Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026
Latest action (16 Sep 2026): Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
What this bill does
S. 5045, the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026, would amend the Clean Air Act's treatment of "exceptional events"—air quality incidents excluded from certain regulatory calculations because they are not reasonably preventable. The bill explicitly adds prescribed fires, including tribal cultural burning, to the definition of exceptional events, and directs the EPA Administrator to revise related regulations within set deadlines to reduce the burden on states seeking this designation, clarify prescribed-fire eligibility, and create a review process for state petitions. Petitions not acted on within one year would be automatically deemed approved unless later found not to qualify. The bill also creates a "Smoke Ready Communities Program," authorizing EPA to award competitive grants to states, tribes, and other eligible entities to address wildfire smoke hazards in community and school buildings, with a federal cost share generally capped at 90 percent (waivable for economically distressed communities) and a limit of 25 percent of annual program funds to any single state.
The bill primarily affects state and tribal air agencies, land managers, and forestry programs that use prescribed burning, as well as schools and communities seeking help mitigating wildfire smoke exposure. It does not change rules for stationary industrial sources, which remain excluded from the "exceptional event" classification if they didn't already qualify.
Introduced July 21, 2026, by Senator Curtis with bipartisan cosponsors, the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. It would need committee consideration, floor votes in both chambers, and the President's signature to become law.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
The committees assigned to this bill sent it to the House or Senate as a whole for consideration on September 16, 2026.
Timeline
16 Sep 2026
Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
Common questions
- What does S. 5045 do?
- S. 5045, the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act of 2026, would amend the Clean Air Act's treatment of "exceptional events"—air quality incidents excluded from certain regulatory calculations because they are not reasonably preventable. The bill explicitly adds prescribed fires, including tribal cultural burning, to the definition of exceptional events, and directs the EPA Administrator to revise related regulations within set deadlines to reduce the burden on states seeking this designation, clarify prescribed-fire eligibility, and create a review process for state petitions. Petitions not acted on within one year would be automatically deemed approved unless later found not to qualify. The bill also creates a "Smoke Ready Communities Program," authorizing EPA to award competitive grants to states, tribes, and other eligible entities to address wildfire smoke hazards in community and school buildings, with a federal cost share generally capped at 90 percent (waivable for economically distressed communities) and a limit of 25 percent of annual program funds to any single state. The bill primarily affects state and tribal air agencies, land managers, and forestry programs that use prescribed burning, as well as schools and communities seeking help mitigating wildfire smoke exposure. It does not change rules for stationary industrial sources, which remain excluded from the "exceptional event" classification if they didn't already qualify. Introduced July 21, 2026, by Senator Curtis with bipartisan cosponsors, the bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. It would need committee consideration, floor votes in both chambers, and the President's signature to become law.
- Has S. 5045 become law?
- Not yet. As of 16 Sep 2026, S. 5045 is ordered reported.
- Who sponsored S. 5045?
- S. 5045 was sponsored by Sen. John Curtis [R-UT] (Republican-UT), with 7 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on S. 5045?
- Committee on Environment and Public Works. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. (16 Sep 2026).
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