Updated Letter to Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry in Opposition of Assembly Bill 338 (Aguiar-Curry)
MEDIA CONTACT:
Justin Caporusso
Executive Director/MCWRA
ExecutiveDirector.mcwra11@gmail.com
(916) 412-0571
Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA) submitted an updated letter in opposition of Assembly Bill 338 (Aguiar-Curry), relating to public works. AB 338 seeks to expand the definition of “public works” to include fuel reduction work paid for in whole or in part out of public funds performed as part of a fire mitigation project, including, but not limited to, residential chipping, rural road fuel breaks, fire breaks, and vegetation management.
“On behalf of the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA), we write to respectfully maintain our opposition to Assembly Bill 338 relating to public works. While recent amendments to the bill are a step in the right direction, they are insufficient to address MCWRA’s concerns. The proposed bill would inhibit the growth, pace and scale of forest management work that needs to be conducted in California and interfere with small communities’ ability to complete timely fire mitigation projects to safeguard residents and infrastructure or retain local workforce. We support policies that would bring high-quality, good paying jobs to rural areas; however, without meaningful and dedicated resources from the state, the financial impacts the legislation imposes will significantly reduce the ability to achieve our shared goals of effectively managing forested lands and preventing wildfire. We believe this legislative approach is premature, and that at a minimum a robust wage data survey must be completed before advancing this legislation. In addition, we would strongly encourage further increasing the exemption threshold to a minimum of $5 million (e.g., 2,000-acre project size at $2,500/acre average cost) to facilitate the pace and scale necessary to achieve effective fuels management. We believe that an alternative solution is needed that will not threaten lives, homes, and livelihoods in California’s rural communities.”
– Scott Ratterman, MCWRA President
Click here to review the letter.
Other MCWRA legislative letters and positions can be found here.
