreme heat is responsible for more weather-related deaths in the U.S. than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. Last year, more than 2,300 people suffered heat-related deaths in the U.S., as reported by the Associated Press.
Wildfire smoke exposure can worsen conditions such as asthma, heart disease, and lung disease. The National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that wildfire smoke contributes to nearly 16,000 excess U.S. deaths per year.
"Across the country, people are suffering and dying from extreme heat," Jean Su, energy justice director and senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement quoted by the Guardian. "FEMA can bring a mass mobilization of resources to deploy life-saving cooling centers, air conditioning, and community solar. But so far FEMA's only shown these communities piecemeal efforts and lackluster leadership."
Spearheaded by Mayes, the letter was cosigned by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington D.C.
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