CA Governor Jerry Brown vetoed SB 1463, which would have given local governments a bigger role in putting together fire risk maps with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Cal Fire, the stateâs firefighting agency along with funding in 2016 that would have helped prevent wildfires.*
Wildfires have scorched more than 221,000 acres across California since Thursday, and Brownâs critics are pointing to the two-year-old veto as news reports suggest power lines may have sparked the deadliest wildfire in Californiaâs history.
âHe has done nothing to harden those assets,â state Sen. John Moorlach, a Republican, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: Jerry Brown Is âNot Correctâ About California Wildfires, Scientist Says)
Moorlach sponsored the 2016 bill, called SB 1463, which would have given local governments a bigger role in putting together fire risk maps with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Cal Fire, the stateâs firefighting agency.
The bill also required the CPUC to work with utilities to mitigate wildfire risks, including putting transmission lines underground if necessary. The bill passed through both state legislative chambers, but Brown vetoed the bill in September 2016. Brown said state officials âhave been doing just that through the existing proceeding on re-threat maps and re-safety regulations.â
A firefighter extinguishes a hot spot in a neighbourhood destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, U.S., November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester
Two years later, Moorlach said the state agencies and utilities have made little progress in mitigating the risk of wildfires faced by communities across the state.
âWell theyâve been working on it for like eight years and they havenât gotten it done. This is really simple stuff,â Moorlach said. âUtilities are just sort of hanging onto the money.â
Journalist Katy Grimes also criticized Brownâs veto. The conservative journalist tweeted that âBrown had many chances to address CAâs increasing wildfires since his election in 2011, but instead chose to play politics.â
Brownâs spokesman Evan Westrup told TheDCNF that critics of Brownâs 2016 veto were âexploiting tragedy and peddling bunk to score cheap political points.â CPUC news director Terrie Prosper also defended Brownâs veto.
âSenate Bill 1463 would have prolonged the safety work already going on at the CPUC by requiring the participation of certain entities, which was unnecessary because CAL FIRE was already a party to the proceeding, and local governments and fire departments could also participate,â Prosper told TheDCNF.
Brown has largely framed wildfires as the product of man-made global warming. On Sunday, Brown said âthose who denyâ global warming contributed to the fires.
Moorlach said Brownâs concern about the climate was âinconsistentâ with his 2016 veto.
As California Burns, Jerry Brown Takes Heat For Vetoing 2016 Wildfire Mitigation Bill
- Critics are attacking California Gov. Jerry Brown for vetoing a 2016 bill aimed at mitigating fire risks from utility equipment.
- âHe has done nothing to harden those assets,â said GOP state Sen. John Moorlach.
- Wildfires have consumed more than 221,000 acres since Thursday, killing at least 44 people.
Wildfires have scorched more than 221,000 acres across California since Thursday, and Brownâs critics are pointing to the two-year-old veto as news reports suggest power lines may have sparked the deadliest wildfire in Californiaâs history.
âHe has done nothing to harden those assets,â state Sen. John Moorlach, a Republican, told The Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: Jerry Brown Is âNot Correctâ About California Wildfires, Scientist Says)
Moorlach sponsored the 2016 bill, called SB 1463, which would have given local governments a bigger role in putting together fire risk maps with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and Cal Fire, the stateâs firefighting agency.
The bill also required the CPUC to work with utilities to mitigate wildfire risks, including putting transmission lines underground if necessary. The bill passed through both state legislative chambers, but Brown vetoed the bill in September 2016. Brown said state officials âhave been doing just that through the existing proceeding on re-threat maps and re-safety regulations.â
A firefighter extinguishes a hot spot in a neighbourhood destroyed by the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, U.S., November 13, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester
Two years later, Moorlach said the state agencies and utilities have made little progress in mitigating the risk of wildfires faced by communities across the state.
âWell theyâve been working on it for like eight years and they havenât gotten it done. This is really simple stuff,â Moorlach said. âUtilities are just sort of hanging onto the money.â
Journalist Katy Grimes also criticized Brownâs veto. The conservative journalist tweeted that âBrown had many chances to address CAâs increasing wildfires since his election in 2011, but instead chose to play politics.â
Brownâs spokesman Evan Westrup told TheDCNF that critics of Brownâs 2016 veto were âexploiting tragedy and peddling bunk to score cheap political points.â CPUC news director Terrie Prosper also defended Brownâs veto.
âSenate Bill 1463 would have prolonged the safety work already going on at the CPUC by requiring the participation of certain entities, which was unnecessary because CAL FIRE was already a party to the proceeding, and local governments and fire departments could also participate,â Prosper told TheDCNF.
Brown has largely framed wildfires as the product of man-made global warming. On Sunday, Brown said âthose who denyâ global warming contributed to the fires.
Moorlach said Brownâs concern about the climate was âinconsistentâ with his 2016 veto.
As California Burns, Jerry Brown Takes Heat For Vetoing 2016 Wildfire Mitigation Bill
