Governor Newsom has signed a $15 billion package of bills “to tackle the Climate Crisis and Protect Vulnerable Communities.”
Governor Newsom signed 24 bills in all, including Senate Bill 170, which was the main natural resources budget trailer bill, which contains funding for CAL FIRE and other forestry-related entities.
When you “get down into the weeds,” you will see that money is provided many, many places to proceed on these goals – CAL FIRE is getting a lot more money for grants, for instance.
THE LINK BELOW:
Governor Newsom Signs Climate Action Bills, Outlines Historic $15 Billion Package to Tackle the Climate Crisis and Protect Vulnerable Communities | California Governor
Link goes to the Governor’s press releaseabout this package and has a link within it to a “Budget Addendum” which contains paragraphs and charts showing “where the money is.”
On page 3 of the “Budget Addendum,”you will see the funding in place now for CAL FIRE, Conservancies(which set out projects and jobs), Fire Prevention Grants, Defensible Space Inspectors, Workforce Training, Market Development, and the “Climate Catalyst Fund” whereby our loggers may be able to get small business loans (we are working on a future webinar about this program with Jessica Morse of the Natural Resources Agency.)
Please note: On page 3 of the Budget Addendum, you will see appropriations made this way (EXAMPLE):
CAL FIRE
Forest Health Program
Early Action 2020-2021
$155 (million)
2021-2022
$160 (million) Total:
$315 million
What this means: The Legislature and Governor Newsom passed $155 million back in May as “early action funding” under “last year’s “ 2020-2021 state budget, before passing the 2021-2022 budget. BUT that 2021-2022 budget consists of MANY bills, some passed in July of 2021 and some passed just a few weeks ago by the Legislature (before it adjourned on September 10, 2021) and signed by the Governor today. So the funding is split into (1) “early action(2020-2021)” and (2) “2021-2022” and (3) TOTAL of Early Action 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 budgets.
SUMMARY:
Associated California Loggers welcomes you all to take a “deep dive” into the Governor’s press release and the “Budget Addendum” , give them a skim or a read. Going forward, ACL will get information out to our membership on the distribution of this ‘historic funding” and we will see how to make it work for our members.