On behalf of the Tulare County Board of Supervisors, I write to regretfully rescind our support of Assembly Bill 2878 (AB 2878) by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry. Subsequent amendments have removed the bill's most pertinent provisions, effectively delaying on-the-ground action supported by the state's own scientific research.
While adequate planning and preparation are critical to the success of any new program, the time for implementation is now. The "California Forest Carbon Plan" was issued four years ago, the "Forest Biomass Waste Utilization Plan" was issued two years ago, and the "Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plari" was issued over a year and a half ago. The necessary research, recommendations, and planning are complete.
Additional bureaucratic planning to implement latent plans will further delay facilitation of biomass waste processing that bolsters effective forest management practices and reduces the risk of devastating wildfires in Tulare County. We cannot lend our support to additional nonactionable government processes when our forest lands are at heightened risk due to extreme drought.
For the reasons stated above, we respectfully rescind our support of AB 2878 and assume a neutral position on the bill.
Sincerely,
Eddie Valero, Chairman
Tulare County Board of Supervisors
cc: Assembly Member Stern, Shaw Yoder Antwih Schmelzer & Lang, Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry, Tulare State Delegation