Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill would let the president declare a federal smoke emergency in any state experiencing dangerously poor air quality from wildfire smoke, even if the actual fire is burning in a different state. Governors could also request a declaration. This closes a gap in current emergency law, which focuses on fires themselves rather than the smoke they produce.
• Once a smoke emergency is declared, FEMA and other federal agencies could send grants, equipment, supplies, and personnel to affected areas. This includes resources for setting up smoke shelters, distributing air purifiers, and adding air monitoring sites to track pollution levels.
• Small businesses that lose significant revenue because of wildfire smoke in a declared emergency area would be eligible for grants from the Small Business Administration. This targets businesses like outdoor recreation companies, restaurants, and shops that see fewer customers when the air is unsafe.
• The bill changes federal budget rules so that smoke emergency spending gets its own special budget category, similar to how other disaster spending is handled. This means the money would not count against regular agency spending caps, so other programs would not have to be cut to pay for smoke relief.