SACRAMENTO — Action for Wildfire Resiliency, a coalition representing labor, business, public safety, environmental, seniors and community groups today applauded the State Assembly for approving and sending AB 1054 (Holden, Mayes, Burke) to the Governor’s desk.
The following is a statement from coalition spokesperson Robin Swanson:
“Action for Wildfire Resiliency applauds the leadership of the Governor on this critical issue, and the recognition by both houses of the legislature that our state’s wildfire laws are woefully out of date and have not kept pace with the heightened risk of wildfires in California. The overwhelming and bipartisan vote in both houses reflects widespread recognition that the cost of inaction was far too great.
“Legislative passage of AB 1054 is a critical step towards helping California better prevent, prepare for and respond to our new wildfire normal and we are hopeful the Governor soon signs the bill into law.
“Beyond passage of AB 1054, we recognize more can and should be done to reduce the risk of wildfires and ensure sufficient resources are available to fight fires when they do occur. We look forward to continuing to engage in these important issues when the legislature returns.”
AB 1054 will:
- Hold the state’s investor-owned electric utilities accountable for completing their wildfire mitigation plans to harden utility infrastructure, clear vegetation and invest in state-of the art weather monitoring.
- Require electric utilities and their shareholders to pay if a utility’s misconduct contributes to a fire.
- Protect victims and communities struck by wildfires by ensuring adequate resources to rebuild when fires do occur.
To learn more about Action for Wildfire Resiliency and our policy principles, visit: https://www.wildfireaction.com
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