"Cool LA" plan under consideration as White House launches Heat.gov site

The LADWP is considering a plan to help elderly, low-income, and medically-compared people stay cool as climate change turns up the temperature.

The Cool LA initiative would help eligible customers purchase or replace their air conditioning units at a reduced cost in order to lower high indoor temperatures to a safe level, The initiative would also help customers manage higher power costs when they use air conditioning during the hottest days and nights of the year.

LADWP's Board of Commissioners will take public comment from community-based organizations and advocates on the proposed plan at their meeting Tuesday. They have also invited input from City Plants, which is partnering with the utility on tree planting efforts, and representatives of Pacoima Beautiful and Enterprise Community Partners on the impacts of extreme heat on seniors and youth, especially in low-income and disadvantaged areas.

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The proposal comes the same day that the Biden Administration has launched Heat.gov, a new site that will give science-based information on how to reduce the health risks of extreme heat. Over the past 30 years, the administration says more than 700 people die a year from extreme heat — more than the death toll from hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, or extreme cold. Extreme heat also disproportionately affects indigenous and Black communities, especially in urban areas or very rural neighborhoods, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"Extreme heat is a silent killer, yet it affects more Americans than any other weather emergency — particularly our nation's most vulnerable," Gina McCarthy, White House national climate advisor, said in a statement.

The site will gather maps, data, and information from several areas of the government, including NOAA, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the CDC.

July of 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, and the annual average temperature in the contiguous United States is projected to rise between 5 and 8.7 degrees by the end of this century, according to the White House.

"As extreme heat conditions impact millions of Americans, this site will help ensure that all our communities, including our most vulnerable, have access to the data, tools and resources they need to mitigate heat impacts," U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.