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Creates a new federal program to help communities prepare for and respond to wildfire smoke and extreme heat by funding community grants, university research centers, and applied research. The Environmental Protection Agency (the Administrator) must define “extreme heat” by rule, set formulas and timelines for grant allocations, stand up four university-based Centers of Excellence, launch research on health effects and interventions, and run a competitive community planning grant program with $50 million per year authorized beginning in FY2026.
Administrator: Means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Extreme heat: The term’s meaning will be set through a rulemaking by the Administrator, done in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies.
Indian Tribe: Has the meaning given in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
Native Hawaiian organization: Has the meaning given in section 6207 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7517).
Adds a new section titled “139 Smoke and extreme heat-ready communities” to Part A of Title I of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et seq.).
Who is affected and how:
Local and Tribal governments: Primary potential applicants and implementers of community preparedness and response activities; they can receive grants to fund monitoring, cooling centers, filtration, outreach, and emergency planning. Grants reduce local costs for mitigation and response but require planning and partnership with research institutions.
Communities and residents (especially vulnerable populations): People living in areas prone to wildland fire smoke and extreme heat stand to benefit from improved monitoring, better warning and communication, more cooling/filtration resources, and targeted public-health interventions. This includes older adults, children, people with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, outdoor workers, and those without reliable access to cooling.
Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations: Explicitly covered by statutory definitions and eligible to participate, apply for grants, and receive support tailored to tribal community needs.
Universities and the scientific research sector: Four university-based Centers of Excellence will be funded and expected to conduct applied research, modeling, monitoring methods, and community-engaged studies; institutions will partner on grant applications and technical assistance.
Public health systems and healthcare providers: Will benefit from applied research on health impacts and interventions, and may be recipients or partners in implementing community-level responses.
Federal agency (Administrator/EPA): Responsible for rulemaking, creating allocation formulas, standing up centers, running grant competitions, and providing technical assistance—requiring staff time, rule development, and program administration.
State and local emergency management and first responders: May receive funding and technical support to incorporate smoke and heat response into emergency planning and operations.
Budgetary and programmatic implications:
The legislation authorizes funding streams but does not fully specify dollar amounts for all components; it explicitly authorizes $50 million per year for the competitive community planning grants starting FY2026 and authorizes "as necessary" appropriations for the new Clean Air Act program and the Centers/research. Actual funding depends on future appropriations decisions.
Administrative workload for EPA will increase during initial setup (rulemaking, center selection, grant design, formulas) with deadlines (180 days) that push for rapid implementation.
Equity and capacity considerations:
Requirement for collaborations with higher-education/research institutions can strengthen evidence-based planning but may disadvantage small jurisdictions without existing research partnerships unless technical assistance and outreach are provided.
Tribal communities and underserved jurisdictions may need targeted outreach and capacity-building to compete successfully for grants; technical assistance authority could help address that need if fully resourced.
Overall effect:
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Introduced January 30, 2025 by Jeff Merkley · Last progress January 30, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Introduced in Senate