Texas: San Antonio Mayor Fires Back at State Law That Makes Heat Wave Worse for Residents

As the Texas heat wave continues to batter the Lone Star State and its neighbors, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg blasted the state's laws for making things worse for everyone.

"We're certainly grateful for a president now that's treating this heatwave with the urgency that I think is necessary. Especially given the fact that one of the challenges that we have is, cities in Texas are fighting our legislature and our state government for local control," said the mayor in an interview. "We're trying to protect residents and workers, and they are doing everything they can to prevent that from happening."

The Texas state legislature passed a law that bans counties and cities from imposing local laws that are stricter than state ones. Texas Governor Greg Abbott then signed this into law last June, overturning many of the local laws that mandate water and rest breaks for construction workers.

According to Politico, this law is expected to go into effect in September. However, it is facing a massive legal challenge from the cities of Houston and San Antonio. The two cities have been hit hard by the Texas heat wave, with San Antonio planning to pass an ordinance that would mandate water breaks. This was canceled due to Abbott signing the new law.

The San Antonio mayor stated that he and other city officials are trying to "make sure that there's a backstop to prevent the most vulnerable members, the workers in our community who deserve those basic things." This happens as the city struggles with the deadly heat wave that has caused electricity demand to soar and a "significant increase in emergency calls for heat-related illness."

Amid this heat wave, however, President Joe Biden announced a new policy that would protect workers from extreme heat. This includes a new "heat alert" system that is expected to notify employers and employees about dangerous heat conditions and how to avoid them.

Texas Heat Wave Could Cost Local Businesses Big

The Texas heat wave is also causing many residents to stay home to beat the heat. However, this could also mean that with people staying home more, local Texas businesses could take a significant hit. Business Insider reported that the state GDP could take a $9.5 billion hit because of the lost business.

In particular, the state's tourism, entertainment, and recreation sectors are the ones most affected as these industries are dependent on outdoor activities. Workers in the state also worked 20% fewer hours between mid-June and mid-July than they did in the same period last year.

Heat and Water Cutoffs Plague Texas Towns Along US-Mexico Border

One of the heat wave's hardest-hit areas is along the US-Mexico border. Temperatures have climbed to triple digits in the area but residents are also facing additional problems, including sputtering water and water cutoffs.

Water delivery systems in those areas are often plagued with problems and it has affected many neighborhoods around the US side of the border, "Not having water under this extreme heat is a dangerous combination," Pueblo de Palmas resident Kathy Quilatan stated.

The ones most affected by this are low-income Latino neighborhoods that have experienced a spike in heat-related fatalities and emergency room visits.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Why extreme heat is more dangerous than many realize - PBS NewsHour