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Environmental laws could create barriers to the rebuilding of damaged buildings, in response to concerns that environmental protection efforts could delay redevelopment in coastal areas. Southern California wildfires will be temporarily suspended.
Homes along California’s scenic Pacific Coast Highway were destroyed in a fire that began on January 7 and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and buildings.
“We were worried they wouldn’t let us rebuild,” said Teddy Leonard, owner of the Reel Inn, a seafood restaurant that had been operating on the Malibu coast since the 1980s and burned down in January . “It’s very scary.”
California law currently requires people who want to build homes to go through a lengthy process environmental review process Until approval is granted, but state officials say the process will not be available to victims of recent fires seeking to rebuild damaged buildings.
Homes along the Pacific Coast Highway were destroyed by the Palisades Fire on Sunday, January 12, 2025, in Malibu, California. (Mark J. Trier)
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a review to weigh any potential environmental impacts before a building permit is approved. Another state law, the California Coastal Act, focuses on development as it relates to “protecting sensitive coastal and marine habitats and biological diversity.”
California wildfires prompt review of federal, state rules hampering mitigation efforts
Both laws were suspended on Sunday after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order suspending the environmental review process to protect those unfortunate enough to lose their homes.
“After the fires are extinguished, victims who lost their homes and businesses must be able to rebuild quickly and without hindrance,” Newsom said in a statement.
California Governor Gavin Newsom (right) inspects the Pacific Palisades downtown business district as the Palisades Fire continues to burn in Los Angeles on January 8, 2025. (Eric Thayer)
“The executive order I signed today will help reduce permitting delays, an important first step in allowing our communities to recover faster and stronger. I am also ordering our state agencies to find additional ways to streamline the rebuilding and recovery process ,” he added.
CEQA has been opposed for years by critics, including environmentalists, who say the bill is restrictive and costly.
Eric Buescher, an attorney for the San Francisco Baykeeper, an environmental nonprofit dedicated to “holding polluters accountable,” reportedly said of the state law in 2022: “I don’t think anyone Really think CEQA works exactly the way it should? Head to your local outlet, Bay Nature.
Aerial shot of California fires. (X/Charles V. Payne)
“Developers say there are too many restrictions. Cities say it’s expensive and impossible to comply with,” Buescher said. “Environmental groups say you can’t even get projects built for sea level rise to undergo sea level rise review in a timely manner. ”
Many of the Malibu homes destroyed by the fire are located on beaches along the Pacific Coast Highway, and their reconstruction may need to comply with local land regulations designed to protect the natural shoreline.
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President Biden announced On Thursday, the federal government will cover all costs for debris removal and California fire management for 180 days.
