This week was primarily dedicated to continuing the job of assigning bills to committees and setting hearings.
The week of June 24 is going to be a big one for forestry. There is a major hearing coming up in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee that will address several bills of interest to the forestry community.
Headlining the bills of interest in this hearing is AB-904, the bill that creates the Working Forest Management Plan on the model of the NTMP. This plan provides a long term management plan for forests up to 15,000 acres. There is also a provision for a streamlined NTMP process for smaller acreages. The latest amended text of the bill is now available.
The other bills to be heard are:
- AB-497, which adjusts the schedule and notification requirements for the Fish and Wildlife Commission
- AB-763, which requires coordination across all agencies associated with invasive aquatic plant eradication
- AB-976, which permits the Coastal Commission to impose penalties directly for permit violations
- AB-1213, which provides special protections for bobcats
The deadline to comment on any of these bills is June 24. For those of us in District 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains, our own Senator Bill Monning is on the committee (email portal: Contact Senator Bill Monning, phone: (916) 651-4017 fax: (916) 445-8081).
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