1. Utility Wildfire General Order Adopted Unanimously The board adopted a statewide general order for covered utility wildfire prevention, post-fire response, and operations and maintenance work. The order excludes activities in 2020 Census-defined urban areas or within the boundaries of municipal separate storm sewer systems covered by discharge permits. Category A provides a non-notifying, no-fee pathway for lower-risk work; Category B generally requires notification, inspections, reporting, and applicable fees, with expedited and consolidated enrollment options. The order takes effect October 20, 2027. The board also certified a programmatic environmental impact report that identified unavoidable, potentially significant impacts to aesthetics, cultural resources, and tribal cultural resources. Its statement of overriding considerations cited the benefits of reducing catastrophic wildfire risk. Those findings do not mean every covered project will have significant impacts. The board directed staff to return, after further engagement, with a proposed erosivity-based enrollment pathway for consideration and recommendations concerning herbicide and pesticide reporting. Neither was adopted as a new permit requirement. Covered vegetation management and infrastructure work can pose erosion and runoff risks to nearby waters.
Already have an account? Sign In
