California Construction News staff writer
A state of emergency has been declared accelerate critical forest management projects aimed at protecting communities from wildfires ahead of the peak fire season.
The emergency proclamation is intended to streamline regulatory processes and expedite the implementation of key wildfire mitigation efforts. By suspending certain environmental regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Coastal Act, the state hopes to eliminate bureaucratic delays that have hindered the pace of vital forest management projects.
“This action builds on years of work to increase forest management and wildfire resilience in the state,” Newsom said. “These are the forest management projects we need to protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we’re going to get them done.”
The proclamation includes several measures to speed up wildfire prevention efforts. These include the approval of vegetation and tree removal, the creation of fuel breaks, and the use of prescribed fires. Additionally, non-state entities will be permitted to conduct approved fuels reduction work with expedited approval, and state agencies are tasked with submitting recommendations to increase the use of prescribed fire in at-risk areas.
The Governor’s announcement follows an executive order signed last month that further expands efforts to improve community hardening and wildfire resilience across California.
“Building on work cutting red tape and making historic investments, we’re taking action with a state of emergency to fast-track critical wildfire projects even more,” Newsom added.
In 2019, the Governor took similar steps to expedite forest management projects ahead of particularly challenging fire seasons, with a focus on reducing the risk of wildfires.
This latest state of emergency aims to ensure that projects designed to reduce fuel loads and improve fire resilience are completed swiftly, providing additional protection for California’s communities in the face of an increasingly volatile wildfire season.
Governor Newsom took similar action in March 2019 to expedite forest management projects ahead of particularly challenging fire seasons in 2019 and 2020.
