Sen. Dodd Introduces Roadside Wildfire Safety Bill

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, introduced legislation today that would help safeguard Californians from wildfires and protect the environment by streamlining the process for clearing combustible brush and trees from alongside roads.

“Many fires are caused by sparks and burning debris from cars that ignite dry brush near our roads,” Sen. Dodd said. “We must make it easier for firefighters to clear this vulnerable land and remove these flammable materials. It will help keep the public safe and defend our exposed forests.”

Under current state law, brush clearing for fire-prevention purposes is exempt from provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act if it is conducted within 30 feet of a structure. That distance can be extended to 100 feet of a structure if extra-hazardous fire conditions exist. Sen. Dodd’s new proposal, Senate Bill 1159, would require the Natural Resources Agency to consider granting a CEQA exemption to roadside vegetation management projects undertaken solely for wildfire risk reduction. Expediting these projects would reduce the possibility of roadside fires and improve evacuation routes, among other benefits. Also, eliminating red tape would decrease costs to treat roadside areas that currently present a financial burden to small agencies and under-resourced communities.

SB 1159 is expected to be supported by fire agencies statewide.

“Wildfire is a peril that threatens both lives and homes throughout,” said Dave Winnacker, chief of the Moraga-Orinda Fire District and member of the California Fire Chiefs Association. “Few areas are more critical than roadsides near populated areas. Commonsense legislation that streamlines the approval process to maintain these areas will allow more of our limited wildfire risk-reduction resources to be used for fuel mitigation work while reducing the time required for planning and approvals. We appreciate Sen. Dodd’s continued leadership in this area and look forward to this legislation being enacted.”

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Senator Bill Dodd represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes all or portions of Napa, Yolo, Sonoma, Solano, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties. More information on Senator Bill Dodd can be found at www.senate.ca.gov/dodd.