U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led a legislative hearing to review two pieces of proposed legislation: the Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act (WEPA) and S. 881, the Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act.
During her opening statement, Capito outlined the objectives of WEPA, which aims to remove obstacles for states in managing forests and reducing wildfire risks through prescribed burns. She emphasized that such measures would help protect public health and the environment. Capito also acknowledged Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) for introducing the Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act, which was discussed as part of efforts to consider alternative fuels in shipping.
Capito said, “I want to thank everybody for being here as we will discuss two pieces of legislation, a discussion draft titled the ‘Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act’ or WEPA; and S. 881, the Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act, which is sponsored by Senators Ricketts and Klobuchar. I thank the witnesses for traveling and coming.
“The WEPA discussion draft amends the exceptional events process to make it easier for states to manage their forests, to reduce wildfire risk, we see them all over the place, and to protect human health and the environment through prescribed burns. The Clean Air Act has been a success story. Since the Clean Air Act was signed into law in 1970, the U.S. has reduced criteria air pollutant emissions by 78 percent. That reduction is largely attributed to significant decreases in emissions from the energy and transportation sectors.
“Today, a large share of emissions that remain come from hard to abate sources, such as wildfires. Wildfires are growing in size and severity, and the National Academies found that wildfires pose an increasing threat to air quality and public health. In a 2024 fact sheet, the EPA estimated that wildland fires accounted for 44 percent of the nation’s primary emissions of fine particulate matter. Passing WEPA will help us to reduce those emissions.
“In 2023, many Americans experienced what western states have been dealing with for decades when smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the East Coast. There is little we can do to regulate wildfires and their emissions. We cannot install traditional air pollution control technology on a wildfire. However, we do have tools that can reduce their impact, like the use of prescribed burns.
“Studies consistently find that prescribed burns are a proven method to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires and their associated emissions. For example, Stanford University scientists recently found that prescribed burns can reduce the net emissions of subsequent wildfires by 14 percent. In 2021, the EPA determined that targeted prescribed burns could have reduced particulate matter emissions from the 2015 Rough Fire by 20 percent, and caused a 40 percent reduction in respiratory-related emergency room visits and premature deaths. However, prescribed burns are severely underutilized as a tool to mitigate wildfires.
“According to the GAO, the EPA’s air quality requirements limit the use of prescribed burns that reduce smoke from wildfires. This is because emissions from prescribed burns and wildfire smoke impact a state’s ability to comply with the EPA’s air quality requirements.
“The EPA’s ‘Exceptional Events Rule’ provides a mechanism to account for air pollution from wildfire smoke. However, this process is complex and resource intensive, and smoke from prescribed burns is treated less favorably than wildfire smoke. While the Exceptional Events Rule allows for prescribed burns in theory, the cumbersome process has limited states from using them in practice.
“The GAO stated that ‘state and local agencies may not use the provision because exceptional event demonstrations are technically complicated and resource intensive.’ Instead of going through this challenging process, state and local agencies often limit the number of eligible burn days to ensure they don’t have to use this process, which limits the use of prescribed burns.
“WEPA would ensure that states won’t be penalized for using prescribed burns and facilitate state leadership on actions that would mitigate wildfire risk. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about the environmental and public health benefits that would come from having WEPA signed into law.
“This morning, we will also discuss S. 881, the Renewable Fuel for Ocean-Going Vessels Act. Ocean-going vessels include large cargo ships used in transporting more than four-fifths of international goods globally—a statistic supported by industry data (https://unctad.org/news/80-world-goods-travel-sea-route). Currently biofuels are not recognized under existing federal renewable fuel standards as an approved fuel source for these ships—a gap addressed by S.881 if passed into law.
“S.881 amends [the] RFS [Renewable Fuel Standard] so U.S.-based companies can count biofuel-powered ocean-going vessels toward compliance,” Capito said during her remarks at today’s hearing session on alternative maritime fuels options being explored nationwide—including factors like cost-effectiveness compared with conventional marine fuels or compatibility with current infrastructure.”
The committee heard testimony on both bills’ potential impacts on environmental policy related both forest management practices aimed at curbing catastrophic fires—and support mechanisms encouraging adoption new clean energy technologies within maritime transport sector.
