California wildfires prompt scrutiny of federal and state rules that hinder mitigation efforts

Destroyer Wind-driven forest fires The disasters that struck Southern California this week have led some experts to criticize the impact of federal and state regulations on mitigation efforts.

Several wildfires are burning in the greater Los Angeles area including the Palisades Fire, which has destroyed an estimated 1,000 structures in Pacific Palisades and Malibu as of Wednesday, and the Eaton Fire near Altadena. At least five people died in the forest fires.

Evacuation orders have been issued for more than 70,000 area residents as strong Santa Ana winds of up to 100 mph continue to drive the fires.

The Golden State is struggling with devastating wildfires in both Southern California Northern California in recent years has prompted scrutiny of federal and state regulations that critics say make it difficult to conduct mitigation activities, such as prescribed burns or treatments to remove dangerous trees and plants.

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Chuck DeVore, a former member of the California State Assembly and chief national initiatives officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, told FOX Business in an interview that federal and state rules have hampered wildfire mitigation efforts, leading to increased amounts of fuel that have increased fire intensity. forest fires.

“The nature of the wildfire problem changes a little bit from north to south… In both cases, you have the problem of federally mandated air quality management areas and state mandates to clean the air. That makes it difficult to do that.” Prescribed burns “With the kind of frequency that needs to happen so we can reduce the fuel load,” DeFore said.

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“In Northern California as well as in much of… Pacific NorthwestHe explained that you had the issue of environmental regulations that came with the concern about the spotted owl that had pretty much destroyed the local timber industry. When timber companies come in and harvest the harvest, they clear the bushes and replant them. “And since that actually stopped, what happened is you had fire suppression combined with rapid forest growth and this huge accumulation of fuels that led to larger fires in the north.”

“In Southern California, you have a problem creating defensible space around any building, whether residential or commercial buildings,” DeFore said. “Ideally, it should be 100 feet, and in many cases it’s required and fire departments try to enforce it. But people forget, over time you live somewhere, and you like the way things look, and bushes and trees start encroaching on your property.” And don’t cut it properly.”

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Joe Reddan, a California registered professional forester and retired U.S. Forest Service forester, told FOX Business that federal and state policies can create “roadblocks” for property owners

“the California Environmental Quality Act “It’s a very laborious process to bring it to fruition where you can actually put treatments on the ground,” Redan said. “On the federal side of things, there is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the requirements that go with that including the federal Endangered Species Act, Archaeological Resource Protection and a myriad of other federal laws and procedural laws that you have to work through.”

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Redan explained that the increasing threat of fires in the urban wildland interface — a transitional area between unmanaged wildlands and human communities where there is large vegetation and fuel for wildfires — means property owners have to be “very committed to managing that vegetation so that it’s not overgrown” and easier to manage. In case of fire.

“Southern California gets it Santa Ana windsAnd this is just a weather phenomenon – you can’t prevent that, so what you have to do is mitigate everything else to protect your residents and your assets: your homes and your businesses from these fires… If that’s the case, wind-driven fires with a low amount of fuel, There will still be losses to homes etc., but it will be much easier to manage than having overgrown plants that release a lot of energy.

Redan noted that California has state and county programs aimed at helping homeowners and property owners in wildfire-prone areas create defensible space around their properties. However, he said the feeling among landlords that the worst won’t happen to them can lead to these programs being underutilized.

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“It’s a social problem, in my view. It’s that people become complacent — they become religious after they come to a Jesus meeting about these kinds of things — and then they become too complacent.”

“It’s hard to get people to invest 30% when California is paying you 70%. People don’t see the point in that. ‘Oh, I’m not going to get burned,’ and that kind of thing… If you can solve this problem, you can solve it.” “. “It will attract more people who want to invest and do the work necessary to protect their assets.”