The Assembly Natural Resources Committee advanced SB 1370 as amended on June 29 after a hearing that turned into the day’s sharpest policy fight over wildfire reduction, herbicide use and CEQA.
According to the committee hearing summary, SB 1370 is a wildfire reduction and permitting bill that supporters said would help speed critical fuel-reduction work. The summary says the bill advanced after committee members debated whether its streamlining provisions, herbicide language and public-notice limits went too far.
Supporters including The Nature Conservancy and PG&E backed the measure, while environmental groups including Sierra Club California, Freedom Angels and the California Native Plant Society raised objections, the hearing record shows. The committee summary says the bill was amended before advancing.
The hearing record does not include the final roll-call tally, and the full amended bill text was not available in the materials reviewed, so the precise scope of the herbicide and CEQA changes remains unclear.
The committee’s action puts SB 1370 on its next step in the Legislature, as backers and opponents continue to clash over how to balance faster wildfire mitigation work with environmental review and public participation.
