119th (2025–2027)
S. 5045
The Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026 amends the Clean Air Act to make it easier for prescribed fires, including cultural burning practiced by Indian tribes, to be classified as "exceptional events" that don't count against a state's air quality compliance record. The bill directs the EPA to revise its regulations within roughly 15 months of enactment to reduce the burden on states seeking this designation and to clarify when prescribed fires qualify, while also setting a one-year deadline for the agency to act on state petitions, after which unaddressed petitions are automatically approved. It affects state and tribal air pollution agencies, land managers, and forestry officials by streamlining the process for using controlled burns as a wildfire-prevention tool without triggering air quality violations. The legislation also establishes a new "Smoke Ready Communities" grant program, allowing the EPA to award competitive funding to states, tribes, and other eligible entities to protect community and school buildings from wildfire smoke, with the federal government typically covering up to 90 percent of costs (or more in economically distressed areas), capped at 25 percent of annual funds going to any single state. Overall, the bill aims to encourage more prescribed burning as a wildfire-mitigation strategy while helping communities prepare for smoke exposure, contingent on future appropriations for the grant program.