California walks environmental tightrope to further wildfire prevention

California Governor's Office

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has suspended the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act to help speed rebuilding efforts in the wake of the Los Angeles area wildfires.

The actions were part of a fire state of emergency declared Saturday to foster forest clearing efforts to reduce flammable brush with the aim of securing $40 billion in federal disaster aid to help rebuild Los Angeles.

In his statement, Newsom said the state of emergency will "fast-track critical projects protecting communities from wildfire, ahead of peak fire season." He contends environmental regulations are slowing critical forest management projects.

"This year has already seen some of the most destructive wildfires in California history, and we're only in March," Newsom said.

The California Environmental Quality Act requires local and state agencies to identify and mitigate environmental impacts of their work. The California Coastal Act lays out regulations for coastal development and protection.

Both environmental regulations require environmental assurances are in place prior to construction but have been seen over the years by builders as roadblocks to getting projects done.

President Donald Trump and Republicans have described the state's environmental and coastal regulations as thwarting fire prevention efforts.
Trump was pilloried for comments related to forest clearing during his first administration when he suggested state leaders need to "rake the forests," a reference to clearing dead brush, particularly as much of the state's heavily forested areas fall on federal, not state land.

Newsom, who had pushed for a $25 million war chest in his January proposed budget to fund lawsuits to combat Trump proposals to clawback federal money from the state, has taken a more conciliatory stance toward the president as he works to secure federal funding to help the Los Angeles region recover from the fires.

A UCLA Anderson report estimated total property and capital losses are ranging between $95 billion and $164 billion, with insured losses estimated at $75 billion. The two largest fires — Eaton and Palisades — resulted in 28 deaths and destroyed over 16,240 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

The work builds on prior forest management projects and is needed to "protect our communities most vulnerable to wildfire, and we're going to get them done," Newsom said.

In January, Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Bass also signed executive orders suspending the same environmental protections to speed up the rebuilding of homes lost during the fires.

"This unprecedented natural disaster warrants an unprecedented response that will expedite the rebuilding of homes, businesses and communities," Bass said in a statement.

Among actions outlined in Bass' order was the creation of a one-stop shop to swiftly issue permits in impacted areas, directing city departments to expedite all building permit/review inspections, bypassing state CEQA discretionary review and allow rebuilding of "like for like," according to the proclamation.