Caltrans District 12 Vegetation Fuels Reduction Vegetation Management within Orange County
Summary
SCH Number
2026090625
Public Agency
California Department of Transportation, District 12
(DOT)
Document Title
Caltrans District 12 Vegetation Fuels Reduction Vegetation Management within Orange County
Document Type
NOE - Notice of Exemption
Received
Posted
9/15/2026
Document Description
Caltrans District 12 proposes to conduct vegetation fuel reduction treatments, including vegetation management strip vegetation clearance, invasive flashy fuel removal, and vegetation thinning along select routes within the County of Orange to reduce fire risks and promote native plant resiliency.
Contact Information
Name
Smita Deshpande
Agency Name
Caltrans District 12 - Orange County
Job Title
Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisor)
Contact Types
Lead/Public Agency / Project Applicant
Phone
Email
Location
Coordinates
Cities
Anaheim, Brea, Irvine, Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, Unincorporated Area, Yorba Linda
Counties
Orange
Regions
Southern California
Total Acres
850
Jobs
50
State Highways
State Routes 241
Waterways
San Juan Creek
Other Location Info
State Routes; 73, 74, 91, 133, 142, 241
Notice of Exemption
Exempt Status
Statutory Exemption
Type, Section or Code
PRC 21080(b)(4)
Reasons for Exemption
The project is Statutorily Exempt from CEQA pursuant to Governor Newsom’s wildfire State of Emergency Proclamation (March 1, 2025) and the suspension of applicable CEQA requirements under the California Emergency Services Act, the Government Code §8571 which suspends regulatory requirements that would hinder emergency mitigation efforts; PRC 21080(b)(4) which involves action necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency; and Public Resource Code 15269(c) which also allows specific actions necessary to prevent or mitigate an emergency.
The project’s primary purpose is wildfire-risk reduction through vegetation management and fuel-treatment activities; and includes the following activities that quality for CEQA exemption pursuant to the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation; (a) removal of hazardous, dead, and/or dying trees; and (d) removal of vegetation along roadways, highways, and freeways for the creation of safer ingress and egress routes for the public and responders and to reduce roadside ignitions.
The proposed project purpose and action have been approved by the appropriate Agency Secretary, or their designee, as being eligible to be conducted under the suspension; and will be conducted in accordance with the State Environmental Protection Plan (EPP). The action is therefore exempt from CEQA.
County Clerk
Orange
Attachments
Notice of Exemption
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