wildfires

Lawmakers hope to manage California's forests better, partly by thinning the trees. Here's why that's not a simple task.

The Assembly approved the nation's toughest clean energy legislation, committing California to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by 2045, and Gov. Jerry Brown signed landmark bail reform into law.

Soaring claims for fire damage are driving up premiums in the Sierra foothills and other fire-prone areas. Legislators seem likely to adjourn for the year without real relief for homeowners who are unable to buy fire insurance.

Of all the constituencies clamoring for help as firenados ravage California, homeowners worried about their fire insurance seem among the least likely this year to get legislative relief.

Compromise seemed distant as legislators raced to complete a final report on the issue of wildfire liability by week’s end. Organized labor and trial lawyers clashed.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to limit electric utilities’ liability costs for future fires faced tough questions at a committee hearing even as utility representatives said the change is needed to keep them solvent.

Between the end of last year’s deadly wildfires and the start of this summer’s fatal blazes, utilities and insurers with a stake in the aftermath have poured more than $3.2 million into California campaign donations and another $5.2 million into state lobbying—a big spike.

Legislation that would alter liability law for California utilities whose equipment sparks wildfires faces a show-down today before a special two-house legislative conference committee.

Climate-warming compounds are released by charred forests long after wildfires have been put out. That may do more to warm the planet more than the immediate harm from smoky air.

California's laudable greenhouse gas reduction targets are not achievable if the state fails to address megafires.