Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau
Thursday, March 17, 2022
Gov. Steve Sisolak has put together a team to develop statewide strategies to deal with the extreme heat caused by climate change.
“To ensure the most vulnerable Nevadans are able to weather the worst impacts of climate change I am committed to ensuring we appropriately direct federal resources that support the Justice 40 initiative,” he said.
That is the order issued by President Joe Biden requiring that 40 percent of federal investment in clean energy, transit, housing and pollution remediation be put into disadvantaged communities.
The team’s challenge will be to identify threats and potential solutions to help policymakers deal with the issue.
“How income households and historically marginalized communities are bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change, particularly when it comes to extreme heat,” Sisolak said.
The Extreme Heat Planning Team members are Dr. Ihsan Azzam, chief medical officer in the state Health and Human Services Department, the state Emergency Management administrator, and Dr. Kristen Averyt, the governor’s climate adviser.
He also named four people to the Environmental Justice Team: Tina Dortch of the Office of Minority Health and Equity, Director of the Nevada Indian Commission Stacey Mantooth, Charina De Asis, head of the Office for New Americans and Jorden Hosmer-Henner, the governor’s office policy analyst.
