AB 21

  • California Assembly Bill
  • 2021-2022 Regular Session
  • Introduced in Assembly
  • Assembly
  • Senate
  • Governor

Forestry: electrical transmission and distribution lines: clearance: penalties.

Abstract

Existing law requires a person that owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line upon any mountainous land or forest-covered land, brush-covered land, or grass-covered land to maintain around and adjacent to any pole or tower that supports a switch, fuse, transformer, lightning arrester, line junction, or dead-end or corner pole a firebreak, as specified. Existing law requires a person that owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line upon any mountainous land or in forest-covered land, brush-covered land, or grass-covered land to maintain a clearance between all vegetation and all conductors that are carrying electric current, as specified. This bill would impose a civil penalty of up to $100,000 for each violation of the above-described provisions after the person that owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line is offered a reasonable opportunity to cure. The bill would impose an additional civil penalty of up to $1,000 for each acre burned by a fire resulting from a violation of the above-described provisions after the person that owns, controls, operates, or maintains any electrical transmission or distribution line is offered a reasonable opportunity to cure. The bill would require 50% of the penalties collected to be deposited into the Utility Accountability and Wildfire Prevention Fund, which the bill would establish in the State Treasury, and would distributed the remaining 50%, as provided. The bill would provide that the moneys in the Utility Accountability and Wildfire Prevention Fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, are available for purposes of enhancing forest management, fire planning, wildfire prevention and suppression, and fire-related enforcement activities. The bill would require the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to develop regulations to define what a reasonable opportunity to cure means for the above-described purposes.

Bill Sponsors (9)

Votes


Actions


Feb 01, 2022

Assembly

From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56.

Jan 31, 2022

Assembly

Died pursuant to Art. IV, Sec. 10(c) of the Constitution.

Apr 08, 2021

Assembly

In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

Apr 06, 2021

Assembly

Re-referred to Com. on JUD.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on JUD.

Apr 05, 2021

Assembly

Read second time and amended.

Mar 25, 2021

Assembly

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 6. Noes 3.) (March 24).

Jan 11, 2021

Assembly

Referred to Coms. on NAT. RES. and JUD.

  • Referral-Committee
Coms. on NAT. RES. and JUD.

Dec 08, 2020

Assembly

From printer. May be heard in committee January 7.

Dec 07, 2020

Assembly

Read first time. To print.

Bill Text

Bill Text Versions Format
AB21 HTML
12/07/20 - Introduced PDF
04/05/21 - Amended Assembly PDF

Related Documents

Document Format
03/22/21- Assembly Natural Resources PDF

Sources

Data on Open States is updated periodically throughout the day from the official website of the California State Legislature.

If you notice any inconsistencies with these official sources, feel free to file an issue.