Bill Proposed to Create Contamination Standards After Fires

By Laurel Busby

News & Information Editor

A bill to enact testing and clearance standards for indoor and outdoor contamination from the Palisades and Eaton fires is being considered by the California legislature.

AB 1642, written by Calif. Assemblymember John Harabedian and co-sponsored by Calif. Sen. Ben Allen, Calif. Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, and Calif. Sen. Sasha Perez, “calls for health-based testing and clearance standards for the recovery of standing homes, schools, and businesses impacted by smoke and ash, and for soil remediation, in accordance with DTSC [Department of Toxic Substances Control] guidelines,” according to the Eaton Fire Residents United. “Currently, there are no statewide standards governing the recovery of standing structures after a wildland–urban interface (WUI) fire, and AB 1642 would change this.”

If enacted, the bill, which was introduced on Jan. 27, would apply retroactively to Jan. 2025 and is scheduled for a first committee hearing on March 10, according to EFRU.

One paragraph of the bill reads: “The Department of Toxic Substances Control shall, no later than July 1, 2027, adopt emergency regulations specifying the standards for investigation, environmental testing, and removal of contaminants inside and outside of homes, schools, and workplaces in residential areas after a wildfire. The adopted standards shall include health-based clearance standards to help ensure that residents can safely reoccupy their homes, schools, and workplaces.”

More information about the bill is available here: https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260ab1642.

Through March 4 at 5 p.m., organizations and individuals can add their names and comments to an endorsement letter that will be shared at the first committee hearing with the Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. People can also provide testimony on the issue in person in Sacramento on March 10.

More information from EFRU is available here.