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<\/p>\nSan Diego, CA… California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued guidance with best practices and mitigation measures for local governments considering approval of development projects in fire-prone areas. Wildfires are part of California\u2019s present, and as a result of climate change, increasingly part of California\u2019s future. Eight of the 10 largest wildfires in California history have occurred in the past decade. As local governments consider new development projects, it is imperative that they carefully analyze and mitigate wildfire impacts as part of the environmental review process required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The Attorney General\u2019s guidance is intended to help local governments design development projects in a way that minimizes impacts to wildfire ignition, emergency access, and evacuation, and protect California’s residents and the environment.<\/p>\n
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\u201cLocal governments have a responsibility to address\u00a0wildfire risks associated with\u00a0new development projects\u00a0early in the planning process\u00a0when\u00a0changes to these projects can still be made,\u201d\u00a0said Attorney General Bonta.\u00a0<\/b>\u201cThe climate crisis is here, and with it comes increasingly frequent and severe\u00a0wildfires that force mass evacuations, destroy\u00a0homes, and lead to tragic loss of life. We must build in a way that recognizes\u00a0this reality. This\u00a0guidance is intended to provide local governments with concrete considerations and specific mitigation measures for new developments in wildfire prone areas\u00a0so that five, 10, or 20 years down the line, we aren\u2019t faced with\u00a0a\u00a0catastrophe that could have been avoided.\u201d<\/p>\n
Recent changes in fire frequency, intensity, and location are posing increasing threats to the residents and environment of California. More acres of California have burned in the past decade than in the previous 90 years. While lightning has historically been a common cause of fire, in recent years, many of the state\u2019s most destructive fires have been caused by human activity, with\u00a0catastrophic consequences. Since 2010, wildfires have killed nearly 150 people in California, and since 2005, wildfires have destroyed over 97,000 structures, requiring mass evacuations and exacerbating California\u2019s housing crisis.<\/p>\n
Residential developments in the wildland-urban interface and other wildfire prone areas can significantly increase the risks of wildfires and the related risk to public safety. Introducing more people via additional development increases the likelihood of fire ignition, which may then develop into a wildfire. Building housing in the wildland-urban interface also puts more people in harm\u2019s way, and may hinder evacuation routes and emergency access.<\/p>\n
CEQA requires that state and local agencies disclose and evaluate the significant environmental impacts of locating development in areas susceptible to hazardous conditions \u2013 such as wildfire \u2013 and adopt all feasible mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate those impacts. The Attorney General\u2019s guidance is based on the California Department of Justice\u2019s experience reviewing, commenting on, and litigating\u00a0several\u00a0planned development projects in wildfire prone areas.<\/p>\n
The guidance sets out best practices and mitigation measures for topics including:<\/p>\n