An Inland Empire lawmaker introduced legislation Tuesday that he says would immediately amend the state’s regulatory apparatus to eliminate “bureaucratic” stumbling blocks that get in the way of fighting wildfires.
“Los Angeles is experiencing a historically destructive wildfire as a result of decades of failed policies and leadership,” Assemblyman Bill Essayli, R-Norco, said. “In addition to funding recovery efforts, we must enact significant policy reforms to protect against predictable, preventable wildfires. My wildfire legislative package will exempt all wildfire prevention projects, controlled burns and the under-grounding of utility power lines from bureaucratic environmental red tape.”
Essayli, with support from Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Chico, submitted ABX 1-7, which would remove all wildfire prevention projects from California Environmental Quality Act standards.
He additionally introduced ABX 1-8, which would permit controlled burns anytime to wipe out overgrowth and excess vegetation, without running afoul of California Air Resources Board prohibitions dealing with smoke, as well as ABX 1-9 to permit placing electrical transmission lines underground with automatic CEQA exemptions.
“If California doesn’t want to see another ZIP code get wiped off the map by a devastating wildfire, we need to get serious about reducing the fuel loads and ignition sources for these blazes,” Gallagher said. “It’s unacceptable that these safety projects keep getting tied up in bureaucratic delays. This fuels reduction work saves lives, and it’s time to make it a priority.”
The bills were put forward as the Legislature proceeds in a Special Session convened by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has engaged in back-and-forth verbal sniping with Essayli. The former federal prosecutor was among those who demanded a Special Session to address the Los Angeles County emergency a day after the Eaton and Palisades wildfires erupted earlier this month during a Santa Ana windstorm.