Newsom suspends California environmental protection law to remove ‘curtains’ for wildfire victims rebuilding homes

In response to concerns that environmental protection efforts could delay reconstruction in the coastal zone, environmental laws that could have created obstacles to rebuilding structures that had been destroyed Wildfires in Southern California will be temporarily suspended.

Homes along California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway have been gutted by a devastating wildfire that has destroyed more than 10,000 homes and buildings since January 7.

“We’re afraid they won’t let us rebuild,” said Teddy Leonard, owner of the Reel Inn, a seafood restaurant that has been serving the Malibu coast since the 1980s and burned down in January. – It’s very scary.

California law currently requires people who want to build to pass a long term environmental assessment process pending a permit, but state officials say that process will not apply to victims of the recent fire who want to rebuild their lost structures.

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The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a review to weigh any potential environmental impacts before a building permit is issued. Another state law, the California Coastal Act, addresses development in connection with the “conservation of sensitive coastal and marine habitat and biodiversity.”

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Both laws were suspended Sunday for those who tragically lost their homes after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order suspending the environmental review process.

“When fires are extinguished, victims who lost their homes and businesses should be able to rebuild quickly and without roadblocks,” Newsom said in a statement.

“The executive order I signed today will help reduce permitting delays, which is an important first step in getting our communities back faster and stronger. I also ordered our government bodies to identify additional ways to streamline the process of reconstruction and recovery,” he added. .

For years, CEQA has faced pushback from critics, including environmentalists who say it is restrictive and costly.

“I don’t think anyone really thinks that CEQA is working the way it’s supposed to,” Eric Buescher, an attorney with the environmental nonprofit San Francisco Baykeeper, which works to “hold polluters accountable,” said in 2022 about state law, according to the local Bay Nature outlet.

“Developers say it’s too restrictive. Cities say it’s expensive and impossible to enforce,” Buescher said. “Environmental groups say you can’t even get a timely review of a project that’s going to be built to raise sea levels.”

Many of the homes in Malibu that were destroyed by the fires were located on the beach along Pacific Coast Highway, and their redevelopment could be subject to local land regulations aimed at preserving the natural shoreline.

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President Biden announced on Thursday, the federal government will cover all debris removal and firefighting costs in California for 180 days.