Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.

This bill, the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform no later than July 1, 2026, that, among other things, would integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases. Under the bill, the purposes for the data platform would include providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on Californias population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.

This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to develop, among other things, protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.

This bill would create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data for the purposes of the act. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.

This bill, the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform no later than July 1, 2026, that, among other things, would integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases. Under the bill, the purposes for the data platform would include providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on Californias population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.

This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to develop, among other things, protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.

This bill would create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board Force for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data for the purposes of the act. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.

This bill, the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform no later than July 1, 2026, that, among other things, would integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to develop the data platform in accordance with a to be specified schedule. Under the bill, the purposes for the data platform would include providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on Californias population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.

This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to develop, among other things, protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.

This bill would create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data for the purposes of the act. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.

This bill, the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform that, among other things, would integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to develop the data platform in accordance with a to be specified schedule. Under the bill, the purposes for the data platform would include providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on Californias population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.

This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to develop, among other things, protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.

This bill would create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data for the purposes of the act. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties pertaining to, among other things, protecting, preserving, and advancing public health. Existing law requires the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to develop a plan, addressing specified issues, with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.

This bill, the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act, would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform that, among other things, would integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases. The bill would require the State Department of Public Health to develop the data platform in accordance with a to be specified schedule. Under the bill, the purposes for the data platform would include providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on Californias population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.

This bill would require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to develop, among other things, protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.

This bill would create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would be available, upon appropriation, to the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data for the purposes of the act. The bill would make related findings and declarations.

Date of Hearing: August 7, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 945

Author:(Alvarado-Gil) – As Amended Ver:June 13, 2024

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill establishes the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act and requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), to create, operate, and maintain a statewide data platform to integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from multiple sources. The bill also creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund.

Specifically, this bill:

1. Establishes the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act.
2. Requires CDPH, CAL FIRE, and the Task Force to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies for the purposes of understanding health effects of wildfire smoke on the population and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California..
3. Authorizes CDPH, CAL FIRE, and the Task Force, to use data from existing sources, including open source data and other external data.
4. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CAL FIRE and the Task Force, to develop and make public, by January 1, 2026, the following:
   1. Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.
   2. Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke.
   3. Data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfire.
   4. Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke.
   5. Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials.
   6. Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
5. Requires CDPH to publish, by January 1, 2026, a strategic plan for data management to guide the implementation.
   
6. Requires CDPH, by July 1, 2026, and in consultation with CAL FIRE and the Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform

that integrates existing wildfire smoke and health data information from multiple autonomous databases managed by federal, state, and local agencies and academia using consistent and standardized formats and meets other specified requirements.

1. Establishes the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund and requires all moneys to be available, upon appropriation, to CDPH, CAL FIRE, and the Task Force for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data.
   
2. Requires the Department of Finance (DOF) to develop a standardized agreement to allow for the voluntary donation to the fund by any person, educational institution, government entity, corporation or other business entity, or organization.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. CDPH estimates, based on information from the Air Resources Board, costs of approximately $7 million in fiscal year (FY) 2024-25, and $4.3 million in FY 2025-26 and ongoing.
   
2. CAL FIRE estimates this bill would require $354,000 in year one, $254,000 in year two, and $238,000 annually thereafter (Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund). CAL FIRE will need to hire one environmental scientist to provide expertise in modeling smoke emissions from ongoing wildfires and other beneficial fire use and coordinate with CDPH and the Task Force. Costs also include $151,000 in year one, $54,000 in year two, and $38,000 annually thereafter to support the cost of one vehicle, including a short-term leased vehicle until the permanent vehicle could be purchased and outfitted. The vehicle is necessary for travel to various statewide locations to monitor fire emissions and smoke transport.
   
3. No costs to the Task Force.
4. Cost pressures to the General Fund if special fund revenues are not sufficient to cover the costs of this bill.

According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the General Fund faces a structural deficit in the tens of billions of dollars over the next several fiscal years. 

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. This bill is sponsored by the California Farm Bureau. According to the author:

Amidst California's escalating wildfires fueled by climate change, the crucial necessity for effective forest management strategies is becoming increasingly evident. As these fires rage with unparalleled ferocity, endangering ecosystems, livestock, public health, and human lives, it is imperative to gather comprehensive data on the health effects of wildfire smoke, particularly considering the heightened vulnerability of outdoor workers who experience increased inhalation of wildfire smoke due to the nature of their duties. This legislation will require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform in order to bridge concerted efforts and mobilize action from both state authorities and the medical community to confront this critical, time-sensitive issue.

1. Background. The state’s response to increasing wildfire smoke has been to better monitor smoke, increase public awareness, create clean air shelters, and research smoke health effects. The Task Force recommended and the state has implemented the following efforts:

• Natural Resources Agency worked with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) to update its Prescribed Fire Information Reporting System (PFIRS), which is designed to capture statewide details on prescribed fires and enable estimations of smoke pollution. ARB is enhancing PFIRS to improve data collection and ease-of-use by local air districts and burn managers to expand the safe application of prescribed fire. ARB is also leading an interagency analysis of prescribed fire smoke data to document public health impacts compared with wildfire smoke exposure.
• ARB developed a California Smoke Spotter app to provide the public with information on nearby prescribed fires, hourly data gathered from permanent and portable air monitors, as well as personalized alerts. The app also provides a 24-hour smoke forecast, information on wildfires, and content to help people prepare for smoke.

In addition, CDPH developed the California Wildfire Smoke and Air Pollution Health Burden Mapping Dashboard, which shows the health burden related to air pollution and wildfire smoke from 2008 to 2016. The dashboard maps excess emergency department visits from respiratory or cardiovascular conditions attributed to particle pollution exposures. The particle pollution data include concentration of fine particles, with maps showing exposures and health impact at the zip code level, by race/ethnicity and age group. The dashboard is based on data in the publication, “Wildfires and the Changing Landscape of Air Pollution-related Health Burden in California.”

Analysis Prepared by: Allegra Kim / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: July 1, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Isaac G. Bryan, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 945

Author:(Alvarado-Gil) – As Amended Ver:June 13, 2024

SENATE VOTE: 38-0

SUBJECT: The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act

SUMMARY: Establishes the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act and requires the State Department of Public Health (CDPH), in consultation with state entities, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform no later than July 1, 2026, to integrate wildfire smoke and health data from multiple databases.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Requires CDPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. Requires the plan to address: establishing policies and procedures that address respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices; making respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices available to residents that are sensitive receptors and are at risk of serious illness or complications resulting from inhaling highly polluted air from a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; providing information to residents on what they should do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold; providing information to residents regarding the health impacts of inhaling air pollution during a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; developing prevention strategies to assist residents in avoiding inhalation of air pollutants; and, disseminating the information to the public. (Health and Safety Code 107250)
2. Establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) within the California Natural Resources Agency, and establishes various programs for the prevention and suppression of wildfires at CAL FIRE, as provided. (Public Resources Code (PRC) 701)
3. Establishes, pursuant to Executive Order No. B-52-18, a Forest Management Task Force, now known as the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), involving specified state agencies to create the action plan for wildfire and forest resilience. (PRC 4005)

THIS BILL:

1. Establishes the Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act.
2. Requires CDPH, CAL FIRE, and the Task Force to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies.
3. Authorizes CDPH, CAL FIRE, and the Task Force, where appropriate, to use data from existing sources, including open source data and other external data.
4. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CAL FIRE and the Task Force, to develop the following:
   1. Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data;
   2. Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
   3. Smoke data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfire;
   4. Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke;
   5. Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials; and,
   6. Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
5. Requires, no later than July 1, 2026, CDPH, in consultation with CAL FIRE and the Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform.
6. Requires, by January 1, 2026, CDPH to do both of the following:
   1. Make the protocols public; and,
   2. Publish a strategic plan for data management to guide the implementation;
7. Requires CDPH to ensure that the statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform created pursuant to this section, at a minimum, does all of the following:
   1. Integrates existing wildfire smoke and health data information from multiple autonomous databases managed by federal, state, and local agencies and academia using consistent and standardized formats;
   2. Integrates the data products;
   3. Integrates the air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts estimated by the methodological guidelines;
   4. Integrates measures of smoke emissions from human-made materials estimated by methodologies;
   5. Integrates smoke emission inventories;
   6. Provides documentation of data quality and data formats through metadata;
   7. Adheres to data protocols; and,
   8. Is able to receive both spatial and time series data from various sources.
8. Provides that this bill does not prevent a state agency from disseminating, managing, or publishing data separately from the platform.
9. Establishes the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund. Requires all moneys to be available, upon appropriation, to CDPH, CAL FIRE, and the Task Force for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data.
10. Requires the Department of Finance (DOF) to develop a standardized agreement to allow for the voluntary donation to the fund by any person, educational institution, government entity, corporation or other business entity, or organization.

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

• CDPH estimates ongoing annual costs of $1,310,000 starting in 2025-26; and potential, additional, limited-term costs of $880,000 ($730,000 in 2025-26 and $150,000 in 2026-27) for information technology.
• The DOF estimates costs of $354,000 in year one, $254,000 in year two, and $238,000 annually thereafter for state administration.
• The Task Force indicates no fiscal impact.
• While the bill creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund, which allows for voluntary donations to cover state administration costs, the bill would result in cost pressures to the General Fund to the extent the special fund revenues are not sufficient to cover the costs.

COMMENTS:

1. Author’s statement:

Amidst California's escalating wildfires fueled by climate change, the crucial necessity for effective forest management strategies is becoming increasingly evident. As these fires rage with unparalleled ferocity, endangering ecosystems, livestock, public health, and human lives, it is imperative to gather comprehensive data on the health effects of wildfire smoke, particularly considering the heightened vulnerability of outdoor workers who experience increased inhalation of wildfire smoke due to the nature of their duties. This legislation will require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform in order to bridge concerted efforts and mobilize action from both state authorities and the medical community to confront this critical, time-sensitive issue.

1. Wildfires. The ten largest wildfires in California’s recorded history have occurred since 2000—with five of these wildfires occurring in a single year (2020). The 2020 August Complex wildfire was the first California wildfire to burn more than a million acres. Wildfires now occur throughout the year—the 2022 Big Sur wildfire started in January and the 2017 Thomas wildfire started in December. Scientists predict that climate change will result in “longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons” that increase the risk of severe wildfires and exposure to wildfire smoke.
2. Wildfire smoke. The major components of wildfire emissions are particulate matter (PM) and gases, including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs, such as formaldehyde and benzene). The impact of wildfires on air quality depends on weather patterns (including temperature, humidity, and wind speed), fire plume dynamics, amount and chemical composition of the emissions, and atmosphere into which the emissions are dispersed. Geography also plays a role; mountains and other features may contribute to inversion layers that can keep smoke contained in certain areas (or keep smoke out).

If fires reach the wildland-urban interface, other toxic chemicals are likely to be released from the burning of household or industrial materials, such as plastics, pesticides, and other hazardous waste. The Air Resources Board (ARB) compared air quality data from the 2018 Camp Fire that destroyed nearly 19,000 buildings with three other large wildfires that burned mostly vegetation. ARB’s analysis showed that elevated levels of lead, zinc, iron, and manganese were located as far as 150 miles away. During the Camp Fire, levels of lead — a potent neurotoxin — in Chico were about 50 times greater average. 

Wildfire smoke and ash are challenges to California's public health that have the potential to increase with continuing climate change. 

1. Health impacts. By some measures, increased wildfire smoke has reversed gains in air quality created by improved emission in transportation and other sectors in parts of California. Evidence also suggests that smoke’s public health effects are even more significant than the tragic burns and deaths caused directly by wildfire in California.

A growing body of scientific evidence links wildfire smoke exposure to various adverse health effects. Although it is often assumed that most healthy people will recover from short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, others may experience more severe symptoms due to biological factors, such as pre-existing medical conditions, and extrinsic, non-biologic factors, including socioeconomic status, lack of access to adequate housing, lack of access to healthcare, etc.

The risk of health effects due to wildfire smoke exposure appears to vary throughout a lifetime, being generally higher in childhood, lower in young adults, and increasing in middle age through older age as the prevalence of heart, lung, and metabolic disease increases. Pregnancy is also a period of unique vulnerability for both the pregnant person and developing fetus.

Exposure to PM is currently the most well-described public health threat from wildfire smoke. Fine particles from smoke and coarse particles from ash are respiratory irritants that can cause coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. PM may also affect the body’s physiological mechanisms that remove inhaled foreign materials from the lungs, such as pollen and bacteria, and may cause systemic inflammation that can affect multiple organs. Studies of ambient air pollution have found that exposure to fine and coarse particles is linked with increased risk of premature mortality and aggravation of pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease.  

During the October 2017 Northern California wildfires, in nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, fire-related PM2.5 was most consistently linked to emergency room visits for respiratory disease, asthma, chronic lower respiratory disease and acute myocardial infarction.

According to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, since 2010, potential population exposures to wildfire smoke have been increasing in California, peaking in 2020. In 2020, smoke plumes covered every county for at least 46 days; by contrast, from 2010 to 2014, only 11 counties had at least 46 days on average each year. A record-high 4.2 million acres burned in 2020, and several large wildfires burned at once, leading to unprecedented air quality impacts.

1. Current state efforts. The state has responded to this increase in wildfire smoke by creating efforts to better monitor smoke, increase public awareness, create clean air shelters, and research smoke health effects.

In alignment with the administration’s Cutting Green Tape Initiative, a collaborative effort to improve regulatory processes to increase the pace and scale of ecological restoration and stewardship, the Task Force, which includes the Air Resources Board among its agency partners, recommended and the state has implemented the following efforts:

• Through the interagency Smoke Communications Working Group, which includes more than 15 federal, state, and local agencies and stakeholders, ARB developed a Smoke Ready California campaign to provide coordinated messaging and content to help Californians plan for and protect themselves from smoke impacts.
• NRA collaborated with ARB to update its Prescribed Fire Information Reporting System (PFIRS), which is designed to capture statewide details on prescribed fires and enable estimations of smoke pollution. ARB is enhancing PFIRS to improve data collection and ease-of-use by local air districts and burn managers to expand the safe application of prescribed fire. ARB is also leading an interagency analysis of prescribed fire smoke data to document public health impacts compared with wildfire smoke exposure.
• ARB developed a California Smoke Spotter app to provide the public with information on nearby prescribed fires, hourly data gathered from permanent and portable air monitors, as well as personalized alerts. It also offers a 24-hour smoke forecast, information on wildfires, and educational content to help people prepare for possible smoke impacts. The app’s public release is expected to be in early 2021, with more enhancements planned in the coming years.

Outside of CAL FIRE and the Task Force’s efforts, CDPH’s Air Quality Section staff are conducting ongoing investigations with other state, federal, and university partners to identify any unique chemical and physical exposures associated with wildfire events and minimize their impacts. 

1. This bill. The bill states that the purposes for integrating wildfire smoke and health data include, but are not limited to, providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on California’s population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.
2. Double referral. This bill was heard in the Assembly Health Committee on June 25 and approved 16-0.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

American Red Cross California Chapter
Bear Yuba Land Trust
California Cattlemen's Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Forest Watershed Alliance
California Society for Respiratory Care
California Special Districts Association
County of Placer
CPCA Advocates, Subsidiary of The California Primary Care Association
Eastern Sierra Land Trust
El Dorado Irrigation District
Feather River Land Trust
Humboldt Redwood Company LLC
Megafire Action
Mountain Counties Water Resources Association
Nevada; County of
Placer Land Trust
Sierra Business Council
Sierra Consortium
Sierra County Land Trust
Sierra Foothill Conservancy
Sierra Nevada Alliance
Truckee Donner Land Trust
Union of Concerned Scientists
Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Paige Brokaw / NAT. RES. /

Date of Hearing: June 25, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

Mia Bonta, Chair

SBPCA Bill Id:SB 945

Author:(Alvarado-Gil) – As Amended Ver:June 13, 2024

SENATE VOTE: 38-0

SUBJECT: The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act.

SUMMARY: Requires California Department of Public Health (DPH), the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (WFRTF) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data to provide information on the negative health impacts of wildfire smoke and to evaluate the effectiveness of wildfire mitigation efforts on health outcomes in California. Requires DPH, in consultation with CAL FIRE and WFRTF, to create and manage a wildfire smoke and health data platform before July 1, 2026. Creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund (Fund), upon appropriation, for the purpose of collecting, managing, and improving wildfire smoke and health data. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires DPH, CAL FIRE, and WFRTF to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data, including data from local, state, and federal agencies, open source data and other external data, to provide information on the negative health impacts of wildfire smoke and to evaluate the effectiveness of wildfire mitigation efforts on health outcomes in California.
2. Requires DPH, in consultation with CAL FIRE and WFRTF, to develop the following:
   1. Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data;
   2. Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
   3. Smoke data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfires;
   4. Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke;
   5. Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials; and,
   6. Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
3. Requires DPH, CAL FIRE, and WFRTF to create and manage a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform before July 1, 2026 that does all of the following:
   1. Integrates existing wildfire smoke and health data information from multiple autonomous databases managed by federal, state, and local agencies and academia using consistent and standardized formats;
   2. Integrates the data products, methodological guidelines, methodologies, and smoke emission inventories described in provision 2) b), d), e), and f), above;
   3. Provides documentation of data quality and data formats through metadata;
   4. Adheres to data protocols developed by state agencies pursuant to 2) above; and,
   5. Is able to receive both spatial and time series data from various sources.
4. States that state agencies can disseminate, manage, or publish data on this subject separately from the platform.
5. Creates the Fund, upon appropriation, to DPH, CAL FIRE and WFRTF, to support wildfire smoke and health data management and collection.
6. Directs the Department of Finance to develop a standardized agreement for the Fund to allow for voluntary donations from individuals, government entities, corporations, business, or other organizations.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Establishes DPH to protect the public's health and helps shape positive health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. Specifies functions of DPH includes infectious disease control and prevention, food safety, environmental health, laboratory services, patient safety, emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, family health, health equity, and vital records and statistics. [Health and Safety Code (HSC) § 131000]
2. Establishes the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as the state agency charged with coordinating efforts to attain and maintain ambient air quality standards, to conduct research into the causes of and solution to air pollution. [HSC § 39003]
3. Requires DPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. Requires the plan to establish policies and procedures for: respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices; providing information to residents on what to do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold; providing information to residents regarding the health impacts of inhaling air pollution during a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; developing prevention strategies to assist residents in avoiding inhalation of air pollutants; and, disseminating information to the public. [HSC §107250]
4. Establishes the WFRTF to support the state’s resilience to wildfires. [Executive Order No. B-52-18]
5. Requires the WFRTF, the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), the Office of Planning and Research, CAL FIRE, in coordination with the relevant lead federal, state, local, and tribal agencies, to develop a comprehensive implementation strategy to track and ensure the achievement of the goals and key actions identified in the state’s “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.” Requires on or before January 1, 2023, and annually thereafter until January 1, 2048, WFRTF to submit a report to the appropriate policy and budget committees of the Legislature on progress made in achieving the goals and key actions identified in the state’s “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan,” on state expenditures made to implement these key actions, and on additional resources and policy changes needed to achieve these goals and key actions. Requires on or before January 1, 2026, and every five years thereafter, WFRTF, or its successor to update the state’s “Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan.” [Public Resources Code § 4771]
6. Establishes the Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center (Center) to collect, assess, and analyze fire weather data, atmospheric conditions, and other threat indicators that could lead to catastrophic wildfire and to reduce the likelihood and severity of wildfire incidents that could endanger the safety of persons, property, and the environment by developing and sharing intelligence products related to fire weather and fire threat conditions for government decision makers. Requires the Center to coordinate wildfire threat intelligence and data sharing among federal, state, and local agencies, tribal governments, utilities and other service providers, academic institutions, and nongovernmental organizations [Government Code. (GOV) § 8586.7]
7. Establishes the Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development within CAL FIRE to study, test, and advise, regarding procurement of emerging technologies and tools in order to more effectively prevent and suppress wildfires within the state. [GOV § 8586.8]

FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, DPH estimates ongoing annual costs of $1,310,000 starting in 2025-26, and potential additional limited-term costs of $880,000 for information technology, CAL FIRE estimates costs of $354,000 in year one, $254,000 in year two, and $238,000 annually thereafter for state administration, and WFRTF estimates no fiscal impact. Further, creation of the Fund would result in cost pressures to the General Fund if special fund revenues are not sufficient to cover the costs.

COMMENTS:

1. PURPOSE OF THIS BILL. According to the author, amidst California's escalating wildfires fueled by climate change, the crucial necessity for effective forest management strategies is becoming increasingly evident. The author contends that, as these fires rage with unparalleled ferocity, endangering ecosystems, livestock, public health, and human lives, it is imperative to gather comprehensive data on the health effects of wildfire smoke, particularly considering the heightened vulnerability of outdoor workers who experience increased inhalation of wildfire smoke due to the nature of their duties. The author concludes that by requiring DPH, CAL FIRE, and WFRTF to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, the state can bridge concerted efforts and mobilize action from both state authorities and the medical community to confront this critical, time-sensitive issue.
2. BACKGROUND.
   1. California Wildfire Prevalence and Climate Change. According to a 2023 study conducted at UCLA and published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire, dry air and record-breaking temperatures linked to climate change have led to more frequent and severe fires in California. Additional research funded by the National Integrated Drought Information System, indicate that summer burned areas in northern and central California have increased fivefold during 1996 to 2021 compared to 1971 to 1995. Additionally, 10 of the largest California wildfires have occurred in the last 20 years—five of which occurred in 2020 alone. CARB reports that because of the growth in extreme fires, 25% of the state’s population now live in high fire-risk areas. As of June 18, 2024, there have been 2,103 wildland fires with more than 66,055 acres burned.
   2. Wildfire Smoke. Wildfires release a variety of particles and gases, including fine and coarse particles, greenhouse gases, reactive compounds, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds, such as formaldehyde and benzene. Particulate matter (PM), especially fine particles (PM_2.5), is the main pollutant of concern from wildfire smoke due to its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, affecting vital organs throughout the body. Wildfire smoke contains a variety of other pollutants, including chemicals listed as Hazardous Air Pollutants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and Toxic Air Contaminants by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) within CalEPA. If fires reach more urban areas, other toxic chemicals can be released from the burning of household or industrial materials, like plastics, pesticides, and hazardous waste.
   3. Wildfire Smoke and Health
      1. According to “Wildfire Smoke, Considerations for California’s Public Health Officials”, developed by DPH and CARB, a growing body of scientific evidence links wildfire smoke exposure to various adverse health effects. Wildfire smoke exposure risks vary by age, being higher in childhood, lower in young adults, and increasing in middle and older age due to more prevalent heart, lung, and metabolic diseases. Pregnancy is a particularly vulnerable period for both the pregnant person and the fetus. High-risk groups also include individuals with preexisting heart and lung conditions, socially vulnerable people (e.g., the unhoused), outdoor workers, immunocompromised individuals, and those recovering from COVID-19. The report states that public health authorities should focus on reducing wildfire smoke exposure for these groups and educate them on smoke information, air filtration, and mitigation measures. The primary health threat from wildfire smoke is PM, which can cause respiratory issues like coughing and difficulty breathing. Studies have linked PM exposure to higher risks of premature death, and aggravated respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, heart attacks, cardiac arrhythmias, heart failure, and strokes.
      2. California Wildfire Smoke and Air Pollution Health Burden Mapping Dashboard. The California Wildfire Smoke and Air Pollution Health Burden Mapping Dashboard provides an in-depth look at the health impacts of air pollution and wildfire smoke from 2008 to 2016. Developed by DPH in collaboration with the Sequoia Foundation, CalEPA, and Sonoma Technology, Inc., this dashboard was partially funded by a grant from CAL FIRE's Forest Health Research Program, as part of California Climate Investments. The dashboard maps excess emergency department visits from respiratory or cardiovascular conditions attributed to exposures to particle pollution. The particle pollution data measures concentration of PM_2.5 on all days and on days affected by wildfire smoke. Each map showcases the exposure and health impact at the zip code level. The health burden can be further examined by race/ethnicity and age group. The dashboard is based on data in the publication, Wildfires and the Changing Landscape of Air Pollution-related Health Burden in California.
      3. California Climate Adaptation Strategy. AB 1482 (Gordon), Chapter 603, Statutes of 2015, required CNRA to create a Climate Adaptation Strategy (Strategy) and to update the Strategy every three years. The first Strategy was developed in 2017. According to CNRA, the 2024 draft builds on the evolved approach of the 2021 Strategy. Specifically, the 2021 Strategy and this 2024 draft outline the state's key climate resilience priorities, includes specific and measurable actions, and serves as a framework for collective efforts across sectors and regions in California. The 2024 draft is open for public comment through July 12, 2024. One goal of the Strategy is to improve understanding of climate impacts on California’s communities, including what drives vulnerability, and to increase the collection, analysis, and reporting of data on climate-related health impacts, especially the health impacts from cascading climate risks, such as heat and wildfire smoke exposure. To fulfill this goal, three success metrics were identified and assigned to specific agencies:
         1. The Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS) is to add indicators, models, and tools to DPH’s Climate Change and Health Vulnerability Indicators for California data visualization platform and update the platform annually.
         2. OEHHA is to provide a bibliography with plain language summaries of health outcome and epidemiological studies that examine human health impacts of climate-related stressors, to be updated biennially.
         3. OEHHA is to incorporate indicators of impacts on human health in the Indicators of Climate Change in California report, as data becomes available, starting in 2026 and updated every four years thereafter.
   4. Evaluation of Wildfire Mitigation Efforts
      1. California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience and Action Plan (Plan). The Plan was published in January 2021 and is designed to strategically accelerate efforts to restore the health and resilience of California forests, grasslands, and natural places. The Plan also includes efforts to reduce the health impacts of smoke by launching the “Smoke Ready California” campaign, releasing the California Smoke Spotter App, and enhancing the prescribed fire reporting system. Furthermore, the Plan highlights research grants distributed by CAL FIRE to evaluate the efficacy of forest management actions, improve model predictions, and improve research capacity in the state. Additional research topics outlined in the plan include evaluation of the following:
         1. The total cost of uncontrolled wildfire, including the health costs of increased air pollution, loss of economic output, lost school days, environmental damages, and other impacts.
         2. The effectiveness and trade-offs between alternative management strategies to reduce wildfire risk, increase carbon storage, improve biodiversity, improve water and air quality, and provide regional economic benefits.
         3. The human health impacts of smoke from prescribed and uncontrolled fires.
      2. California Wildfire and Landscape Interagency Treatment Dashboard. In 2022 WFRTF released the beta version of the California Wildfire and Landscape Interagency Treatment Dashboard. The Dashboard is a first-of-its-kind online platform that displays the location and size of federal and state wildfire and landscape resilience treatments throughout the state.
   5. California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and Blue Forest Report Recommendations. In September 2023 CCST and Blue Forest issued a report that examined the connections between forest management, wildfire smoke, and human health. Data for the report was collected through interviews with health sector organizations in California and a review of the scientific literature. The report shows that that improving the health of California’s forests can reduce the risk of wildfire and benefit people’s health. Specifically, the report highlights four key takeaways:
      1. Wildfire smoke impacts human health and health sector organizations’ workforces, operations, and ability to provide services, yet the costs are largely unquantified. Quantifying these costs would enable state and local health sector organizations to make informed decisions regarding budgeting, resource allocation, and response.
      2. Many interviewed health sector organizations see value in future engagement with forest management to mitigate adverse outcomes and costs associated with wildfire smoke, but require avenues for collaboration and more information on the potential benefits of forest management to human health and the health sector.
      3. Comprehensive statewide or locally specific information on the adverse human health impacts of wildfire smoke are not readily available but could be generated from additional analysis of existing data resources. The data and methodologies to support the above understanding require thoughtful, forward-looking, collaborative, coordinated research design that is informed by use cases appropriate for California.
      4. A small but growing body of research suggests that management to improve forest health can be tailored to reduce total smoke impacts and benefit human health. Informed prioritization of management strategies that promote forest resilience and human health across California’s many landscapes will benefit from filling data gaps relating the costs and efficacy of various treatments under different conditions.
   6. Current Air Quality Standards and Data Reporting.
      1. Federal Air Quality Standards. The federal Clean Air Act requires the U.S. EPA to establish air quality standards for major pollutants. Primary standards must protect public health and regulatory air monitoring is used to assure these standards are met throughout the U.S. The U.S. EPA has established National Ambient Air Quality Standards for six major air pollutants (also called “criteria air pollutants”), PM, ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and lead. There are two primary standards for PM_2.5, a 24-hour standard, for short-term exposure, and an annual standard, for long-term exposure.
      2. State Air Quality Standards. Implementing air quality standards is the joint responsibility of U.S. EPA and states. States are responsible for developing enforceable state implementation plans to achieve and maintain air quality that meets national standards. State and local agencies are also responsible for air monitoring. CARB is the state agency responsible for air quality standards in California. The California Ambient Air Quality Standards, established by CARB, are more stringent than national standards and include additional pollutants like sulfates, hydrogen sulfide, vinyl chloride, and visibility-reducing particles.
      3. Air Quality Index and AirNow. The official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) communicates information about air quality, including health impacts, to the public. The AQI is a standardized, color-coded system that is applied to major air pollutants, including particle pollution (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀) and ozone. The averaging period for the AQI is 24 hours for PM and eight hours for ozone. Each color on the AQI represents a different level of concern with regards to air quality based on a measurement of air pollutants.
      4. AirNow. AirNow is a website and app that reports on air quality using the AQI. AirNow is a partnership of the U.S. EPA; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; National Park Service; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies. Agencies across the country send monitoring data to AirNow for inclusion in the data maps. The AirNow website also provides information on potential health impacts related to poor air quality.
3. SUPPORT. The California Farm Bureau, the sponsor of this bill writes that, “While the state has invested billions of dollars for the first time in developing a cohesive strategy to promote resilient forests, including the adaption of prescribed burning, there is little data available to understand how wildfire fuels mitigation investments are impacting health outcomes across the state in communities impacted by smoke events... This missing data leaves policy holders without complete information about the true costs of these massive fires, and the direct human health benefits and health cost controls that comes from investing in wildfire fuels mitigation. This bill will empower policy makers and stakeholders with data to fully understand the value of those investments.”
4. DOUBLE REFERRAL. This bill is double-referred, upon passage of this Committee, it will be referred to the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources.
5. RELATED LEGISLATION.
   1. SB 1014 (Dodd) of 2024 requires the Deputy Director of Community Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation within the Office of the State Fire Marshal, on or before January 1, 2026, and every three years thereafter, to prepare a Wildfire Risk Mitigation Planning Framework sufficient to quantitatively evaluate wildfire risk mitigation actions, as provided. SB 1014 is pending in Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
   2. SB 1029 (Min) of 2024 would have required the Department of Conservation to submit a report to the Legislature that evaluates the impact and effectiveness of the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity program every five years, beginning December 31, 2028. SB 1029 was held on the suspense file in Senate Appropriations Committee.
   3. AB 2344 (Petrie-Norris) of 2024 would have required, on or before July 1, 2025, and every July 1 thereafter, WFRTF to post on its website information about specified state, federal, and other publicly funded fire prevention grant programs, for each fiscal year in which the Legislature appropriated program funding or program projects occurred in the state. AB 2344 was held on the suspense file in Assembly Appropriations Committee.
   4. SB 436 (Dodd) of 2023 would have required CalOES to prepare a Wildfire Risk Mitigation Planning Framework, a Wildfire Risk Baseline and Forecast, and a Wildfire Mitigation Scenarios Report, each to be released and updated on a specified schedule. SB 436 was returned to the Secretary of Senate pursuant to Joint Rule 56.
6. AB 788 (Petrie-Norris) of 2023 would have required WFRTF, on or before July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, to compile and post on its internet website specified information relating to certain state and federal grant programs related to fire prevention, as provided. AB 788 was held on the suspense file in Senate Appropriations Committee.
7. PREVIOUS LEGISLATION.
   1. AB 2538 (Robert Rivas) of 2022 would have required CalOES to ensure the California State Warning Center integrates, upon the next update to CalOES’s emergency plan, a plan to provide targeted alerts for public health dangers, including smoke from wildfires. AB 2538 was held on the suspense file in Assembly Appropriations Committee.
   2. AB 619 (Calderon), Chapter 412, Statutes of 2021, required DPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. Required a county, in advance of the next update to its emergency plan, to use the plan developed by DPH but allowed a county to incorporate its existing process, as specified.
   3. SB 456 (Laird), Chapter 387, Statutes of 2021, renamed the Forest Management Task Force to WFRTF. Required WFRTF to develop a comprehensive implementation strategy to track and ensure the achievement of the goals and key actions identified in the WFRTF’s Plan. Required specified annual reporting by WFRTF related to the progress achieving the goals and key actions in the Plan.
   4. AB 73 (Robert Rivas), Chapter 322, Statutes of 2021, expanded the definition of essential workers to include agricultural workers for the purpose of accessing the personal protective equipment stockpile for emergencies. Directed the Division of Occupational Safety and Health to review and update the content of wildfire smoke training in existing regulations. Required training provided by employers to be in a language and manner readily understandable by employees.
   5. SB 109 (Dodd), Chapter 239, Statutes of 2021, established the Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development within CAL FIRE as well as the Wildfire Technology Research and Development Review Advisory Board, consisting of nine specified members.
   6. ACR 33 (Friedman), Chapter 111, Statutes of 2021, stated the Legislature’s commitment to improving wildfire outcomes in California by investing in science-based wildfire mitigation strategies that will benefit the health of California forests and communities.
   7. SB 209 (Dodd), Chapter 405, Statutes of 2019, required Cal OES and CAL FIRE to jointly establish and lead the California Wildfire Forecast and Threat Intelligence Integration Center to take specified actions to create situational awareness of conditions that could result in catastrophic wildfires.
   8. AB 464 (Cristina Garcia) of 2019 would have required CARB to include "catastrophic wildfire” in their air pollution inventory. AB 464 was held in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.
8. POLICY COMMENTS. Given the wide array of tools, data, and resources available through multiple federal and state agencies to track and study wildfires and wildfire mitigation efforts, the author may wish to consider limiting the scope of the bill by removing provisions related to the measurement of smoke and the evaluation of wildfire mitigation efforts. Further, given the extensive range of health outcomes related to wildfire smoke, both short-term and long-term, the author may wish to provide guidance on what specific health outcomes should be included in the data platform and how often the data platform should be updated. The author may wish to use the California Wildfire Smoke and Air Pollution Health Burden Mapping Dashboard, previously developed by DPH, as an example.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

California Farm Bureau Federation (sponsor)

Amador Water Agency

American Red Cross California Chapter

Bear Yuba Land Trust

California Cattlemen's Association

California Farm Bureau Federation

California Forest Watershed Alliance

California Medical Association

California Society for Respiratory Care

California Special Districts Association

Community Action to Fight Asthma

County of Placer

CPCA Advocates, Subsidiary of The California Primary Care Association

Eastern Sierra Land Trust

El Dorado Irrigation District

Feather River Land Trust

Humboldt Redwood Company LLC

Megafire Action

Mountain Counties Water Resources Association

Nevada; County of

Placer Land Trust

Sierra Business Council

Sierra Consortium

Sierra County Land Trust

Sierra Foothill Conservancy

Sierra Nevada Alliance

Truckee Donner Land Trust

Union of Concerned Scientists

Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority

Opposition

None on file.

Analysis Prepared by: Natalie Pita / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: SB 945

Author: Alvarado-Gil (D), et al.

Amended: 5/16/24

Vote: 21

SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE: 11-0, 3/20/24

AYES: Roth, Nguyen, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Hurtado, Limón, Menjivar, Rubio, Smallwood-Cuevas, Wiener

SENATE ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY COMMITTEE: 7-0, 4/17/24

AYES: Allen, Dahle, Archuleta, Gonzalez, Menjivar, Nguyen, Skinner

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 5/16/24

AYES: Caballero, Jones, Ashby, Becker, Bradford, Seyarto, Wahab

SUBJECT: The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act

SOURCE: California Farm Bureau

DIGEST:

Requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies. Requires CDPH, in consultation with those agencies, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, as specified.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes CDPH, which has responsibilities related to infectious disease control and prevention, food safety, environmental health, laboratory services, patient safety, emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, family health, health equity, and vital records and statistics. [HSC §131000, et seq.]
2. Requires CDPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. Requires the plan to address: establishing policies and procedures that address respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices; making available respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices to residents that are sensitive receptors and are at risk of serious illness or complications resulting from inhaling highly polluted air from a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; providing information on what residents should do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold; providing information regarding the health impacts of inhaling air pollution during a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; developing prevention strategies to assist residents in avoiding inhalation of air pollutants; and, disseminating the information to the public. [HSC §107250]
3. Requires CDPH and the Office of Emergency Services, in coordination with other state agencies, to establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile, upon appropriation and as necessary. Requires CDPH to establish guidelines for procurement, management, and distribution of PPE, and requires the guidelines to take into account, among other things, the amount of each type of PPE that would be required for all health care workers and essential workers in the state during a 90-day pandemic or other health emergency, including, but not limited to, wildfire smoke events. [HSC §131021 (c)]

This bill:

1. Requires CDPH, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), and the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies. Specifies that the purposes for integrating wildfire smoke and health data include, but are not limited to, providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on California’s population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.
2. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CDF and the Task Force, to develop:
   1. Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data;
   2. Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to forest and wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
   3. Smoke data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfire;
   4. Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke;
   5. Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials; and,
   6. Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
3. Requires CDPH, by January 1, 2026, to make the protocols public and publish a strategic plan for data management to guide the implementation of this bill. Requires CDPH, by July 1, 2026 and in consultation with CDF and the Task Force, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide-integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform.
4. Requires CDPH to ensure that the platform, at a minimum:
   1. Integrates existing wildfire smoke and health data information from multiple autonomous databases managed by federal, state, and local agencies and academia using consistent and standardized formats;
   2. Integrates the data products developed pursuant to this bill;
   3. Integrates the air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts and measures of smoke emissions from human-made materials estimated by the methodological guidelines developed pursuant this bill;
   4. Integrates smoke emission inventories;
   5. Provides documentation of data quality and data formats through metadata;
   6. Adheres to data protocols developed under this bill; and,
   7. Is able to receive both spatial and time series data from various sources.
5. Prohibits this bill from preventing a state agency from disseminating, managing, or publishing data separately from the platform.
6. Creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund, and makes all moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation, to CDPH, CDF, and the Task Force for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data. Requires the Department of Finance to develop a standardized agreement to allow for the voluntary donation to the fund by any person, educational institution, government entity, corporation or other business entity, or organization.

COMMENTS:

1. Author’s statement. According to the author:

Amidst California's escalating wildfires fueled by climate change, the crucial necessity for effective forest management strategies is becoming increasingly evident. As these fires rage with unparalleled ferocity, endangering ecosystems, livestock, public health, and human lives, it is imperative to gather comprehensive data on the health effects of wildfire smoke, particularly considering the heightened vulnerability of outdoor workers who experience increased inhalation of wildfire smoke due to the nature of their duties. This bill will require CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide-integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform in order to bridge concerted efforts and mobilize action from both state authorities and the medical community to confront this critical, time-sensitive issue.

Background

1. According to an August 2022 CDPH report titled “Wildfire Smoke Considerations for California’s Public Health Officials,” the ten largest wildfires in California’s recorded history have occurred since 2000 – with five of these wildfires occurring in a single year (2020). The 2020 August Complex wildfire was the first California wildfire to burn one million acres. Instead of primarily late summer and early fall, wildfires now occur throughout the year. The 2022 Big Sur wildfire started in January and the 2017 Thomas wildfire started in December. Scientists predict that climate change will result in “longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons” that increase the risk of severe wildfires and exposure to wildfire smoke.

According to CDPH, this new reality creates challenges for California’s public health officials on many fronts. Wildfires produce large amounts of particles and gases, including fine and coarse particles, greenhouse gases, carbon monoxide, non-methane hydrocarbon, and nitrogen oxides. The impact of wildfires on air quality depends on weather patterns, fire plume dynamics, amount and chemical composition of the emissions, and atmosphere into which the emissions are dispersed. Geography also plays a role; mountains and other features may contribute to inversion layers that can keep smoke contained in certain areas. Wildfires pose risk to human life in addition to the public health consequences beyond the immediate impacts to people, animals, and the environment. Wildfire smoke can be especially concerning for marginalized communities, where people have fewer resources for avoiding smoke and less access to adequate health care.

1. Wildfire smoke and health. According to the 2022 CDPH report, a growing body of scientific evidence links wildfire smoke exposure to various adverse health effects. Although it is often assumed that most healthy people will recover from short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, others may experience more severe symptoms due to biological factors (such as life stage or pre-existing medical conditions) and extrinsic, nonbiologic factors (socioeconomic status, lack of access to adequate housing, lack of access to healthcare, etc.). The risk of health effects due to wildfire smoke exposure appears to vary throughout a lifetime, being generally higher in childhood, lower in young adults, and increasing in middle age through older age as the prevalence of heart, lung, and metabolic disease increases. Pregnancy is also a period of unique vulnerability for both the pregnant person and developing fetus. Studies of ambient air pollution have found that exposure to fine and coarse particles is linked with increased risk of premature mortality and aggravation of pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Recent reviews conclude that a strong association exists between exposure to wildfire smoke or wildfire-particulate matter (PM) and mortality and respiratory morbidity. Strong positive associations have been found between wildfire smoke exposure and exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and pneumonia. Studies have also linked fine PM to increased risks of heart attacks and sudden death from cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, or stroke.
2. CCST/Blue Forest report. In September 2023, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and Blue Forest released a report titled “The Human Health Benefits of Improving Forest Health in California,” which examines the connections between forest management, wildfire smoke, and human health through interviews with health sector organizations and a review of scientific literature. The report highlights knowledge gaps and the data, research, and collaborations needed to fill them, as well as steps to ensure the improved health for living under frequently smoky skies. Major takeaways from the report include:
   1. Wildfire smoke impacts human health and health sector organizations’ workforces, operations, and ability to provide services, yet the costs are largely unquantified;
   2. Many interviewed health sector organizations see value in future engagement with forest management to mitigate adverse outcomes and costs associated with wildfire smoke, but require avenues for collaboration and more information on the potential benefits of forest management to human health and the health sector;
   3. Comprehensive statewide and/or locally specific information on the adverse human health impacts of wildfire smoke are not readily available but could be generated from additional analysis of existing data resources; and,
   4. A small but growing body of research suggests that management to improve forest health can be tailored to reduce total smoke impacts and benefit human health.

The report authors made numerous recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and funders to consider, including that California and the federal government should:

• • 1. Consider creating regularly updated data products that retrospectively track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildland fire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
    2. Expand available smoke data products to include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildland fires. Tracking smoke impacts back to source fires is foundational data for research on the potential human health benefits of alternative forest management strategies;
    3. Support efforts to create methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildland fire smoke in order to facilitate future research efforts; and,
    4. Support the development of methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials, and expand smoke emissions inventories to additionally include emissions estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildland fires.

1. Related/Prior legislation. AB 73 (Rivas, Chapter 322, Statutes of 2021) revised provisions of law requiring the state to establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile for pandemic or other health emergencies, by also including wildfire smoke events as a type of emergency for which a PPE stockpile would be required; adds agricultural workers to the definition of “essential workers” for purposes of access to the PPE stockpile; and requires wildfire smoke safety training for agricultural employees to be in a language and manner readily understandable by employees.

AB 619 (Calderon, Chapter 412, Statutes of 2021) requires CDPH to develop a plan, with recommendations and guidelines, for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires and other sources. Requires a county, in the next update of its emergency plan, to addresses the recommendations and guidance developed by CDPH.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

• The CDPH estimates ongoing annual costs of $1,310,000 starting in 2025-26; and potential additional limited-term costs of $880,000 ($730,000 in 2025-26 and $150,000 in 2026-27) for information technology.
• The CDF estimates costs of $354,000 in year one, $254,000 in year two, and $238,000 annually thereafter for state administration.
• The Task Force indicates no fiscal impact.
• While the bill creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund which allows for voluntary donations to cover state administration costs, the bill would result in cost pressures to the General Fund to the extent the special fund revenues are not sufficient to cover the costs.

SUPPORT: (Verified 5/17/24)

California Farm Bureau (sponsor)

Amador Water Agency

Association of California Water Agencies

California Cattlemen’s Association

California Forest Watershed Alliance

California Forestry Association

California Medical Association

California Primary Care Association Advocates

California Society for Respiratory Care

California Special Districts Association
Community Action to Fight Asthma

El Dorado Irrigation District

Humboldt and Mendocino Redwood Companies

Mountain Counties Water Resources Association

The Nature Conservancy

The Sierra Consortium

Rural County Representatives of California

Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority

Two individuals

OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/17/24)

None received

ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT: The California Farm Bureau (source) writes:

While the state has invested billions of dollars for the first time in developing a cohesive strategy to promote resilient forests, including the adaption of prescribed burning, there is little data available to understand how wildfire fuels mitigation investments are impacting health outcomes across the state in communities impacted by smoke events. Although there is anecdotal evidence that certain fires have direct negative consequences on respiratory illnesses, there is not any tool to look at specific connections between fires, smoke and particular health outcomes. This missing data leaves policy holders with incomplete information about the true costs of these massive fires, and the direct human health benefits and health cost controls that come from investing in wildfire fuels mitigation. This bill will empower policy makers and stakeholders with data to fully understand the value of those investments. Other supporters write that because of the scope and size of these wildfires, the state’s watersheds face increased sediment deposits, increasing the costs of water management and delivery while decreasing surface storage capacity. Rural communities closest to the fires have been either burned to the ground or shrouded in thick smoke for weeks on end. Urban communities have been spared from some of the direct impact from fire, but not from smoke which is obviously transitory and fills cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles with smoke from wildfires that burn hundreds of miles away. The California Society for Respiratory Care states that many patients in California have COPD and asthma, and these patient populations are particularly at risk of adverse health impacts during wildfire events. The more clarity California can gain about wildfire smoke pollution, the better we can prepare our patients and possibly prevent patients from ending up in the emergency room. The Humboldt and Mendocino Redwood Companies write that this bill will evaluate the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on yet another value we cherish, our health. Anecdotally, less intense wildfires and wildfires that are of shorter duration due to fuel reduction efforts would be a benefit to health. This bill will help to define the extent to which fuel treatments positively impact health.

Prepared by: Melanie Moreno / HEALTH / (916) 651-4111

5/18/24 14:48:43

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anna Caballero, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular Session

SB 945 (Alvarado-Gil) - The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act

Bill Summary:

SB 945 would require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies.

*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on May 16, 2024

Fiscal Impact:

• The CDPH estimates ongoing annual costs of $1,310,000 starting in 2025-26; and potential additional limited-term costs of $880,000 ($730,000 in 2025-26 and $150,000 in 2026-27) for information technology.
• The CDF estimates costs of $354,000 in year one, $254,000 in year two, and $238,000 annually thereafter for state administration.
• The Task Force indicates no fiscal impact.
• While the bill creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund which allows for voluntary donations to cover state administration costs, the bill would result in cost pressures to the General Fund to the extent the special fund revenues are not sufficient to cover the costs.

Author Amendments:

Remove CARB from the bill’s provisions.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Anna Caballero, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular Session

SB 945 (Alvarado-Gil) - The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act

Bill Summary:

SB 945 would require the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies.

Fiscal Impact:

• Unknown one-time and ongoing costs for the CDPH for staffing resources and information technology.

• The CARB estimates costs of $7,017,000 in 2024-25, $4,301,000 in 2025-26, and $4,301,000 in 2026-27 and annually thereafter for state administration.
• The CDF estimates costs of $354,000 in year one, $254,000 in year two, and $238,000 annually thereafter for state administration.
• The Task Force indicates no fiscal impact.
• While the bill creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund which allows for voluntary donations to cover state administration costs, the bill would result in cost pressures to the General Fund to the extent the special fund revenues are not sufficient to cover the costs.

Background:

Current law requires the CDPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. The plan must address:

• Establishing policies and procedures that address respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices.
• Making available respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices to residents that are sensitive receptors and are at risk of serious illness or complications resulting from inhaling highly polluted air from a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.
• Providing information to residents on what they should do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold.
• Providing information to residents regarding the health impacts of inhaling air pollution during a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources.
• Developing prevention strategies to assist residents in avoiding inhalation of air pollutants.
• Disseminating the information to the public.

Proposed Law:

Specific provisions of the bill would:

• Require CDPH, CDF, the Task Force, and CARB to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies.
• Require CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to develop the following:
  • Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data.
  • Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke.
  • Smoke data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfire.
  • Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke.
  • Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials.
  • Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
• Require CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform.
• Create the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund; specify that moneys in the fund are available, upon appropriation, to CDPH, CDF, the Task Force, and CARB for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data; and require the Department of Finance to develop a standardized agreement to allow for the voluntary donation to the fund by any person, educational institution, government entity, corporation or other business entity, or organization.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

Senator Allen, Chair

2023 - 2024 Regular

Bill No: SB 945

SUBJECT: The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act

DIGEST: This bill requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies. Requires CDPH, in consultation with those agencies, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, as specified.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Establishes CDPH, which has responsibilities related to infectious disease control and prevention, food safety, environmental health, laboratory services, patient safety, emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, family health, health equity, and vital records and statistics. (Health and Safety Code (HSC) §131000, et seq.)
2. Requires CDPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. Requires the plan to address: establishing policies and procedures that address respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices; making available respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices to residents that are sensitive receptors and are at risk of serious illness or complications resulting from inhaling highly polluted air from a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; providing information to residents on what they should do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold; providing information to residents regarding the health impacts of inhaling air pollution during a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; developing prevention strategies to assist residents in avoiding inhalation of air pollutants; and, disseminating the information to the public. (HSC §107250)
3. Requires CDPH and the Office of Emergency Services, in coordination with other state agencies, to establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile, upon appropriation and as necessary. Requires CDPH to establish guidelines for procurement, management, and distribution of PPE from the stockpile, and requires the guidelines to take into account, among other things, the amount of each type of PPE that would be required for all health care workers and essential workers in the state during a 90-day pandemic or other health emergency, including, but not limited to, wildfire smoke events. (HSC §131021 (c))
   

This bill:

1. Requires CDPH, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies. Specifies that the purposes for integrating wildfire smoke and health data include, but are not limited to, providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on California’s population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.
2. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to develop:
   1. Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data;
   2. Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to forest and wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
   3. Smoke data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfire;
   4. Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke;
   5. Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials; and,
   6. Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
3. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to, no later than July 1, 2026, create, operate, and maintain a statewide-integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform. Requires the data platform to make the protocols public and publish a strategic plan for data management to guide the implementation of this bill.
4. Requires CDPH to ensure that the statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, at a minimum:
   1. Integrates existing wildfire smoke and health data information from multiple autonomous databases managed by federal, state, and local agencies and academia using consistent and standardized formats;
   2. Integrates the data products developed pursuant to this bill;
   3. Integrates the air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts and measures of smoke emissions from human-made materials estimated by the methodological guidelines developed pursuant this bill;
   4. Integrates smoke emission inventories;
   5. Provides documentation of data quality and data formats through metadata;
   6. Adheres to data protocols developed under this bill; and,
   7. Is able to receive both spatial and time series data from various sources.
5. Prohibits this bill from preventing a state agency from disseminating, managing, or publishing data separately from the platform.
6. Creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund, and makes all moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation, to CDPH, CDF, the Task Force, and CARB for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data. Requires the Department of Finance to develop a standardized agreement to allow for the voluntary donation to the fund by any person, educational institution, government entity, corporation or other business entity, or organization.
   

Background

1. More fires and more wildfire smoke. According to an August 2022 CDPH report titled “Wildfire Smoke Considerations for California’s Public Health Officials,” the ten largest wildfires in California’s recorded history have occurred since 2000 – with five of these wildfires occurring in a single year (2020). The 2020 August Complex wildfire was the first California wildfire to burn one million acres. Instead of primarily late summer and early fall, wildfires now occur throughout the year. The 2022 Big Sur wildfire started in January and the 2017 Thomas wildfire started in December. Scientists predict that climate change will result in “longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons” that increase the risk of severe wildfires and exposure to wildfire smoke.
   
   According to CDPH, this new reality creates challenges for California’s public health officials on many fronts. Wildfires produce large amounts of particles and gases, including fine and coarse particles, greenhouse gases, carbon monoxide, non-methane hydrocarbon, and nitrogen oxides. The impact of wildfires on air quality depends on weather patterns, fire plume dynamics, amount and chemical composition of the emissions, and atmosphere into which the emissions are dispersed. Geography also plays a role; mountains and other features may contribute to inversion layers that can keep smoke contained in certain areas. Wildfires pose risk to human life in addition to the public health consequences beyond the immediate impacts to people, animals, and the environment. Wildfire smoke can be especially concerning for marginalized communities, where people have fewer resources for avoiding smoke and less access to adequate health care.
   
2. Wildfire smoke and health. According to the 2022 CDPH report, a growing body of scientific evidence links wildfire smoke exposure to various adverse health effects. Although it is often assumed that most healthy people will recover from short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, others may experience more severe symptoms due to biological factors (such as life stage or pre-existing medical conditions) and extrinsic, nonbiologic factors (socioeconomic status, lack of access to adequate housing, lack of access to healthcare, etc.).
   
   Studies of ambient air pollution have found that exposure to fine and coarse particles is linked with increased risk of premature mortality and aggravation of pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Recent reviews conclude that a strong association exists between exposure to wildfire smoke or wildfire-particulate matter (PM) and mortality and respiratory morbidity. Strong positive associations have been found between wildfire smoke exposure and exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and pneumonia. Studies have also linked fine PM to increased risks of heart attacks and sudden death from cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, or stroke.
   
3. CCST/Blue Forest report. In September 2023, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and Blue Forest released a report titled “The Human Health Benefits of Improving Forest Health in California,” which examines the connections between forest management, wildfire smoke, and human health through interviews with health sector organizations and a review of scientific literature. The report highlights knowledge gaps and the data, research, and collaborations needed to fill them, as well as steps to ensure the improved health for living under frequently smoky skies. Major takeaways from the report include:
   1. Wildfire smoke impacts human health and health sector organizations’ workforces, operations, and ability to provide services, yet the costs are largely unquantified;
   2. Many interviewed health sector organizations see value in future engagement with forest management to mitigate adverse outcomes and costs associated with wildfire smoke, but require avenues for collaboration and more information on the potential benefits of forest management to human health and the health sector;
   3. Comprehensive statewide and/or locally specific information on the adverse human health impacts of wildfire smoke are not readily available but could be generated from additional analysis of existing data resources; and,
   4. A small but growing body of research suggests that management to improve forest health can be tailored to reduce total smoke impacts and benefit human health.
      

The report authors made numerous recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and funders to consider, including that California and the federal government should:

• 1. Consider creating regularly updated data products that retrospectively track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildland fire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
  2. Expand available smoke data products to include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildland fires. Tracking smoke impacts back to source fires is foundational data for research on the potential human health benefits of alternative forest management strategies;
  3. Support efforts to create methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildland fire smoke in order to facilitate future research efforts;
  4. Support the development of methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials, and expand smoke emissions inventories to additionally include emissions estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildland fires;
  5. Support additional research to study the smoke-related human health tradeoffs of different possible forest management strategies in order to improve forest and human health; and
  6. Include, when evaluating the cost/benefit tradeoffs of alternative forest management strategies, separate analyses for the potential human health tradeoffs and for the potential climate tradeoffs of wildland fire smoke.

Comments

1. Purpose of Bill. According to the author, “Amidst California's escalating wildfires fueled by climate change, the crucial necessity for effective forest management strategies is becoming increasingly evident. As these fires rage with unparalleled ferocity, endangering ecosystems, livestock, public health, and human lives, It is imperative to gather comprehensive data on the health effects of wildfire smoke, particularly considering the heightened vulnerability of outdoor workers who experience increased inhalation of wildfire smoke due to the nature of their duties. This legislation will require the State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the State Air Resources Board to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform in order to bridge concerted efforts and mobilize action from both state authorities and the medical community to confront this critical, time-sensitive issue.”
   
2. If wildfire smoke is the problem, is maximum suppression the solution? Forest management continues to be an active field of research, with management paradigms and best practices shifting considerably over the years. The CCST study referenced by this bill dedicates a chapter to the public health and climate tradeoffs inherent in using alterative forest management strategies. Do prescribed or cultural burns provide a net benefit to public health? To GHG emissions? What suppression strategies lead to the lowest overall level of catastrophic wildfires, and what public health and climate impacts result from those strategies? These are important questions, but likely fall beyond the scope of the CDPH’s work as proposed by this bill.
   
3. Limited resources. While the purview of this committee is the policy—not the fiscal—considerations of the bill, the topic of cost-effectiveness does merit brief discussion here. California’s current budget situation will require the Legislature to prioritize only creating new spending obligations when doing so has considerable real-world benefits.
   
   Collecting, developing, curating, and distributing data and data products costs money. Fighting catastrophic wildfires costs even more. The public health impacts of wildfire smoke can cost Californians (and, to the extent they rely on state resources for their healthcare, California itself) money too. In short, money is going to be spent whether we successfully manage our forests or not.

DOUBLE REFERRAL:

This measure was heard in Senate Health Committee on March 20, 2024, and passed out of committee with a vote of 11-0.

Related/Prior Legislation

AB 619 (Calderon, Chapter 412, Statutes of 2021) requires CDPH to develop a plan, with recommendations and guidelines, for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires and other sources. Requires a county, in the next update of its emergency plan, to addresses the recommendations and guidance developed by CDPH.

SOURCE:

California Farm Bureau

SUPPORT:

Amador Water Agency
California Cattlemen's Association
California Farm Bureau Federation
California Medical Association
California Special Districts Association
Humboldt Redwood Company LLC
Mountain Counties Water Resources Association
Union of Concerned Scientists
Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority

OPPOSITION:

None Received

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH

Senator Richard Roth, Chair

BILL NO: SB 945

SUBJECT: The Wildfire Smoke and Health Outcomes Data Act

SUMMARY:

Requires the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the California Air Resources Board to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies. Requires CDPH, in consultation with those agencies, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, as specified.

Existing law:

1. Establishes CDPH, which has responsibilities related to infectious disease control and prevention, food safety, environmental health, laboratory services, patient safety, emergency preparedness, chronic disease prevention and health promotion, family health, health equity, and vital records and statistics. [HSC §131000, et seq.]
2. Requires CDPH to develop a plan with recommendations and guidelines for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources. Requires the plan to address: establishing policies and procedures that address respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices; making available respiratory protection and other protective equipment and devices to residents that are sensitive receptors and are at risk of serious illness or complications resulting from inhaling highly polluted air from a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; providing information to residents on what they should do if the air quality index hits a significant threshold; providing information to residents regarding the health impacts of inhaling air pollution during a significant air quality event caused by wildfires or other sources; developing prevention strategies to assist residents in avoiding inhalation of air pollutants; and, disseminating the information to the public. [HSC §107250]
3. Requires CDPH and the Office of Emergency Services, in coordination with other state agencies, to establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile, upon appropriation and as necessary. Requires CDPH to establish guidelines for procurement, management, and distribution of PPE from the stockpile, and requires the guidelines to take into account, among other things, the amount of each type of PPE that would be required for all health care workers and essential workers in the state during a 90-day pandemic or other health emergency, including, but not limited to, wildfire smoke events. [HSC §131021 (c)]

This bill:

1. Requires CDPH, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF), the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force (Task Force), and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to coordinate and integrate existing wildfire smoke and health data from local, state, and federal agencies. Specifies that the purposes for integrating wildfire smoke and health data include, but are not limited to, providing adequate information to understand the negative health impacts on California’s population caused by wildfire smoke and evaluating the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on health outcomes in California.
2. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to develop:
   1. Protocols for data sharing, documentation, quality control, and promotion of open-source platforms and decision support tools related to wildfire smoke and health data;
   2. Regularly updated data products that track air pollution concentrations attributable to forest and wildfire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
   3. Smoke data products that include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildfire;
   4. Methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildfire smoke;
   5. Methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials; and,
   6. Smoke emission inventories that include emission estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildfire.
3. Requires CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide-integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform. Requires the data platform to be developed in accordance with an unspecified schedule:
   1. Make the protocols public and publish a strategic plan for data management to guide the implementation of this bill;
   2. Make available existing wildfire smoke and health data held by state agencies on the platform; and,
   3. Make any other existing information listed 4) below available on the platform.
4. Requires CDPH to ensure that the statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, at a minimum:
   1. Integrates existing wildfire smoke and health data information from multiple autonomous databases managed by federal, state, and local agencies and academia using consistent and standardized formats;
   2. Integrates the data products developed pursuant to this bill;
   3. Integrates the air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts and measures of smoke emissions from human-made materials estimated by the methodological guidelines developed pursuant this bill;
   4. Integrates smoke emission inventories;
   5. Provides documentation of data quality and data formats through metadata;
   6. Adheres to data protocols developed under this bill; and,
   7. Is able to receive both spatial and time series data from various sources.
5. Prohibits this bill from preventing a state agency from disseminating, managing, or publishing data separately from the platform.
6. Creates the Wildfire Smoke and Health Administration Fund, and makes all moneys in the fund available, upon appropriation, to CDPH, CDF, the Task Force, and CARB for the collection, management, and improvement of wildfire smoke and health data. Requires the Department of Finance to develop a standardized agreement to allow for the voluntary donation to the fund by any person, educational institution, government entity, corporation or other business entity, or organization.

FISCAL EFFECT:

This bill has not been analyzed by a fiscal committee.

COMMENTS:

1. Author’s statement. According to the author, amidst California's escalating wildfires fueled by climate change, the crucial necessity for effective forest management strategies is becoming increasingly evident. As these fires rage with unparalleled ferocity, endangering ecosystems, livestock, public health, and human lives, it is imperative to gather comprehensive data on the health effects of wildfire smoke, particularly considering the heightened vulnerability of outdoor workers who experience increased inhalation of wildfire smoke due to the nature of their duties. This bill will require CDPH, in consultation with CDF, the Task Force, and CARB, to create, operate, and maintain a statewide-integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform in order to bridge concerted efforts and mobilize action from both state authorities and the medical community to confront this critical, time-sensitive issue.
2. Background. According to an August 2022 CDPH report titled “Wildfire Smoke Considerations for California’s Public Health Officials,” the ten largest wildfires in California’s recorded history have occurred since 2000 – with five of these wildfires occurring in a single year (2020). The 2020 August Complex wildfire was the first California wildfire to burn one million acres. Instead of primarily late summer and early fall, wildfires now occur throughout the year. The 2022 Big Sur wildfire started in January and the 2017 Thomas wildfire started in December. Scientists predict that climate change will result in “longer, hotter, and drier fire seasons” that increase the risk of severe wildfires and exposure to wildfire smoke.

According to CDPH, this new reality creates challenges for California’s public health officials on many fronts. Wildfires produce large amounts of particles and gases, including fine and coarse particles, greenhouse gases, carbon monoxide, non-methane hydrocarbon, and nitrogen oxides. The impact of wildfires on air quality depends on weather patterns, fire plume dynamics, amount and chemical composition of the emissions, and atmosphere into which the emissions are dispersed. Geography also plays a role; mountains and other features may contribute to inversion layers that can keep smoke contained in certain areas. Wildfires pose risk to human life in addition to the public health consequences beyond the immediate impacts to people, animals, and the environment. Wildfire smoke can be especially concerning for marginalized communities, where people have fewer resources for avoiding smoke and less access to adequate health care.

1. Wildfire smoke and health. According to the 2022 CDPH report, a growing body of scientific evidence links wildfire smoke exposure to various adverse health effects. Although it is often assumed that most healthy people will recover from short-term exposure to wildfire smoke, others may experience more severe symptoms due to biological factors (such as life stage or pre-existing medical conditions) and extrinsic, nonbiologic factors (socioeconomic status, lack of access to adequate housing, lack of access to healthcare, etc.). The risk of health effects due to wildfire smoke exposure appears to vary throughout a lifetime, being generally higher in childhood, lower in young adults, and increasing in middle age through older age as the prevalence of heart, lung, and metabolic disease increases. Pregnancy is also a period of unique vulnerability for both the pregnant person and developing fetus. Studies of ambient air pollution have found that exposure to fine and coarse particles is linked with increased risk of premature mortality and aggravation of pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Recent reviews conclude that a strong association exists between exposure to wildfire smoke or wildfire-particulate matter (PM) and mortality and respiratory morbidity. Strong positive associations have been found between wildfire smoke exposure and exacerbations of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, and pneumonia. Studies have also linked fine PM to increased risks of heart attacks and sudden death from cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, or stroke.
2. CCST/Blue Forest report. In September 2023, the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and Blue Forest released a report titled “The Human Health Benefits of Improving Forest Health in California,” which examines the connections between forest management, wildfire smoke, and human health through interviews with health sector organizations and a review of scientific literature. The report highlights knowledge gaps and the data, research, and collaborations needed to fill them, as well as steps to ensure the improved health for living under frequently smoky skies. Major takeaways from the report include:
   1. Wildfire smoke impacts human health and health sector organizations’ workforces, operations, and ability to provide services, yet the costs are largely unquantified;
   2. Many interviewed health sector organizations see value in future engagement with forest management to mitigate adverse outcomes and costs associated with wildfire smoke, but require avenues for collaboration and more information on the potential benefits of forest management to human health and the health sector;
   3. Comprehensive statewide and/or locally specific information on the adverse human health impacts of wildfire smoke are not readily available but could be generated from additional analysis of existing data resources; and,
   4. A small but growing body of research suggests that management to improve forest health can be tailored to reduce total smoke impacts and benefit human health.

The report authors made numerous recommendations for policymakers, researchers, and funders to consider, including that California and the federal government should:

• • 1. Consider creating regularly updated data products that retrospectively track air pollution concentrations attributable to wildland fire smoke, population exposure to smoke, and cases of adverse health outcomes attributable to smoke;
    2. Expand available smoke data products to include estimates of smoke impacts by individual wildland fires. Tracking smoke impacts back to source fires is foundational data for research on the potential human health benefits of alternative forest management strategies;
    3. Support efforts to create methodological guidelines for estimating smoke air pollutant concentrations and counts of adverse health impacts attributable to wildland fire smoke in order to facilitate future research efforts; and,
    4. Support the development of methodologies to estimate smoke emissions from human-made materials, and expand smoke emissions inventories to additionally include emissions estimates from developed landscapes that are burned by wildland fires.

1. Double referral. This bill has been double referred. Should it pass out of this Committee, it will be referred to the Committee on Environmental Quality.
2. Prior legislation. AB 73 (Rivas, Chapter 322, Statutes of 2021) revised provisions of law requiring the state to establish a personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpile for pandemic or other health emergencies, by also including wildfire smoke events as a type of emergency for which a PPE stockpile would be required; adds agricultural workers to the definition of “essential workers” for purposes of access to the PPE stockpile; and requires wildfire smoke safety training for agricultural employees to be in a language and manner readily understandable by employees.

AB 619 (Calderon, Chapter 412, Statutes of 2021) requires CDPH to develop a plan, with recommendations and guidelines, for counties to use in the case of a significant air quality event caused by wildfires and other sources. Requires a county, in the next update of its emergency plan, to addresses the recommendations and guidance developed by CDPH.

1. Support. The California Farm Bureau, the sponsor of this bill, writes that while the state has invested billions of dollars for the first time in developing a cohesive strategy to promote resilient forests, including the adaption of prescribed burning, there is little data available to understand how wildfire fuels mitigation investments are impacting health outcomes across the state in communities impacted by smoke events. Although there is anecdotal evidence that certain fires have direct negative consequences on respiratory illnesses, there is not any tool to look at specific connections between fires, smoke and particular health outcomes. This missing data leaves policy holders with incomplete information about the true costs of these massive fires, and the direct human health benefits and health cost controls that come from investing in wildfire fuels mitigation. This bill will empower policy makers and stakeholders with data to fully understand the value of those investments. Other supporters write that because of the scope and size of these wildfires, the state’s watersheds face increased sediment deposits, increasing the costs of water management and delivery while decreasing surface storage capacity. Rural communities closest to the fires have been either burned to the ground or shrouded in thick smoke for weeks on end. Urban communities have been spared from some of the direct impact from fire, but not from smoke which is obviously transitory and fills cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles with smoke from wildfires that burn hundreds of miles away. The California Society for Respiratory Care states that many patients in California have COPD and asthma, and these patient populations are particularly at risk of adverse health impacts during wildfire events. The more clarity California can gain about wildfire smoke pollution, the better we can prepare our patients and possibly prevent patients from ending up in the emergency room. The Humboldt and Mendocino Redwood Companies write that this bill will evaluate the effectiveness of investments in forest health and wildfire mitigation on yet another value we cherish, our health. Anecdotally, less intense wildfires and wildfires that are of shorter duration due to fuel reduction efforts would be a benefit to health. This bill will help to define the extent to which fuel treatments positively impact health.
2. Amendments. The author has agreed to the following clarifying amendments:

107264. (a) The State Department of Public Health, in consultation with the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, and the state board, shall create, operate, and maintain a statewide integrated wildfire smoke and health data platform, no later than July 1, 2026.

(b) The State Department of Public Health shall develop the data platform in accordance with the following schedule:

(1) By ____, the State Department of Public Health shall do both of the following by January 1, 2026:

(A) Make public the protocols developed pursuant to Section 107263.

(B) Publish a strategic plan for data management to guide the implementation of this part.

(2) (A) By ____, the State Department of Public Health shall make available existing wildfire smoke and health data held by state agencies on the platform.

(3) By ____, the State Department of Public Health shall make available on the platform any other existing information listed in subdivision (c).

SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION:

Support: California Farm Bureau (sponsor)

Association of California Water Agencies

California Forest Watershed Alliance

California Forestry Association

California Society for Respiratory Care

California Special Districts Association

Humboldt and Mendocino Redwood Companies

The Nature Conservancy

Rural County Representatives of California

Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority

Oppose: None received

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