As Grand Canyon burns, officials say federal cuts could raise wildfire risk in Arizona
Click play to listen to this article.
Officials warned federal cuts to clean energy and public lands protections will increase extreme weather risks throughout Arizona.
Crews continue to battle the Dragon Bravo Fire in Grand Canyon National Park as the state experiences a megadrought.
Representative Aaron Márquez, D-Phoenix, pointed out cuts to firefighter health programs and reduced spending for wildfire response and prevention increase the odds more people will be exposed to hazards.
"Yet this administration cuts back the very crews who could have prepared us while investing and inviting more fossil fuel extraction that will make the crisis worse," Márquez contended.
The Dragon Bravo Fire is the largest wildfire in U.S. history, burning more than 140,000 acres, including more than 70 structures. It also triggered a toxic chlorine gas leak caused by a burning water treatment facility.
Márquez added Arizona temperatures remain in the triple digits and this year alone, Maricopa County has seen 29 weather-related deaths. He believes relying on fossil fuel extraction for energy will make the crisis worse.
"Extreme heat kills more Americans than floods, tornadoes and hurricanes combined," Márquez noted. "And who suffers most? Working class folks, Black, Latino and Indigenous communities, forcing people to choose between food, medicine or running their air conditioner."
Pat Spearman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and former Nevada state Senate president pro tempore, said as extreme weather becomes a regular occurrence for Americans, millions in tax credits for consumers to shift to clean energy and improve energy efficiency are now on the line. She warned Biden-era climate legislation is expiring under the Trump administration.
"The Inflation Reduction Act also offered significant rebates for consumers of clean energy technologies such as solar panels, electric vehicles, heat pumps and energy-efficient appliances," Spearman outlined.
Earlier this month, the Environmental Protection Agency canceled the Solar for All program, also funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. The program provided money to help low-income households install solar panels and save on monthly utility bills.
