U.S. Senator Plans Bill to Sanction Canada Over Wildfire Smoke

Sen. Bernie Moreno announced Thursday that he will introduce legislation next week to sanction Canada and Canadian officials over wildfires that have sent smoke across the United States. The Hill reported that Moreno posted the announcement on X and shared an image of a deserted boulevard in Cleveland with buildings shrouded in haze.

His office criticized Canadian officials for failing to contain the fires and said they should have invested in forest thinning, fuel reduction, prescribed burns and stronger enforcement against arson. Major cities including Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Minneapolis recorded dangerous air quality readings on Thursday.

Smoke reached New York, where it obscured the Manhattan skyline and produced orange-tinged skies.

Four Republican members of the House wrote a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney stating this is the third consecutive year they have raised the issue. The letter said the United States may send its agencies into Canada to manage the problem and will explore direct involvement in cross-border fuel reduction and firefighting capacity if Canada does not act.

“We are done accepting apologies in place of action,” the lawmakers wrote.