S. 5145 — Wildfire Air Quality Sensor Expansion Act of 2026

This section states congressional findings that wildfire smoke causes negative health outcomes including respiratory and cardiac issues, that rural areas often lack air quality monitoring and risk communication, and that lower-cost air sensors can provide quicker pollutant readings than traditional monitors.

This section establishes definitions for terms used throughout the Act, including the Administrator as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, air sensors as non-regulatory devices measuring PM2.5, ground-level ozone, or wildfire smoke pollutants, and standard meanings drawn from the Clean Air Act and title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations for air monitors, air pollution control agencies, Indian tribes, and wildfires.

This section authorizes air pollution control agencies to use grants under sections 103 and 105 of the Clean Air Act to purchase and operate portable air sensors and related equipment.

This section provides competitive grants to air pollution control agencies to purchase and operate portable air sensors, with priority for remote or rural areas, locations lacking air quality data, and communities affected by wildfire smoke. Recipients must share and adjust sensor data for public mapping tools. It authorizes $10 million annually for fiscal years 2027 through 2032. This section expands existing Environmental Protection Agency air sensor loan programs, including the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology program, to additional regions, states, and tribal lands most impacted by wildfires, authorizing such sums as necessary for the same period.

This section directs the Administrator to provide technical assistance on portable air sensor placement, type selection, maintenance, data management, and quality assurance project plans to recipients of assistance under the programs in section 5 and Clean Air Act sections 103 and 105. It requires prioritization for recipients in remote or rural areas lacking monitors, areas with scarce air quality data, or communities affected by wildfire and smoke, and authorizes such sums as necessary for fiscal years 2027 through 2032.

This section directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and make publicly available nationally consistent quality assurance project plan templates for air sensor programs within 180 days of enactment, after consulting with regional offices and stakeholders, that meet the requirements of 2 CFR 1500.12.