The state Board of Forestry and Fire Protection has directed its staff to draft emergency regulations, in accordance with Assembly Bill AB X 1 29‘s State Responsibility Area (SRA) fees, for the full board to consider at a special public meeting to be held in Sacramento Monday (Aug. 22).
Executive Officer George Gentry presented the Board with a comprehensive overview of the new law, passed as part of a state budget package. The law requires the Board to adopt emergency regulations to establish a fire prevention fee of up to $150 to be charged on each “habitable” structure within the more than 31 million acres of SRA, on or before September 1, 2011.
Among the items the regulations need to address are refining the definition of “habitable structure” as it relates to the law and a determination of the scalability of the fee based on prevention measures already in place.
Board Chairman Stan Dixon expressed his appreciation for the thorough report provided by Mr. Gentry and noted that, “the law requires the Board to act and we will continue to move ahead with this task.”
The next meeting of the Board will be Monday, August 22, 2011 in the first floor auditorium of the Resources Building located at 1416 9th Street in downtown Sacramento.
-from press release
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