Watershed restoration: wildfires: grant program.

Existing law provides that resource conservation is of fundamental importance to the prosperity and welfare of the people of this state. Existing law provides that the Legislature believes that the state must assume leadership in formulating and putting into effect a statewide program of soil and water conservation and related natural resource conservation. Existing law authorizes the Natural Resources Agency and the California Environmental Protection Agency to jointly develop and submit to the Legislature a plan for forest and water restoration investments for the drainages that supply specified reservoirs. This bill would, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the National Resources Agency to develop and implement a watershed restoration grant program, as provided, for purposes of awarding grants to eligible counties, as defined, to assist them with watershed restoration on watersheds that have been affected by wildfire, as specified. The bill would require the agency to develop guidelines for the grant program, as provided. The bill would require an eligible county receiving funds pursuant to the grant program to submit annually to the agency a report regarding projects funded by the grant program, as provided.