California governor signs bill to allow bridge construction over creek with protected fish

Governor Jerry BrownGovernor Jerry Brown

Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill September 13 that will allow Shasta County to proceed with its plans for a bridge over Spring Creek, a tributary of the Fall River, that has been stalled for some time, KRCR News reports.

Assembly Bill 1845, which was sponsored by Assemblyman Brian Dahle, grants a one-time authorization for Shasta County to build the bridge in an area with rough sculpin, a fish that has been on California’s â€śfully protected” list since the 1960s.

The fish make it difficult to get permits approved to build the bridge, so authorization was required from the Legislature.

In a press release, Assemblyman Dahle said, “I am proud to help Shasta County move forward with this project before the bridge was forced to close for safety reasons, with all the community disruption that brings, as we’ve recently seen elsewhere in the area. It is shameful that we’ve created so many bureaucratic hurdles in California that basic safety work is delayed for years.”