Bill > AB623

This bill requires the Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency to report to the Legislature by January 1, 2028, on their implementation of a state of emergency proclamation issued in March 2025, which expedited critical fuels reduction projects by suspending certain regulations. These reports will detail entities that requested and used these suspensions, information about the projects including location and acreage, how they contribute to wildfire mitigation, and any known noncompliance with environmental plans. Additionally, the California Coastal Commission must also report to the Legislature by January 1, 2028, on fuel modification and reduction projects approved under coastal development permits and public works plans between 2020 and 2026, including acreage and processing times. Furthermore, the bill exempts fuel modification projects for defensible space (up to 500 feet around structures) and fuel reduction projects to prevent wildfire spread from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements, which is the state's process for evaluating environmental impacts of projects, and also exempts electrical grid resilience or hardening projects from CEQA. It also exempts these fuel modification and reduction projects from needing a coastal development permit, which is a permit required for development in the coastal zone.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB623