FIRE Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6387
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Environmental Protection
- Status
- Passed House
- Latest Action
- 2026-04-27: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- Last Updated
- 2026-06-11T23:41:29Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of H.R. 6387 - Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act (FIRE Act)
Purpose
This legislation amends the Clean Air Act to update rules on how the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reviews and handles air quality monitoring data affected by unusual events or deliberate steps to reduce wildfire risks. It aims to make it easier for states to exclude certain data from regulatory decisions when wildfires or related mitigation measures cause temporary air pollution spikes.
Key Provisions
- Definitions: Expands the term "exceptional event" to cover natural events, human actions that mimic natural events, or rare human activities. Adds a new term, "action to mitigate wildfire risk," defined as a prescribed fire or similar measure approved by a state to lower wildfire chances and severity. Excludes routine air stagnation, weather inversions, or pollution from rule-breaking sources.
- Regulatory Updates: Requires the EPA to revise its regulations on exceptional events within 18 months of the law's enactment, now including wildfire risk mitigation actions.
- Petition Process: Allows states to petition the EPA to exclude affected air quality data from use in decisions about air quality standard violations, area designations, attainment demonstrations, and other Clean Air Act matters. Adds requirements for regional analysis when events affect multiple states and mandates a public website to track petition statuses.
- Criteria for Exclusion: Updates rules to emphasize that wildfire mitigation actions can help reduce future wildfires and requires a clear link between the event or action and measured air pollution levels.
- Removal: Eliminates an existing paragraph on certain procedural aspects of the exceptional events program.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
The bill broadens the scope of events eligible for data exclusion beyond the original 2005 framework, explicitly incorporating prescribed burns as valid mitigation actions. It shifts the deadline for EPA regulation revisions from 2006 to 18 months after enactment and adds new obligations for multistate coordination and public transparency. The removal of paragraph (4) eliminates prior limitations on how data exclusions could be applied.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases EPA workload for reviewing petitions, conducting regional modeling, and maintaining a tracking website; may streamline state compliance with air quality rules by reducing penalties tied to wildfire events.
- Citizens: Could lead to fewer areas being labeled as non-compliant with air quality standards due to temporary wildfire influences, potentially affecting public health alerts or local development restrictions.
- International Relations: No direct effects noted, as the changes focus on domestic air quality management.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- State governments and their environmental agencies, which gain expanded options to petition for data exclusions.
- The EPA, responsible for implementing revised regulations and handling petitions.
- Communities and landowners involved in wildfire-prone areas, who may benefit from encouraged use of prescribed burns.
- Industries and local governments subject to air quality standards, as exclusions could influence permitting and compliance requirements.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
The amendments reinforce federal oversight under the Clean Air Act while giving states more flexibility in managing wildfire-related data, potentially raising questions about the balance of authority between federal and state levels in environmental enforcement. The emphasis on prescribed fires may influence land management policies but remains within existing statutory bounds without altering constitutional structures.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13], Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-9], Rep. Crank, Jeff [R-CO-5]
Recent Actions
- 2026-04-27: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- 2026-04-22: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- 2026-04-22: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 198 (Roll no. 136). (text: CR 4/21/2026 H3013) (Roll call 136)
- 2026-04-22: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 220 - 198 (Roll no. 136). (Roll call 136)
- 2026-04-22: On motion to recommit Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 206 - 214 (Roll no. 135). (Roll call 135)
- 2026-04-22: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H3064-3065)
- 2026-04-21: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on H.R. 6387, the Chair put the question on the motion to recommit and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Ms. Dexter demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings until a time to be announced.
- 2026-04-21: The previous question on the motion to recommit was ordered pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX.
- 2026-04-21: Ms. Dexter moved to recommit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. (CR H3019)
- 2026-04-21: The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule.
- 2026-04-21: DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 6387.
- 2026-04-21: Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 6387, H.R. 6398, H.R. 6409 and H. Res. 1156. The resolution provides for consideration of each measure under a closed rule with one hour of general debate on each measure. The resolution also provides one motion to recommit on H.R. 6387, H.R. 6398, and H.R. 6409.
- 2026-04-21: Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1174. (consideration: CR H3013-3019; text: CR H3013)
- 2026-04-15: Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1174 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 6387, H.R. 6398, H.R. 6409 and H. Res. 1156. The resolution provides for consideration of each measure under a closed rule with one hour of general debate on each measure. The resolution also provides one motion to recommit on H.R. 6387, H.R. 6398, and H.R. 6409.
- 2026-04-09: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 515.
Bill Versions
- Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act — issued 2026-04-22 — PDF (8 pages)
- Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act — issued 2025-12-03 — PDF (7 pages)
- Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act — issued 2026-04-27 — PDF (7 pages)
- Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events Act — issued 2026-04-09 — PDF (10 pages)