Last progress June 4, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 4, 2025 by Yassamin Ansari
Directs NOAA (through its Climate Program Office, coordinated with the National Integrated Heat Health Information System) to carry out an economic study that quantifies the financial costs of extreme heat. The study must assign dollar values to losses including loss of life and property, evaluate a wide range of cost sources (medical, insurance, productivity, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, etc.), solicit feedback from federal and nonfederal partners, recommend a national tracking system, and be published within four years; $3.5 million is authorized to carry out the work.
The Under Secretary, acting through the Climate Program Office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and in coordination with member agencies of the National Integrated Heat Health Information System, shall conduct an economic impact study of the financial costs of extreme heat, including by quantifying the dollar value of loss of life and property specific to extreme heat.
The study shall evaluate broad health impacts of extreme heat, including mortality and morbidity, in coordination with State and national public health departments, following standard methodologies for valuing health and life.
The study shall evaluate property damage or property loss from extreme heat, to the extent practicable.
The study shall take into account medical assistance needed as a result of extreme heat events, including expenses related to emergency room visits, urgent care treatments, hospitalizations, and associated medications.
The study shall take into account life and health insurance claims and analytics associated with extreme heat.
Direct effects: NOAA (and its Climate Program Office) will plan and execute the study, requiring staff time, contractor support, and coordination with the National Integrated Heat Health Information System. The authorized $3.5 million funds research activities, stakeholder engagement, and reporting over the study period. Indirect effects: communities, local and state public health and emergency management agencies, health care providers, electric utilities, insurers, farmers, and employers will be both data sources and users of the study findings. The study’s monetization of mortality and property losses can influence how federal, state, and local governments, as well as private sector actors (insurers, utilities, employers), prioritize heat mitigation, adaptation investments, and benefit–cost analyses. Researchers and modelers will gain a standardized reference for economic impacts of extreme heat, while identified data gaps may prompt new data collection or reporting. The study itself does not impose mandates on states or private actors, but its findings could shape future policy, grant programs, regulatory proposals, or insurance practices.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Updated 2 days ago
Last progress May 13, 2025 (9 months ago)
