Previously, President Trump has criticized California’s environmental regulations, arguing they impede wildfire prevention projects. Now, Governor Gavin Newsom is heeding the President’s advice, suspending some of his state’s environmental regulations in order to clear out flammable brush.

From The New York Post. California Gov. Gavin Newsom tapped into his emergency powers Saturday to roll back environmental regulations so that the state can speed up wildfire prevention projects, including clearing flammable brush out of forests, following criticism from President Trump.

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Newsom, 57, suspended the enforcement of regulations in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the California Coastal Act and streamlined the process for government entities to clear up potential fuel for wildfires. …

Newsom is said he is hoping to speed up wildfire prevention measures including building fire breaks, removing vegetation and trees from high risk areas and executing controlled burns to pre-empt wildfires and deprive them of fuel. …

Newsom’s actions come as he is pushing for Congress to greenlight almost $40 billion in disaster aid in the aftermath of wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area, and killing at least 29 people. …

Key Republicans including Johnson have argued that there should be strings attached to California wildfire aid to ensure that more robust mitigation efforts are in place.

One top grievance has been regulatory hurdles from the California Coastal Commission, which is in charge of permitting on a large portion of the state’s coastline. Trump has previously harped on the coastal commission, including during his visit to California last month. …

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(Excerpt from The New York Post. Photo Credit: Office of the Governor of California)