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Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act

Floor Speech

Date: April 21, 2026
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the FIRE Act.

This bill ensures that actions taken to prevent wildfires, such as prescribed burns, are not used to penalize a State when determining nonattainment. Under the FIRE Act, States will no longer miss nonattainment status solely for trying to reduce the impact of wildfires through wildfire mitigation activities.

Nonattainment status has significant consequences. New or expanding businesses in the State would face more restrictions, tougher permitting, and expensive pollution control measures that would cause economic development to move to States without nonattainment status.

Since EPA allowed prescribed burns to qualify for exceptional events, only one prescribed fire has been granted an exceptional events exemption. These concerns aren't hypothetical. They are measurable and prevent States from engaging in wildfire mitigation.

This is the epitome of commonsense legislation. Why should American businesses and workers be penalized for efforts to reduce air pollution? Again, I ask you: Why should American businesses and workers be penalized for efforts to reduce air pollution?

A recent study found that wildfires are reversing the progress made in air quality by this country over the last 40 years. Prescribed burns produce only a tenth of the PM 2.5 produced by wildfires.

Prescribed or controlled burns are our greatest and most effective tool for preventing wildfires. By discouraging wildfire mitigation, this outdated provision in the Clean Air Act undermines efforts to improve air quality.

Hopefully, improving air quality and reducing the devastating impact of wildfires is more important to the Members of this Chamber than thwarting Congress' efforts to make necessary updates to outdated provisions of the Clean Air Act.

Legislation like the FIRE Act and my bill, the CLEAR Act, will modernize the Clean Air Act to work in the 21st century, protecting us from pollution without strangling business development and job creation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend Representative Evans for introducing this bill, and I urge its immediate adoption.

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