When wildfires cause a region's air quality to spike, local governments can currently ask the EPA to exclude that data from their pollution record — but the process is slow and complicated. This bill would streamline it by requiring the EPA to update its "exceptional events" rules within a year, creating faster timelines for reviewing exclusion requests and making it easier to account for smoke from prescribed burns used to prevent wildfires. Communities in fire-prone areas often get penalized in air quality ratings for pollution they didn't cause and can't control, which can trigger costly federal regulations.
Congressional Summary
Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act or the FIRE ActThis bill modifies the definition of exceptional events under the Clean Air Act and requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise its regulations regarding exceptional events or actions to mitigate wildfire risk.Generally, the EPA must exclude data from use in determinations of exceedances and violations of national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) if a state demonstrates that an exceptional event caused a specific air pollution concentration.The bill provides that events caused by human activity that are intended to mirror the occurrence or reoccurrence of a natural event are exceptional events. Additionally, the bill no longer excludes from consideration as an exceptional event (1) meteorological events involving high temperatures or a lack of precipitation, or (2) stagnation of air masses that does not ordinarily occur.The bill requires the EPA to revise regulations regarding the reviewing and handling of air quality monitoring data influenced by actions to mitigate wildfire risk.The bill also requires the EPA to conduct regional modeling and analysis when multiple states submit petitions regarding the same exceptional event or action to mitigate wildfire risk.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2026-04-09
- Date Added
- 2026-04-14