November 18, 2023 - The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) reports on October 20th, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) introduced the Fire Safe Electrical Corridors Act of 2023 (H.R. 6012) along with Representatives Jim Costa (D-Fresno), David Valadao (R-Hanford), and Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Oregon).  The measure seeks to reduce utility-related wildfire risk by breaking down barriers to the removal of dead, dying, hazardous, and fallen trees along utility corridors on Forest Service Lands.  Specifically, H.R. 6012 allows the Secretary of Agriculture to provide permission to cut and remove trees and other vegetation near power lines without requiring a separate timber sale.   

RCRC is pleased to support this measure as a way to reduce federal obstacles for utilities to remove fuel loads from utility corridors after the clearances are created without the Forest Service having to conduct a timber sale.  This will help mitigate the risk and intensity of future fires by ensuring those materials are not simply left on the forest floor to fuel future fires.  RCRC’s letter of support can be found here. 

ABOUT RURAL COUNTY REPRESENTATIVES OF CALIFORNIA (RCRC)
The Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) is a thirty-seven member county strong service organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s rural counties. RCRC is dedicated to representing the collective unique interests of its membership, providing legislative and regulatory representation at the State and Federal levels, and providing responsible services for its members to enhance and protect the quality of life in rural California counties. To learn more about RCRC, visit rcrcnet.org and follow @RuralCounties on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Source: RCRC