U.S. Republicans Demand Canadian Action on Smoke from Wildfires Impacting American Communities

A coalition of six Republican members of the U.S. Congress from Wisconsin and Minnesota has expressed concern over wildfire smoke originating from Canada, which they say has significantly affected air quality in parts of the United States this summer.

In a letter addressed to Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the United States, the lawmakers emphasized that summer is traditionally a season for outdoor activities and family gatherings, but the pervasive wildfire smoke has made such pursuits challenging.

The letter called on Canadian authorities to outline their plans for addressing the ongoing wildfires and criticized what the lawmakers described as insufficient forest management, which they claim has contributed to the ‘suffocating’ smoke affecting U.S. communities.

Tom Tiffany, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin and one of the letter’s signatories, stated that American communities should not bear the consequences of poor environmental decisions made beyond the border. The correspondence was also endorsed by Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin and Minnesota representatives Brad Finstad, Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer, and Michelle Fischbach.

Responding to the letter, a spokesperson for the Canadian Embassy highlighted that Canada remains committed to the prevention, response, and mitigation of wildfires.

Meanwhile, Wab Kinew, the premier of Manitoba—a Western Canadian province severely impacted by wildfires that claimed two lives in May—criticized the letter, accusing the U.S. lawmakers of downplaying the severity of the wildfire season and the losses endured by his province.

Although arson has been mentioned by some U.S. officials as a contributing factor to the wildfires, the majority of the fires have been ignited by lightning strikes. Many affected areas are so remote that conventional forest management practices like prescribed burns or vegetation thinning are not feasible.

According to the Canadian federal government, approximately 45 percent of public forest land is actively managed, while 30 percent remains unmanaged.

Wildfires also play a vital ecological role in boreal forests by creating canopy openings that allow sunlight to nurture undergrowth and enriching soil through the deposition of burned organic material.

Canada, home to some of the largest boreal forests globally, is familiar with seasonal wildfire cycles. However, the 2023 fire season was unprecedented, with record-breaking acreage burned. The resulting smoke, especially from Quebec, caused the skies over New York City to turn an alarming orange hue.

Michael Waddington, a professor at McMaster University specializing in wildfire-forest dynamics, noted that climate warming is increasing the vulnerability of these landscapes to fires.

He pointed out that, while the United States is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions fueling climate change, China remains the largest emitter globally.

It is worth noting that the United States withdrew from the Paris climate agreement in 2020 and again in early 2024 following political developments.

Canadian officials anticipate that this year’s wildfire season will not reach the extreme levels seen two years ago. Nonetheless, air quality alerts were issued in May and June across U.S. states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota due to smoke from Canadian fires.

To date, nearly 12 million acres—an area roughly twice the size of Vermont—have been consumed by wildfires in Canada, prompting temporary evacuations for more than 30,000 residents. Manitoba has declared a state of emergency for the second time this year in response to the ongoing fire threat.