U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told reporters on Friday he has raised the issue of wildfires with Canada’s government, saying it has become a crucial cross-border matter alongside fentanyl.
Canada has experienced severe wildfires in recent months that have led to air quality problems on both sides of the border.
“There has been a lot of engagement between our offices specifically on the Canadian wildfires and its impact to the northern United States,” Zeldin said on the sidelines of a G7 energy and environment minister summit in Toronto.
“This led to lots of questions coming in from the United States, from the governors, the congressional delegation. So what Canada experienced, just like California, highlights the need for forest management,” he said.
(Reporting by Divya Rajagopal; writing by Richard Valdmanis; editing by William Maclean and Mark Heinrich)