State Senator Bill Dodd has introduced a new bill for speeding up the removal of combustible materials along roads. 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. Senator Dodd’s new proposal, SB 1159, would require the Natural Resources Agency to consider granting a CEQA exemption to roadside vegetation management projects undertaken solely for wildfire risk reduction. Among other benefits, expediting these projects would reduce the possibility of roadside fires and improve evacuation routes.
