Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) proclaimed a state of emergency in California ahead of peak wildfire season to bypass some regulations.
The governor’s office said the proclamation would “cut bureaucratic red tape” to bypass some environmental regulations, which slows down “critical” forest management projects. The proclamation comes nearly two months after fires devastated Los Angeles County, destroying thousands of homes and entire communities.
“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,” the governor 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,” Newsom continued.
Newsom took similar action in March 2019 to aid forest management projects ahead of one of the deadliest fire seasons in state history between 2019 and 2020.
The proclamation will temporarily suspend the California Environmental Quality Act, which requires public agencies to assess the environmental effect of their projects, and the Coastal Act, which serves as a guideline for how the land along the California coast is developed.
Some of these laws became the ire of President Donald Trump and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill as they claimed these were roadblocks to clearing areas prone to wildfires. Trump has long lamented that California does not do enough to clear flammable natural materials, but much of the land is managed by federal officials. More than half of California’s forests are federally managed, and the state manages roughly 3% of its forests.
The governor’s office additionally said the state will invest $2.5 billion to ramp up and implement the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. This will increase the pace of fuel reduction, prescribed fire, and forest health, and the governor’s office said all of the 99 key actions outlined in the plan are underway or completed. This investment is being made in addition to $200 million invested through 2028-29 for healthy forest and fire prevention programs.
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In January, the Palisades and Eaton Fires ravaged vast swaths of Southern California and became the state’s second and third most destructive wildfires in California history, respectively.
California wildfire season runs from mid-summer through October or November, but officials have said that wildfires can now be expected year-round due to climate change.