An act to add Section 21088.1 to the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental quality.
Summary
AB 1456 would require the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to update the California Vegetation Treatment Program’s Final Program Environmental Impact Report (FPEIR) by January 1, 2027. The update must expand the geographic area treated under the program to additional portions of the state suitable for vegetation treatment, including ecological restoration, fuel breaks, and wildland-urban interface fuel reduction, regardless of fire suppression responsibility designation. It must also address biomass disposal from treatment projects, including possible commercial sale for cost recovery, and incorporate provisions recognizing cultural and ecological restoration, indigenous knowledge, tribal ecological knowledge, and cultural burning as a covered treatment activity.
The bill also allows public agencies to partner with federally recognized California Native American tribes to carry out projects under the FPEIR within the agency’s jurisdiction. While the update is being prepared, the existing FPEIR would remain in effect and continue to support project-specific environmental review for vegetation treatment projects. The bill is framed as a CEQA-related measure that modifies how a program environmental impact report is used for vegetation management and wildfire resilience work.
Impact
AB 1456 would add Section 21088.1 to the Public Resources Code and direct the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection to revise the 2019 California Vegetation Treatment Program FPEIR. In practice, it would broaden the program’s applicability, clarify that cultural burning and tribal ecological practices are covered treatment activities, and require consideration of biomass handling in project descriptions. It would also preserve the current FPEIR’s effectiveness during the update process, affecting state and local agencies that rely on the program EIR for vegetation treatment projects and potentially expanding opportunities for tribal partnerships.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have generally favorable support in committee and on the floor, with multiple unanimous or near-unanimous votes and no recorded opposition in the provided vote history. The measure advanced through the Assembly and Senate committees with do-pass recommendations, suggesting broad agreement on the need to update vegetation treatment environmental review to support wildfire prevention, ecological restoration, and tribal participation. Its later placement on suspense file indicates fiscal or procedural caution rather than clear policy opposition.
Contention
The main policy issues appear to be the scope of the expanded treatable landscape, the inclusion of biomass disposition and commercial sale for cost recovery, and how broadly the program should recognize cultural burning and indigenous/traditional ecological knowledge. Another likely point of discussion is the bill’s interaction with CEQA and whether expanding the FPEIR could affect environmental review rigor or project oversight. The bill’s fiscal referral and suspense-file placement suggest that implementation costs or administrative impacts may be the primary area of concern, even though no direct opposition is reflected in the vote summaries provided.
An act to amend Sections 30519 and 30610 of, and to add and repeal Sections 21080.06 and 30618 of, Section 21080.7 of the Public Resources Code, relating to wildfire safety.