This Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) has been developed to fulfill Governor Newsom’s State of Emergency Proclamation (SOE) signed on March 1, 2025 seeking to expedite fuels reduction projects that protect communities and reduce severe risks of catastrophic wildfire. This EPP enables critical wildfire safety projects to proceed expeditiously while protecting public health and the environment. It does so by identifying the protective measures that will be followed by projects that have received suspension from state permitting requirements under the SOE.

This EPP provides Best Management Practices (BMPs) and measures to minimize impacts to environmental resources while completing fuels reduction projects. Specifically, these BMPs have been designed to protect air quality, water quality, Tribal cultural resources, special-status species, their habitat, and other habitat resources.
The BMPs were jointly developed by the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Fish and Wildfire (CDFW), California Coastal Commission (CCC), State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and Nine Regional Water Quality Control Boards (RWQCB) (collectively, Water Boards), and California Air Resources Board (CARB).
Please note that the SOE suspensions only apply to State statutes, rules, and regulations, and that compliance with all local and federal statutes, rules, and regulations is still required.

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