Rep. Neguse and Western Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Protect Communities from Wildfire Smoke
Washington, D.C. —Today, Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse joined Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), as well as Representative Maxine Dexter (D-OR), to reintroduce the Wildfire Smoke Relief Act. This bill provides federal emergency assistance to people in Colorado and nationwide who are harmed by unhealthy air quality due to wildfire smoke.
“I'm proud to join my colleagues to reintroduce the Wildfire Smoke Relief Act, which ensures that folks most at risk from wildfire smoke are sufficiently prepared,” said Congressman Neguse. “Now that there are fires raging almost year-round, this bill will go a long way towards preparing our communities for the health impacts of toxic wildfire smoke.”
“The smoke from wildfires that fills the lungs of Oregonians is a health hazard–plain and simple,” Senator Wyden said. “As these fires become bigger, more dangerous, and more destructive each year, it’s critical that we ensure communities getting crushed by worsening air quality get the same treatment as other disaster victims. We must ensure underserved communities have clean air to breathe and other vital resources to be prepared for next season’s infernos across the West.”
“Oregonians know all too well how wildfires wreak havoc on our communities,” said Congresswoman Dexter. “Wildfire doesn’t just make us cough—it causes lung and heart disease, cancer, and shortens lives. As a pulmonologist, I know we need to provide better protection for those most susceptible to climate change. This bill is a much needed and long-overdue step in the right direction.”
“When the devastating Labor Day fires broke out five years ago, I drove over 600 miles across Oregon and never once broke out of the thick layer of smoke that had blanketed the state,” Senator Merkley said. “When wildfire smoke envelops our communities, it’s dangerous for public health and dampens everyday life for those under the hazardous plumes. I’m fully committed to securing the resources we need to address the root causes of megafires, and also to helping Oregonians cope with -- and recover from -- increasingly extreme hot weather conditions and the dangerous smoke that many of these wildfires produce.”
The Wildfire Smoke Relief Act would authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide individuals most at risk from the impacts of wildfire smoke – including children, elderly people, pregnant women, and low-income families – with low-cost home improvements and smoke inhalation prevention equipment. This protective equipment, like masks and air filters, would be provided when wildfire smoke causes unhealthy air quality levels for three consecutive days. In extreme circumstances, when preventative measures are inadequate for health and safety, the legislation would authorize FEMA to provide transitional sheltering assistance for those most at risk from wildfire smoke.
Read the bill text HERE.
Background
Congressman Joe Neguse has been a longtime advocate for protecting Coloradans and communities nationwide from the devastating impacts of wildfires. As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Lands and Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Wildfire Caucus, he’s been successful in advancing efforts to bolster federal wildfire prevention, mitigation, and suppression programs, as well as ensuring support for individuals recovering from climate-induced natural disasters.
Neguse has also fought tirelessly to make sure federal wildland firefighters receive the compensation and benefits they deserve. Most recently, he was successful in securing an agreement from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to provide protective N95 masks for wildland firefighters, reversing a decades-long ban that prevented use of this equipment even on a voluntary basis—despite an increasing number of firefighters getting sick from smoke exposure while in the line of duty.
###