On Tuesday, the Board of Forestry (BOF) held a regulatory hearing to receive public comment on its Fire Safe Regulations proposal. The meeting, conducted by staff before the full board, marks the conclusion of the formal 45-day public comment period. The Board did not take action on the proposal, but simply listened to testimony.
Nearly 40 members of the public testified, including several county supervisors and staff, all expressing concerns with the current text in print. RCRC, the California State Association of Counties, and Urban Counties of California made detailed comments on the need for the Board to delay the rulemaking process and create a multidisciplinary working group of local representatives, including local fire and land use planning experts, to craft a more balanced proposal that considers wildfire risk mitigation, as well as the housing needs of the state. Additionally, the county associations submitted a detailed document that included a mark-up of requested amendments to the proposed rules. A letter submitted by Senators Weiner (D- San Francisco), Dodd (D- Napa), McGuire (D- Healdsburg) and Assemblymember Chui (D-San Francisco), echoed many of the same issues outlined in county comments.
RCRC also submitted a comprehensive comment letter outlining the adverse effects the proposal will have on the natural resources, economy and residents of RCRC member counties and further noting the BOF’s obligations under the California Administrative Act and the California Environmental Quality Act to assess the environmental and economic impacts of the regulations before moving forward.
The BOF staff must review the comments received during the 45-day comment period and respond to issues noted in those comments as part of the final rulemaking package. After consideration by the board, the proposal may move forward as currently drafted or be modified to address concerns raised during the public comment period. The full regulatory package can be accessed on the BOFs Proposed Rule Packages webpage. Please contact Tracy Rhine, RCRC Senior Legislative Affairs Advocate, by email for further information.