Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday proclaimed a state of emergency “to fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire” ahead of the upcoming fire season.
The proclamation will cut bureaucratic red tape, including suspending the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Act, which Newsom said slowed down critical forest management projects.
“This year has already seen some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we’re only in March. Building on unprecedented 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 said in a statement.
“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 governor’s proclamation includes:
- Suspending environmental regulations, including CEQA and the Coastal Act, as needed to expedite fuel reduction projects. Projects include vegetation and tree removal, adding fuel breaks, prescribed fire, and more.
- Allowing non-state entities to conduct approved fuel reduction work with expedited and streamlined approval.
- Directing state agencies to submit recommendations for increasing the pace and scale of prescribed fire.
- Increasing the California Vegetation Treatment Program’s (CalVTP) efficiency and utilization, to continue promoting rapid environmental review for large wildfire risk reduction treatments.
Newsom took similar action in March 2019 to expedite forest management projects ahead of fire seasons in 2019 and 2020.
