Newsom suspends landmark environmental laws to speed up wildfire prevention efforts
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency on Saturday, suspending two landmark state environmental laws to speed up measures he said needed to protect communities from devastating wildfires.
Newsom has suspended the California Environmental Quality Act and the California Coastal Act, the two-month anniversary of the Palisade and Eaton Fires, and the state prepares for the summer and fall fire seasons.
The California Environmental Quality Act, known as the CEQA, requires local and state agencies to determine and mitigate the environmental impact of their work. The California Coastal Law provides for coastal development and protection.
The governor’s move came when Newsom asked Congress for nearly $40 billion in fire aid, while President Trump and his allies attacked the state’s wildfire management. After the fire in January, Trump said California should do better to prevent the fire. His critics point to his federal government owns more than half of the state’s forest land, while the state owns 3%.
This month, Presidential Envoy Ric Grinell said the federal government had “conditions” to California, picking the California Coastal Commission (established by voters and implemented by the Coastal Act) and said it should “appropriate funds.”
The governor’s office said the legal move will quickly track vegetation and remove trees and create fuel disruptions and allow faster approval of more, larger planned forest management fires.
Newsom said in a statement that the suspension of regulations was part of his work on “cutting traditional tape festivals and making historical investments.”
“We need to protect communities that are most vulnerable to wildfires,” he said.
In January, Newsom relaxed the requirement for reconstruction permits for both behaviors and scrutiny of fire victims, saying he would not “not give up” the state’s environmental rules, but for those “delaying denials”, for those who have “life, tradition, tear, tear, tear).”
In 2019, Newsom also announced a state of emergency and suspension of environmental regulations that belong to the California Environmental Protection Agency and the California Natural Resources Agency to speed up fire prevention programs. The previous year, a camp fire broke out in Northern California, almost destroying the town of Paradise.
