Today Governor Newsom’s office announced the launch of a new online permitting system designed to streamline approval for vegetation management projects, with the goal of reducing the permit processing time to 30 days. This initiative follows the Governor’s emergency proclamation issued on March 1, which suspends certain environmental regulations—including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Coastal Act—to accelerate fuel reduction efforts. Under this directive, non-state entities are permitted to carry out pre-approved fuels reduction projects through the simplified process. A centralized website is now available to determine project eligibility and submit suspension requests.
As part of this effort, a new Statewide Fuels Reduction Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) has been established, requiring applicants to implement best management practices to protect environmental resources while conducting fuels reduction work. The Governor’s office also highlighted progress made toward enhancing wildfire resilience, including $2.5 billion in investments since 2020, an additional $1.5 billion allocated through the 2024 Climate Bond, treatment of nearly 1.9 million acres for wildfire prevention and ecosystem health, the development of an Interagency Treatment Dashboard to enhance transparency, the distribution of $450 million by CAL FIRE for wildfire mitigation projects, and the expansion of aerial firefighting capabilities using advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence for early fire detection.