Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday called for the White House to double its deployment of firefighters to combat wildfires raging across Canada, saying more help is needed to prevent a “summer of smoke” in New York.
The request by Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, came days after air quality in New York City reached hazardous levels as smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the northeastern U.S. Air quality improved to moderate levels over the weekend thanks to wind gusts pushing away the smoke, according to the National Weather Service.
“Last week, New Yorkers stepped outside feeling like they were living in a chimney,” said Schumer. “To prevent another chimney-like experience from happening, we need to take action. We need to get at these fires at their source. so that we don’t suffer another wave or next week or the week after.”
Schumer said the U.S. Forest Service should deploy 600 firefighters to help put out wildfires in Quebec, Canada — up from the 300 currently working to put out fires up north.
Schumer’s comments came after Mayor Eric Adams was criticized by other local elected officials for failing to respond quickly enough to the crisis and warn vulnerable residents of health risks associated with the smoke. Adams last week said he was alerted to the declining air quality on Tuesday and told his family members about its risks— but an announcement from his office about the situation wasn’t released until 11:30 p.m. that day.
Schumer on Sunday touted recently securing $7 billion through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and Inflation Reduction Act for forest and wildfire management.
“The best way to ensure New York and other parts of the U.S. do not suffer another wave of wildfire air pollution from these fires is to contain them as soon as possible,” said Schumer. “That will not be easy, but the federal government must explore all options on the table to keep Americans safe.”
“We want to prevent a summer of smoke across New York…
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