Wildfire Smoke Increasingly Getting Clean Air Act Exemption, Investigation Finds

More than 21 million Americans are breathing air that’s dirtier than official records indicate. That’s according to a new investigation from the California Newsroom, MuckRock and the Guardian. An obscure rule in the Clean Air Act allows regions to strike so-called “natural” and “exceptional events,” like wildfires, from their pollution data on grounds that they are beyond the control of local air regulators. Since 2016, counties in California have had 166 days of pollution forgiven. And this past summer during the Canadian wildfires, more than 20 other states invoked it. As wildfires become more frequent amid worsening climate change, air regulators are expecting to use the “exceptional events” rule more often, and some lawmakers are even trying to make filing easier. We’ll hear more about the investigation’s findings and answer your questions.

Related link(s):

• Smoke, Screened — The Clean Air Act’s Dirty Secret: An Investigation From the California Newsroom, Muckrock and the Guardian

Guests:

Molly Peterson, editor, The California Newsroom; has covered science with a focus on climate change for KQED News; co-author, “Smoke, Screened: The Clean Air Act’s Dirty Secret"

Emily Zentner, data journalist, The California Newsroom; co-author, “Smoke, Screened: The Clean Air Act’s Dirty Secret"