Debris Clearance Program Forms Now Available

“Right of Entry” forms giving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to clear debris of wildfire-destroyed homes became available for affected property owners Tuesday, as Gov. Gavin Newsom said authorities are expediting the debris clearance process to get the rebuilding process moving.

The debris removal process is currently in Phase 1, which is the removal of hazardous materials from properties by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure the debris areas are safe for people to enter.

Once hazardous waste is cleared from properties, the Corps of Engineers or private contractors hired by homeowners will be able to move in and physically remove the debris from properties. Property owners who want the Corps of Engineers to conduct the work — at no cost to the homeowner — must opt in to the program by completing a “Right of Entry” form. Property owners also have the option of opting out of the program if they plan to hire their own contractor to do the removal work.

But beginning Tuesday, “Right of Entry” forms were made available online at recovery.lacounty.gov/debris-removal/.

Questions have lingered among some property owners about how long the process will take for them to access their properties so they can begin the rebuilding process. Authorities have stressed that the EPA must complete its hazardous-materials removal work before physical debris removal can begin, but it has been unclear exactly how long that will take.

Newsom said Tuesday that the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have sent a letter to the EPA calling for the Phase 1 hazardous materials work to be completed within 30 days, not the original 60 days that was estimated.

“The state has offered unprecedented resources,” Newsom told reporters during a news conference at Dodger Stadium. “I still have 1,971 National Guard (troops) down here. We will do whatever it takes to provide that support for the EPA. They’ve been provided with $175 million, and they need to get it done — pursuant not only to the direction of FEMA, but the direction of the president of the United States himself, who wants to move heaven and Earth to make sure that happens sooner. So the debris removal Phase 1 we want done in the next 30 days.”

Newsom said the Phase 2 debris removal program will not have to wait until the EPA’s work is completely done. He said as individual properties are cleared, once residents complete the Right of Entry form, “they can do debris removal for themselves by a contractor or they can get the support from the Army Corps.”

“Once the debris is removed in Phase 2, it goes up on a website and then the building permit process begins, so all this happens stacked on top of each other,” he said. “It’s not Phase 1, then we begin Phase 2, (then after) Phase 2 we begin rebuilding. It all happens in real time.”

The county Department of Public Works is coordinating the debris- removal process in conjunction with the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers.

“I want to commend the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Los Angeles County Public Works for expediting the availability of Right of Entry forms,” county Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who chairs the Board of Supervisors, said in a statement. “This is a critical milestone and first step forward towards ensuring wildfire survivors can begin clearing debris and rebuilding their homes without delays.”

Barger said having residents complete the forms now will expedite the removal process once the Corps of Engineers is cleared to move in and begin the clearance work.

“It’s imperative that our county along with collaborating federal and state agencies continue working around the clock to remove barriers and provide the resources needed for a swift recovery,” she said. “I am committed to doing everything possible to help our communities heal and quickly rebuild.”

On Friday, President Donald Trump took a tour of the Palisades Fire burn area, and said later that residents should be allowed to immediately access their properties to clear debris — dismissing the idea that anything hazardous remains since the homes were largely reduced to rubble.

EPA officials insist, however, that household hazardous wastes, such as oils, paints, lithium-ion batteries, pesticides and propane tanks present a danger to returning residents, particularly if their containers were damaged in the fire.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said residents will be permitted to do their own debris removal if they choose, but only when it is safe to do so.