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Las Vegas, NV.- Today, the same day that FEMA and the Federal Government released new guidance to increase community resilience against extreme temperature-related weather, Nevada Leaders gathered to discuss the newly passed laws that aim to combat high temperatures and protect our state’s environment.
“FEMA today released new guidance, and I was invited to participate in the launch, as it mimics what we were trying to implement through the bill that unfortunately got stuck in the legislature, and did not become a law in Nevada. The information just released shows how states that have never experienced excessive heat in the past have just registered 3-digit weather for up to over a month. So, the federal government is trying to stay ahead to combat excessive heat by mandating everyone to create a 4-step plan” said State Senator Edgar Flores.
“Today we are going over what happen at the legislative session, the wins we had and what else we need to do to continue to move forward” said Cinthia Moore, Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition Director, and continued: “…one of our environmental bills was so important that now we are seeing federal efforts to implement at the national level some of the same regulations that would have come out of bill SB427 that we introduce in Nevada. Senator Cortez Masto introduced a piece of legislation to ensure the safety and health of workers who are exposed to dangerous heat conditions in the workplace, called The Asunción Valdivia Heat Stress Injury, Illness, and Fatality Prevention Act”
“One of the laws that passed this past legislative session was AB131, this piece of legislature is about planting trees to mitigate urban heat islands, an effect that affects mostly people of color but that impacts everybody as the heat moves around the city with the wind” mentioned Lisa Ortega, Director of Nevada Plants
The 82nd Nevada Legislative Session made history by having a record-breaking number of bills related to Environmental Justice, though the session is over, the fight continues as the NEJC continues to work with OSHA to create the protocols needed to protect our Nevadan employees exposed to extreme weather conditions, and start planning for the next legislative session, because there is still much progress that needs to be made.
The leaders gathered to discuss the next steps for Nevada and heard the stories of people directly affected by severe weather conditions and other environmental related issues, who thanked them for their ongoing efforts and demanded more action and accountability.
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ABOUT Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition: The Nevada Environmental Justice Coalition is a network of organizations committed to ensuring that equity, justice, and sustainability are brought into governmental decision-making in the face of climate change.
