Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden introduced three bills to help combat the effects of wildfire smoke, and recover from the damage it causes.  The Wildfire Smoke Emergency Declaration Act would allow the president to declare a “smoke emergency” when wildfire smoke creates hazardous air quality conditions, authorizing federal agencies to provide emergency assistance to communities.  The Smoke Planning and Research Act would provide federal funding to help communities research, develop, and implement plans to help mitigate smoke by establishing four Centers of Excellence at colleges, authorizes $20 million in funding through the Environmental Protection Agency to study the public health impacts of smoke, and create an EPA grant program to help local communities plan and respond to wildfire smoke.  The Wildfire Smoke Relief Act would provide federal emergency assistance to at-risk individuals in areas with unhealthy air quality caused by wildfires by authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide low-cost home improvements and smoke inhalation prevention equipment when wildfire smoke causes unhealthy air quality levels for three consecutive days, plus transitional sheltering assistance in extreme circumstances.