Forest Service Chief Randy Moore told senators Wednesday he’s not sure the prescribed fires his agency uses to make forests healthier can stand up to federal air pollution rules.
At an Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Moore said he’s a strong supporter of prescribed burning in fire-adapted forests, which can prevent future wildfires from becoming catastrophic.
But the smoke from the controlled burning might put areas out of attainment with recently tightened national ambient air quality standards despite EPA’s assertion that officials can sometimes make exceptions, he said.
“To me, it’s still a little uncertain,” Moore told the Interior-Environment Subcommittee at a hearing on the Forest Service’s budget request for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
