Department of the Interior

The White House has issued a presidential determination exempting wildfire suppression work from water pollution rules at the federal, state and local levels. The exemption covers firefighting by the Forest Service, the Interior Department and other agencies, plus their contractors, including aerial drops of fire retardant.

It does not waive two specific sections of federal water pollution law, and some of these operations are already the subject of a court case in Montana.

The exemption runs for one year, from November 10, 2026 through November 10, 2027.

Presidential Determination Concerning Wildfire Suppression Activities in the United States - The White House

US Politics Daily@uspoliticsdaily

House Democrats want the Interior Department to preserve records on Trump's Washington construction projects, after whistleblowers said key paperwork has already been destroyed. Interior calls the claims false.

Rep. Jared Huffman, who takes over the House Natural Resources Committee in January, is sending preservation letters Tuesday to federal agencies and donor companies such as Lockheed Martin and John Deere.

The administration is rushing ahead with projects like a triumphal arch and an East Potomac golf course, and the committee is ready to issue subpoenas.

First on CNN: Whistleblowers tell Democrats documents linked to Trump’s construction projects are being destroyed