AB 404: California Environmental Quality Act: exemption: prescribed fire, reforestation, habitat restoration, thinning, or fuel reduction projects.

The bill aims to extend the exemption from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for certain forestry projects, including prescribed fire, reforestation, habitat restoration, thinning, and fuel reduction projects. This exemption is currently set to expire on January 1, 2028, but the bill would indefinitely extend it. The exemption allows for projects on federal lands to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfires, which have been reviewed under the federal National Environmental Policy Act. The bill would require lead agencies to file a notice of exemption with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and post it on their website, along with information on how to review documents analyzing the project's environmental impacts.