This bill has advanced since we wrote our summary.
Current stage on Congress.gov: Referred in Senate.
The FIRE Act updates how the EPA handles air quality monitoring data tied to wildfires and prescribed burns. Right now, states can ask the EPA to set aside pollution readings from "exceptional events" like wildfires when deciding whether an area meets federal clean air standards. This bill adds prescribed burns and similar wildfire-prevention actions to that list, so states aren't penalized for the smoke produced by fires intentionally set to reduce future wildfire risk. It also requires the EPA to coordinate when smoke crosses multiple states and to publish a public website — updated monthly — showing the status of every state petition. The changes affect state air quality agencies, forest managers, and residents in wildfire-prone regions across the West and Southeast.
Transparency & Accountability
- Petition-status disclosure — EPA must publish and monthly-update a public website tracking all exceptional-event and wildfire-mitigation petitions
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
- Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Action Date
- 2026-04-27
- Date Added
- 2026-04-14
- Source
- Congress.gov →
Like reading a bill in plain English?
We're building an app that does this for every bill in Congress and lets you tell your reps how you want them to vote. We're a small team getting ready to launch, and we're trying to show investors that real people want this. Be one of them. Help us get it built. Leave your email and we'll tell you the moment the app is ready.