EPD published a public notice opening a 30-day public comment period on the draft demonstration, starting September 21, 2026.
IssueFranklin Countyunder consideration
Georgia EPD asks EPA to exclude 16 prescribed-fire PM2.5 days from Columbus-Baker monitor data
The request could keep smoke from controlled burns from counting against the Columbus area's compliance with the federal fine-particle pollution standard.
What happens next
A 30-day public comment period on the demonstration, which opened September 21, 2026, must close before EPD can submit it to EPA for concurrence.
At a glance
What this means now
The story
Georgia EPD's Air Protection Branch drafted an Exceptional Events Demonstration on September 21, 2026, requesting that EPA exclude 16 PM2.5 exceedance days recorded at the Columbus-Baker monitor between 2023 and 2025, which the agency says were caused by prescribed fires. EPD says excluding the days would lower the site's 2023-2025 design value for the 2024 annual PM2.5 standard from 9.7 to 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter.
The same draft also asks EPA to reconsider a separate deferred exceedance day from February 8, 2023, which measured 21.0 micrograms per cubic meter and which EPD had previously submitted for approval in 2025.
To support the exclusion, EPD argues the burns are consistent with the region's natural fire-return pattern, citing an actual fire return interval of 16.6 years for the Columbus area against a historic interval of 2 to 6 years.
EPD published a public notice opening a 30-day public comment period on the draft demonstration, starting September 21, 2026.
What happened
How this issue got here
Open any step for its supporting record. A proposal remains labeled as proposed until later evidence establishes an outcome.
Appeared on agendaproposedExceptional Events Demonstration requesting exclusion of 16 prescribed-fire-caused PM2.5 exceedance days at the Columbus-Baker monitor
the comparisons and analyses provided in Section 3 of this demonstration support our position that the prescribed fire events affected air quality
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Exceptional Events Demonstration requesting exclusion of 16 prescribed-fire-caused PM2.5 exceedance days at the Columbus-Baker monitor
the comparisons and analyses provided in Section 3 of this demonstration support our position that the prescribed fire events affected air quality
Appeared on agendaproposedReconsideration request for the deferred prescribed-fire exceedance day of 02/08/2023 at Columbus-Baker
Georgia EPD formally requests that EPA reconsider the one deferred day that was officially submitted for approval on September 19, 2025, and concur with the exclusion of the deferred and new events listed in Table 1.
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Reconsideration request for the deferred prescribed-fire exceedance day of 02/08/2023 at Columbus-Baker
Georgia EPD formally requests that EPA reconsider the one deferred day that was officially submitted for approval on September 19, 2025, and concur with the exclusion of the deferred and new events listed in Table 1.
Appeared on agendaproposedExceptional Event Demonstration for prescribed fire impacts on Columbus-Baker PM2.5 monitor
Georgia EPD requests that EPA review and concur that this demonstration shows that the 16 new prescribed fire events in Table 1 meet the requirements of the EER, resulting in exclusion of the associated 16 daily PM2.5 concentrations from regulatory decisions for the 2024 annual PM2.5 NAAQS
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Exceptional Event Demonstration for prescribed fire impacts on Columbus-Baker PM2.5 monitor
Georgia EPD requests that EPA review and concur that this demonstration shows that the 16 new prescribed fire events in Table 1 meet the requirements of the EER, resulting in exclusion of the associated 16 daily PM2.5 concentrations from regulatory decisions for the 2024 annual PM2.5 NAAQS
Appeared on agendaproposedExceptional Event Demonstration requesting EPA exclude 16 new prescribed-fire PM2.5 exceedance days at the Columbus-Baker monitor (2023-2025) from the 2024 annual PM2.5 NAAQS design value
This demonstration requests concurrence that the sixteen exceedances of the 2024 annual PM2.5 NAAQS measured at the Columbus-Baker site caused by prescribed fires on the dates listed in Table 1 be excluded from regulatory decision making.
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Exceptional Event Demonstration requesting EPA exclude 16 new prescribed-fire PM2.5 exceedance days at the Columbus-Baker monitor (2023-2025) from the 2024 annual PM2.5 NAAQS design value
This demonstration requests concurrence that the sixteen exceedances of the 2024 annual PM2.5 NAAQS measured at the Columbus-Baker site caused by prescribed fires on the dates listed in Table 1 be excluded from regulatory decision making.
Appeared on agendaproposedDraft Prescribed Fire Exceptional Event Demonstration for 2024 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS at Columbus, GA (2023-2025)
Draft Prescribed Fire Exceptional Event Demonstration for the 2024 Annual PM 2.5
NAAQS at Columbus, GA in 2023-2025
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Draft Prescribed Fire Exceptional Event Demonstration for 2024 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS at Columbus, GA (2023-2025)
Draft Prescribed Fire Exceptional Event Demonstration for the 2024 Annual PM 2.5 NAAQS at Columbus, GA in 2023-2025
Appeared on agendaproposedDetermination that prescribed fires near Columbus-Baker are consistent with natural fire return interval / human-activity-unlikely-to-recur criterion (40 CFR 50.14(c)(3)(iv)(E))
The overall actual fire return interval for the Columbus area is 16.6 years, which is far greater than the 2-6 years historic fire return interval
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Determination that prescribed fires near Columbus-Baker are consistent with natural fire return interval / human-activity-unlikely-to-recur criterion (40 CFR 50.14(c)(3)(iv)(E))
The overall actual fire return interval for the Columbus area is 16.6 years, which is far greater than the 2-6 years historic fire return interval
Appeared on agendaproposed30-day public comment period on the Columbus-Baker Exceptional Event Demonstration
Georgia EPD will hold a 30-day public comment period beginning September 21, 2026, to receive public input regarding the Exceptional Event Demonstration
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30-day public comment period on the Columbus-Baker Exceptional Event Demonstration
Georgia EPD will hold a 30-day public comment period beginning September 21, 2026, to receive public input regarding the Exceptional Event Demonstration
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