FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2026
Contact: Michael Blenner, michael.blenner@sierraclub.org
Environmental Groups Urge State Senators to Pull Environmentally Destructive Senate Bill 1370
Sacramento, CA — Last week, one of the most environmentally destructive bills of the legislative session, SB 1370 by Senators Stern and Becker, passed the Assembly Appropriations committee, and will now head to the Assembly floor. This bill would waive California environmental laws for large-scale projects up to 3,000 acres in the name of wildfire prevention. Environmental groups are sounding the alarm that SB 1370 would have disastrous effects for California communities and ecosystems. A coalition of environmental groups including Sierra Club California, the California Chaparral Institute, Californians for Pesticide Reform, and the Center for Biological Diversity are urging Senators to pull SB 1370 and for legislators to vote no on the bill.
SB 1370 would make permanent Governor Newsom’s temporary emergency proclamation for wildfire projects. This would remove most statewide environmental regulations, and could expose Californians to dangerous pesticide spraying and toxic pollution without the normal state regulations. Projects encompassing more than 38,000 acres of herbicide spraying across the state have already been approved.
Statement from Asha Sharma, Sierra Club California Deputy Director: “At a time when the Trump administration is gutting environmental laws at the federal level, California must strengthen our state protections, not waive them at the expense of public health and the environment like SB 1370 proposes to do. Wildfire prevention is more important than ever, and we need smart and well-informed solutions. SB 1370 would rush crucial policy decisions that could increase wildfire risk and harm California’s ecosystems and communities. We urge legislators to vote no on this environmentally destructive bill.”
Statement from Richard Halsey, Director, California Chaparral Institute: “SB 1370 declares martial law on nature and our communities by suspending all laws and regulations designed to protect us from government overreach under the guise of fire risk reduction. The bill suspends objective oversight by citizens of overzealous habitat clearance and logging projects that have the potential of making the landscape more flammable, increasing fire risk to our communities, and converting many wildlands into impoverished, artificial landscapes. SB 1370 increases government error by eliminating the public's ability to question.”
Statement from Sarah Aird, Policy Director, Californians for Pesticide Reform: “Wildfire prevention should protect Californians, not become a giveaway to the pesticide industry. California absolutely needs to reduce wildfire risk, but wildfire prevention should not become another excuse to enrich the chemical industry. SB 1370 would strip away environmental review for projects that can involve large-scale herbicide use, even as approximately 38,000 acres have already been approved for chemical treatment. We should be investing in wildfire strategies that protect communities and ecosystems—not handing pesticide manufacturers a massive new market with fewer safeguards.”
Statement from Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat, Center for Biological Diversity: “This is a dangerous, science-defying bill, especially as the climate crisis continues to worsen. We need to carefully review logging projects, pesticide applications and other potentially harmful activities, not offer sweeping exemptions. California can do more to protect communities from wildfires without sacrificing public health and the state’s biodiversity. Instead of acting hastily and potentially making the situation worse, the Assembly should kill this bill and develop a plan that actually puts Californians and our environment first.”
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Sierra Club California is the legislative and regulatory arm of Sierra Club’s 13 local chapters in California, representing half a million members and supporters, with a mission to practice and promote the responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources; to educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives. Among Sierra Club’s highest priorities is advocating for federal regulatory policies that address the impacts of climate change, including impacts to the financial system. Sierra Club also has an investment portfolio of approximately $62 million and represents millions of members and supporters, many of whom have significant investments of their own. The Sierra Club and its members seek more reliable and comparable climate-related disclosures.