California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: prescribed fire, thinning, and fuel reduction projects.

Assembly Member Hadwick's proposal to exempt certain wildfire prevention projects from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements targets communities with single evacuation routes, aiming to expedite critical fire management activities. The legislation would allow prescribed fire, thinning, and fuel reduction projects in these specific areas to proceed without undergoing CEQA's environmental review process.

The measure modifies existing CEQA provisions, which currently require environmental impact reports or negative declarations for projects that could affect the environment, including certain fire management activities. While CEQA already exempts some wildfire prevention projects on federal lands, this proposal extends similar treatment to projects in communities where limited evacuation options may heighten wildfire risks.

Local agencies would retain responsibility for determining whether specific projects qualify for the exemption. The bill authorizes these agencies to implement service charges or fees to cover associated administrative costs, with no state reimbursement required for this mandated local program. This funding mechanism places financial responsibility at the local level while maintaining oversight of exemption applications.