MOUNTAIN COUNTIES, Calif. (APRIL 29, 2024) – The Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA) Board of Directors has adopted official positions on a number of proposals currently making their way through California’s legislative process.  MCWRA is weighing in on proposals impacting the association’s strategic priorities, including California’s headwaters, water rights, and forest management.

“I’d like to thank the MCWRA Legislative Committee for their work in identifying the bills that most impact our members,” said Scott Ratterman, MCWRA President and Calaveras County Water District Director.  “Our mission is to promote the statewide importance of Sierra Nevada water resources through advocacy and collaboration, and we look forward to engaging in the legislative process to advance this mission.”

A synopsis of the proposals that MCWRA is actively advocating on include:

AB 2330 (Holden): Fuels Management Streamlining – SUPPORT

Would require the Department of Fish and Wildlife to, within 90-days of receiving an application, authorize through permits or memorandum of understanding the take of endangered species, threatened species, and candidate species incidental to any routine fuel management activities conducted by local agencies on lands that are within moderate, high, or very high fire hazard severity zones and adjacent to Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas.

AB 3023 (Papan): Aligning State Investments for Fire, Water Security, Climate, Biodiversity and Conservation – SUPPORT

Would align planning and funding efforts related to forest and wildfire resilience efforts, watershed restoration to protect the state water supplies, reducing greenhouse gasses, and preventing further collapse of wildlife populations and our natural heritage.

AB 3219 (Sanchez): Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation: Local Governments – SUPPORT IF AMENDED

Would provide that the requirements of the Advanced Clean Fleet Regulation do not apply to the purchase by a local government of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 8,500lbs if the price of the zero-emission version is more than an unspecified percentage of the price of a comparable internal combustion engine version of that vehicle.

SB 945 (Alvarado-Gil): The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act – SUPPORT

Would require state agencies, led by the Department of Public Health, to build a database that measures wildfire specific impacts to health combined with data that measures wildfire fuels mitigation investments. The data will support policy makers, public health officials and forest health management by comprehensively understanding how fuels mitigation investments mitigate the detrimental effects of wildfire smoke on California’s environment and population. Currently, this data does not exist.

SB 1088 (Alvarado-Gil): Office of Emergency Services: State Matching Funds: Water System Infrastructure Improvements – SUPPORT

Would establish a Rural and Small Community Fire Resilience Program within the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to work in coordination with the Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board to develop a program for the distribution of state matching funds to communities within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) to improve water system infrastructure.

SB 1159 (Dodd): California Environmental Quality Act: Exemption: Roadside Wildfire Risk Reduction Projects – SUPPORT

Would direct the California Natural Resources Agency and the Office of Planning and Research (OPR) to consider including certain limited roadside wildfire risk reduction projects, in the class of projects that are categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The health of Sierra Nevada’s watersheds and water resources are of value and critical importance to all Californians.  MCWRA is committed to working to advance the following priorities on behalf of MCWRA Members:

• Protection of Water Rights and Preservation of Regional Water Supplies

• Increased Investment in California’s Headwaters

• Science-Based Forest Management Plans and Actions

• Increased Statewide Collaboration Regarding Water Resources

• Additional Water Storage Capacity

• Educating Target Audiences on Statewide Need of Protecting California’s Headwaters

Details on MCWRA’s legislative engagement can be accessed here.

Mountain Counties Water Resources Association Mission is to promote the statewide importance of Sierra Nevada water resources through advocacy and collaboration.  This Mission is realized through strengthening Members’ regional leadership, collaboration, information sharing, issue awareness, education, advocacy, and potential legislative action or legal support.