California is making it faster, easier, and more affordable to launch environmental restoration projects across the state, thanks to a program the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife established in 2021 called Cutting Green Tape. It’s a simple idea: streamline the complex red tape – ‘green tape’ in the case of restoration work – that often delays or blocks habitat restoration projects. … Since 2022, the program has helped more than 500 restoration projects move forward by reducing costly delays and making the approval process easier to navigate. These efforts have already contributed to the restoration of nearly 200,000 acres of habitat, the reconnection of 5.5 million acres of land, and the improvement of over 700 miles of California streams. All of these projects are critical for fish, wildlife, and clean water.