DR-4407-CA Public Notice 009
| Notice Date |
|---|
INITIAL PUBLIC NOTICE
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is proposing to fund three projects in Butte County, California: the Butte County Road Hazardous Fuels Reduction, the Butte County Building Code Enforcement, and the Butte County Fire Safe Council Defensible Space and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program (collectively referred to as “the Projects”). Funding would be provided by the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) as authorized by Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief Act, 42 United States Code.
FEMA intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Projects, in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); Executive Order (EO) 11988, Floodplain Management; EO 11990, Wetlands Protection; and EO 12898, Environmental Justice.
Butte County and the Butte County Fire Safe Council have applied for HMGP funds for the Projects. The purpose of the Projects is to protect people and property by reducing the risk of wildfire-related hazards within the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) and within the High and Very High Fire Severity Zones in Butte County, California. The Projects would implement the following wildfire mitigation activities: 1) reducing hazardous fuels along 12 miles of Skyway; 2) enhancing the County's permit review, code enforcement, and education programs so that structures rebuilt in the Camp Fire boundary comply with the current ignition-resistant construction standards; and 3) creating defensible space and reducing hazardous fuels around eligible homesites that are both within the WUI area and within 500 feet of a main evacuation route. Per Butte County and the Butte County Fire Safe Council, the Projects would enhance fire safety and mitigate the threat of wildfire. Cumulatively, Butte County and the Butte County Fire Safe Council anticipate these projects would reduce wildfire risk throughout the County.
Butte County would be responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the County Road Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project and the Butte County Building Code Enforcement Project, and the Butte County Fire Safe Council would be responsible for the Defensible Space and Hazardous Fuels Reduction Program.
Initial comments concerning the Projects, potential alternatives, and preliminary identification of environmental issues will be accepted from the affected public; local, state, and federal agencies; Tribes; and other interested parties to assist FEMA with identifying the scope the EA and inform decision-making. Comments should be made in writing and sent to the FEMA contact listed below. Comments must be received by February 9, 2023, to be considered.
Additional information about the Projects, including a brief fact sheet, may be obtained by contacting Butte County, the Butte County Fire Safe Council, or at the following website: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/environmental-historic/nepa/environmental-assessment-wildfire. Once complete, the draft EA will be made available for public review and comment.
FEMA Region 9 Contact:
David Cohen
Senior Environmental Protection Specialist
FEMA Region 9
1111 Broadway, Suite 1200
Oakland, CA 94607-4052
Butte County Contact:
Joshua Jimerfield
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer
Butte County Office of Emergency Management
25 County Center Drive #200
Oroville, CA 95969
530-552-3333
Butte County
Fire Safe Council Contact:
Calli-Jane West
Executive Director
Butte County Fire Safe Council
P.O. Box 699
Paradise, CA 95967
530-877-0984
Last updated