CDFW Cutting the Green Tape Projects
California Department of Fish and Wildlife Cutting the Green Tape Projects as of March 2025.
CDFW’s Cutting the Green Tape program is a state-wide effort, representing the department’s environmental permitting and grant funding programs with added support from its general counsel and executive leadership. This program is leading efforts to develop and implement improvements to the way the department issues permits and administers its grant programs, to accelerate the pace and scale of restoration throughout the state.
Overview Map
Cutting the Green Tape Projects
SERP
CEQA Statutory Exemption for Restoration Projects
Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 155, on September 23, 2021, adding Section 21080.56 to California Public Resources Code. This section provides a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Statutory Exemption for Restoration Projects (SERP) until January 1, 2030, for fish and wildlife restoration projects that meet certain requirements. CDFW’s Cutting the Green Tape (CGT) Program is responsible for coordinating with lead agencies seeking SERP concurrence.
RMP
Restoration Management Permit
Governor Newsom signed the Restoration Management Permit Act (Assembly Bill (AB) 1581) on September 27, 2024, adding Chapter 6.7 to the Fish and Game Code. The Restoration Management Permit (RMP) is able to provide up to five separate CDFW authorizations in a single permit designed for beneficial management and restoration activities: 1) take of CESA threatened, endangered, or candidate species; 2) take of Fully Protected Species; 3) take of plant species designated as “rare” pursuant to the Native Plant Protection Act; 4) take of other species including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, or reptiles; and 5) authorization of impacts to rivers, lakes, and streams that would otherwise be subject to a Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement (LSAA).
RMPs issued prior to January 1, 2025 authorize “take” pursuant to section 2081, subdivision (a), of the California Endangered Species Act (CESA) as well as fully protected species (FPS) pursuant to Fish and Game Code sections 3511, 4700, 5050, and 5515.
CD
Restoration Consistency Determination
If a project will result in state-defined take, as defined in Fish and Game Code 86 (hunt, pursue, capture, catch, or kill, or attempt to do so), of a species that is listed under both the federal Endangered Species Act and the California Endangered Species Act (CESA), Fish and Game Code section 2080.1 allows an applicant who has obtained a federal incidental take statement (federal Section 7 consultation) or a federal incidental take permit (federal Section 10(a)(1)(B)) to request that the Director of CDFW find the federal documents consistent with CESA. If the federal documents are found to be consistent with CESA, a consistency determination (CD) is issued, and no further authorization or approval is necessary under CESA.