RCRC’s sponsored Assembly Bill 1431, authored by Assembly Member Jim Frazier (D-Fairfield), passed out of the Senate Natural Resources & Water Committee on Tuesday with a recommendation for consent by Committee Chair Henry Stern (D-Los Angeles). The bill, which has had no opposition in either house, would codify various state goals for forest resilience and wildfire mitigation activities and require the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency to report annually on the progress of meeting those goals.
RCRC initially introduced the legislation to add statutory accountability behind California’s resilience and wildfire prevention plans such as the Forest Carbon Plan and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action plan. The state’s plans contain important goals, such as treating 500,000 acres of non-federal land annually by 2025 and creating a sustainable wood products market in the state, but no statutory requirements to follow through on the goals or maintain transparency to the Legislature and the public on their progress.
The bill will next be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee. RCRC’s letter of support can be viewed here, and the bill language here. For more information, contact Staci Heaton, RCRC Senior Regulatory Advocate, by email or call (916) 447-4806.