‘Death Star’ law nixes water breaks as Texas bakes

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Aug 04, 2023 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Presented by Chevron A construction worker takes a drink in Houston. | Eric Kayne/Getty Images It’s another scorcher in Texas today. And if you’re working outside in 100 degrees in Austin, you’re legally entitled to water breaks — until September. That’s when a new law goes into effect revoking guaranteed water breaks for construction crews in Austin and Dallas. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure in July (the hottest month in recorded history), invalidating a host of local rules throughout the state. Conservatives say the measure is necessary for consistency and to maintain state authority, writes Ariel Wittenberg. Opponents of the legislation dubbed it “the Death Star bill.” That’s because water breaks during hot temperatures can help prevent heat-related fatalities, which continue to rise as the planet bakes. Construction workers make up just 6 percent of the U.S. workforce, but they account for 36 percent of all heat-related deaths. In Texas, construction workers accounted for 26 percent of heat deaths between 2017 and 2019, Ariel writes. And average summer temperatures have only gotten hotter since then. Abbott’s rationale The law’s roots can be traced back to the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic when progressive cities in Texas mandated paid sick leave. That enraged some conservatives. While appellate courts have since struck down such requirements, Republican lawmakers — still frustrated by mask and vaccine mandates — launched a push to retake state control over worker safety issues. The new law is expansive, erasing local rules over everything from payday loans to evictions. “This bill is something so extreme and broad that we have not seen it before,” Ana Gonzalez with the Texas AFL-CIO told Ariel. “Anything that is not expressly allowed by state law — cities and counties will not be able to do.” The backlash The measure is already generating pushback, including from President Joe Biden, who derided the law in a recent speech about unprecedented heat waves. “Construction workers … literally risk their lives working all day in extreme heat and in some places don’t even have the right to take a water break,” he said. “That’s outrageous.” And a number of municipalities are suing the state over the law, including San Antonio, whose City Council was working on its own rest break ordinance when the law was signed. “No sane government would pass a bill like this,” said Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas).   Thank goodness it's Friday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net.   A message from Chevron: At Chevron, we know carbon capture and storage is critical in helping enable progress toward global net zero. That’s why we’re developing and deploying the technology in our facilities while also working with partners to scale it to other industries, like cement and steel.   Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Ben Lefebvre digs into the rise in gasoline prices, whether this trend will continue and how the Biden administration is responding.   A message from Chevron:   Power Centers A man walks past the U.S. Export-Import Bank in Washington on July 28, 2015. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo ‘Dangerous pivot’ on overseas oil and gas The Biden administration is retreating from its promises to stop funding oil and gas projects overseas, writes Zack Colman. The reversal is triggering a split among senior officials over whether to prioritize climate change or the diplomatic alliances the White House has deemed critical to counter Russia and China. This could derail Texas clean power Solar and wind power helped Texas avoid rolling blackouts this summer amid unprecedented heat and soaring demand for air conditioning, writes Jason Plautz. But a new rule from the state's electric grid operator is threatening to squash the clean power industry in Texas, which analysts worry could destabilize the already fragile grid. In Other News A preview, if you will: The world just got its first real taste of what life is like at 1.5 degrees Celsius. Peer into the past: What the medieval warm period can tell us about climate change today.   HITTING YOUR INBOX AUGUST 14—CALIFORNIA CLIMATE: Climate change isn’t just about the weather. It's also about how we do business and create new policies, especially in California. So we have something cool for you: A brand-new California Climate newsletter. 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Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!   YOUR TICKET INSIDE THE GOLDEN STATE POLITICAL ARENA: California Playbook delivers the latest intel, buzzy scoops and exclusive coverage from Sacramento and Los Angeles to Silicon Valley and across the state. Don't miss out on the daily must-read for political aficionados and professionals with an outsized interest in California politics, policy and power. Subscribe today.       A message from Chevron: By 2030, our target is to reach 25 million tonnes of CO2 per year in storage and offsets, the equivalent to the emissions of 3.1 million homes annual energy use. Part of that effort is our proposed Eastridge CCS project in the San Joaquin Valley, which is projected to capture up to 300,000 metric tonnes of CO2 per year. And through our partnership with Svante, we’re working to reduce the cost of carbon capture and help scale the technology. Moving toward a lower carbon future by developing and deploying carbon capture and storage solutions, that’s energy in progress.     Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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