Florida workers would not be able to count on shade breaks or water on hot days under a Republican proposal to block cities and counties from requiring those protections.

The effort comes as many states — particularly Florida — experience more extremely hot days as the climate warms, writes Adam Aton. Last year, at least two farm workers died in South Florida amid extreme heat, including a 28-year-old on his first day harvesting vegetables.

Miami-Dade County has since proposed mandating 10-minute breaks in the shade every two hours for construction and farm workers. But a bill that advanced in a Florida state House committee last week would prevent the county from imposing the mandate, with Republicans arguing such protections would harm the state’s economy.

Opponents of the bill say rising temperatures will only put more workers at risk of dying on the job.

An emotional Laura Munoz of the group Florida Student Power told lawmakers her father had died after working in the heat.

“He left every morning, and I watched him take his water and his ice — and he did everything he could to be able to go back home to us,” she said at a hearing last week. “The private market and private employers failed us. And I’m here to ask you, did my father not deserve better? Did I not deserve better? How much profit was worth his life?”

Bill supporters, however, contend that local heat regulations would make workers less safe by creating a multitude of rules that could confuse managers.

“Accidents are more likely to happen where there’s inconsistencies in regulations and uncertainty of expectations,” said Carol Bowen, a lobbyist for the Florida chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors.

The potential law is part of a nationwide battle between state and local governments over who should be allowed to issue workplace heat safety regulations.

A lack of federal heat regulations is partially responsible for the turmoil, with some cities and counties passing their own standards to fill the gap. Washington and Oregon have also passed statewide protections.

If the Florida bill is signed into law, then the state would join Texas in limiting local governments from issuing heat safety regulations.

It’s Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO’s Power Switch. I’m your host, Christian Robles. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to [email protected].

Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Josh Siegel breaks down how President Joe Biden’s pause on new liquefied natural gas permits is making Democrats in gas-rich Pennsylvania nervous.

Power Centers

Clean water emerges as key Biden reelection pitch
The White House is increasingly promoting its spending on clean water, a top environmental concern for voters less polarizing than electric vehicles, writes Miranda Willson.

“It is really such a tangible issue,” Helen Kalla, a senior director at the consulting firm Lot Sixteen who worked on Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in 2019, told Miranda. “You turn your faucet on and see the water coming out. It’s a way that people can really see the results of investment — or lack thereof.”

The clean water messaging could help President Joe Biden boost his standing among young environmentally conscious voters as polls show him in a dead heat with the likely Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.

Intellectual property fights hamper DOE fusion program
Multimillion-dollar federal funds for eight nuclear fusion technology companies are being delayed by arguments over the government’s right to own or share scientific breakthroughs, writes Peter Behr.

People familiar with the issue told Peter that the delay isn’t significant because nuclear fusion is decades away from providing the world with clean power, but it will affect future development. A DOE spokesperson declined to comment on the agency’s stance on federal rights over scientific discoveries.

Battle over climate-related conservation funds may tank farm bill
Republican lawmakers’ push to allow unspent conservation funds from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to pay for the farm bill is a nonstarter for Democrats that could derail efforts to pass the five-year bill, writes Marc Heller.

The funds support farmland and forestry practices that can cut greenhouse gas practices that Democrats view as key toward tackling climate change. Republicans, however, contend that the funds ignore the needs of farmers by incentivizing certain crops over others.

The two parties are also fighting over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as food stamps, with Republicans eager to reduce its cost.

In Other News

Weatherization boost: Weatherization advocates are hoping that efforts to retain workers will help the industry avoid a boom-and-bust cycle that occurred after the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act pumped money into a key federal program.

Clean energy college: Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania is replacing its natural-gas-powered heating system with a renewable-powered geoexchange one to help it achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

Subscriber Zone

A showcase of some of our best subscriber content.

Monsanto, the now-defunct agrochemical and agriculture conglomerate, requested a federal appeals court to rehear a case where a Georgia landowner claimed he developed a rare form of cancer after years of using Roundup.

The Energy Department’s seven regional hydrogen hubs wrote a joint letter criticizing proposed tax regulations that they say would harm their efforts to produce low-carbon hydrogen and create jobs.

Four New York Republicans joined congressional Democrats in calling for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to finalize the regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule, which could unleash tons of clean energy.

That’s it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.

Follow us on Twitter