Fighting Wildfire Smoke: Can Policy and Bigger Pics Help?

Wildfires have been raging across the United States and Canada, spewing smoke. This smoke has made air quality worse in some regions of the U. S. , particularly in the west. The Environmental Protection Agency has an 'Exceptional Events' rule, which allows states to ignore pollution monitor readings if they believe they affect air quality due to wildfire smoke. This rule was designed to keep from legally blaming states for wildfire smoke The rule is meeting its goal, but that's not entirely a good thing. Think about this: Wildfires can happen hundreds of miles away, but their smoke can still puff up pollution levels locally. These wildfire components such as smoke rise into the air and can make the air quality bad The rule can allow states to ignore the data from these wildfires They may not be able to prevent the clean air standards from being met. Here’s the annoying part: Most wildfires happen on federally-owned lands and are caused by out-of-state fires. This makes a direct impact on the state clean air plan compliance. These planning policies are put in place for the states to work with. The EPA created a loophole to manage this issue They can ignore wildfire smoke data from air quality measurements. It’s like giving a pass to kids who had to deal with things out of their control. While it might seem fair, it creates a gap between how clean the air actually is and how clean the government thinks it should be. In reality, air quality can drop because of these wildfires This is a serious issue that needs to be address. What’s the best plan now? Experts suggest a tweak to the rule, This tweak wants to have states follow strict wildfire management policies if they want to ignore wildfire smoke data. States would have to adopt and follow the best management practices defined by the government. This change is legally and practically achievable, Such a change aims to balance the air quality regulations and make sure that no stone is left unturned. This could really help air quality levels stay on track and make sure that the smoke is managed correctly. It should be fairly realistic for states to work with.