Amended
IN
Assembly
April 07, 2023 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 22, 2023 |
Introduced by Assembly Member Rodriguez |
January 23, 2023 |
Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), under the direction of the Director of Emergency Services for the purpose of mitigating the effects of natural, human-made, or war-caused emergencies. Existing law establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) and establishes various programs for the prevention and reduction of wildfires. Existing law requires Cal OES and CAL-FIRE to jointly establish and lead the Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center, and sets forth the functions and duties of the center, including serving as the state’s integrated central organizing hub for wildfire forecasting. Existing law establishes the Department of Water Resources within the Natural Resources Agency and sets forth its powers and duties relating to water
resources.
This bill would rename the center as the Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center and would require the Department of Water Resources, along with Cal OES and CAL-FIRE, to lead the center. The bill would expand the center’s mission to include analyzing atmospheric river data and other threat indicators that could lead to catastrophic floods and to reduce the severity of flood incidents that could endanger the safety of persons, property, and the environment by developing and sharing intelligence products related to atmospheric river weather conditions and potential flood conditions for government decisionmakers. The bill would require the center to serve as the state’s integrated central organizing hub for atmospheric river forecasting and coordinate extreme weather intelligence and data sharing among federal, state, and local agencies, among others, as specified.
Existing
law requires that the center be comprised of representatives from specified organizations, including, Cal OES, CAL-FIRE, and a representative of publicly owned utilities and other designated members appointed jointly by the Director of Emergency Services and the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection.
This bill would require that center include representatives from the Department of Water Resources and the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. The bill would also require that a representative of publicly owned utilities and other designated members be appointed by the Director of Water Resources jointly with the Director of Emergency Services and the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Existing law requires the center to, among other things, develop intelligence products for use by public and private sector entities engaged in
wildfire risk mitigation efforts and develop a statewide wildfire forecast and threat intelligence strategy, as provided.
This bill would additionally require the center to develop intelligence products for use by public and private sector entities engaged in flood risk mitigation efforts and an atmospheric river forecast strategy, as provided. The bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, authorize Cal OES to use, among other funding sources, the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, to enhance the state’s ability to predict and prepare the state for the local impacts of forecasted fire weather and atmospheric rivers. The bill would also make various findings and declarations in this regard.
(a)(1)The office, the Department of Water Resources, and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shall jointly establish and lead the Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center.
(2)The Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center’s primary mission shall be to collect, assess, and analyze fire and atmospheric river weather data, atmospheric conditions, and other threat indicators that could lead to catastrophic wildfire or floods and to reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfire and flood incidents that could endanger the safety of persons, property, and the environment by
developing and sharing intelligence products related to fire weather, fire threat conditions, atmospheric river weather conditions, and potential flood conditions for government decisionmakers.
(3)The Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall serve as the state’s integrated central organizing hub for wildfire forecasting, atmospheric river forecasting, weather information, and threat intelligence gathering, analysis, and dissemination, and shall also coordinate wildfire threat and extreme weather intelligence and data sharing among federal, state, and local agencies, tribal governments, utilities and other service providers, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.
(b)(1)The Wildfire
and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall be comprised of representatives from the following organizations:
(A)The Office of Emergency Services.
(B)The Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
(C)The Department of Water Resources.
(D)The Public Utilities Commission.
(E)The Military Department.
(F)The University of California.
(G)The California State University.
(H)The
California Utilities Emergency Association.
(I)At least one representative of investor-owned utility companies, appointed by the President of the Public Utilities Commission.
(J)The Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego.
(K)At least one representative of publicly owned utilities, appointed jointly by the Director of Emergency Services, the Director of Water Resources, and the Director of Forestry and Fire Protection.
(L)Other members as designated jointly by the Director of Emergency Services, the Director of Water Resources, and the Director of Forestry and Fire
Protection.
(2)The office and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection may invite the following organizations to designate representatives to the Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center:
(A)The National Weather Service.
(B)The United States Forest Service.
(c)The Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall share intelligence and data relevant to wildfire and flood threat, forecasting, detection, and prevention activities received from utility wildfire, extreme weather and emergency operations centers, partner academic institutions, private companies, and other sources in coordination with
all of the following:
(1)The Northern California Geographic Area Coordination Center and the Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center, inclusive of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s predictive services unit.
(2)The California Wildland Fire Coordinating Group.
(3)The National Weather Service.
(4)The State Operations Center within the office, for the purpose of sharing relevant emergency preparedness information for state and local emergency management partners.
(5)The California State Warning Center within the office.
(d)The Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall do all of the following:
(1)Provide intelligence and data in compliance with National Fire Danger Rating System standards and guidelines about wildfire threats to government agencies and designated alerting authorities, as that term is defined in paragraph (1) of subdivision (g) of Section 8594.16.
(2)Develop intelligence products for use by public and private sector entities engaged in wildfire and flood risk mitigation efforts.
(e)The Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall develop a statewide wildfire and atmospheric river forecast and threat intelligence strategy to improve
how wildfire and flood threats are identified, understood, and shared in order to reduce threats to California government, businesses, and consumers. The strategy shall strengthen wildfire and flood emergency preparedness and response, standardize the implementation of environmental monitoring and assessment, enhance forecasting and detection capabilities, maximize the use of science and technology, and expand public knowledge and awareness of wildfire and flood risks.
(f)The Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall be a signatory to the interagency California Fire Weather Annual Operating Plan.
(g)Information sharing by the Wildfire and Extreme Weather Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center shall be conducted in a
manner that protects and safeguards sensitive information, preserves business confidentiality, and enables public officials to detect, investigate, respond to, prevent, and recover from catastrophic wildfires that threaten public health and safety and economic stability.
(h)Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the office may use, among other funding sources, the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, to enhance the state’s ability to predict and prepare the state for the local impacts of forecasted fire weather and atmospheric rivers.