California has given the green light to hundreds of Mendocino County growers in the heart of the Emerald Triangle.

The state announced Oct. 17 that it had approved an environmental impact report that serves as hemp growing guidelines to help approximately 460 growers with provisional licenses obtain their annual permits. Temporary permits allow growers to operate while they work out compliance kinks until they receive their permanent license. They account for 69% of the county’s total marijuana licenses.

“This is a huge win for both the state and the growers,” said Mendocino County cannabis Senior Program Manager Sara McBurney.

Many growers and county marijuana officials have long clamored for easier regulations detailing the environmental review process under the California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA sets rules for cropping areas where sensitive watershed issues arise, for example.

Final EIR for Licensing Commercial Marijuana Cultivation in Mendocino County (PDF)

“There wasn’t a clear path before,” McBurney explained, adding that he expected dozens of applications to be processed simultaneously with approval.

Hannah Nelson, cannabis law and policy counsel for the Origins Council, the group representing Northern California’s heritage growers, called it a “historic, important step” for the cannabis community.

“I think a lot of people will benefit from this,” Nelson said.

But he wants to see more details about how the timing will work for many people hoping to get a permanent license before the temporary permits expire.

It has become a district Flooded with hundreds of applicationsIt’s among more than 6,600 temporary permits issued in the state as of July.

When Proposition 64 legalized adult-use recreational marijuana within certain local government boundaries in 2016, the law resulted in the state establishing a system to govern the industry.

The county will continue to review individual annual license applications and prepare addenda to support licensing transition in the county.

“Our goal has always been clear: to support those who help build California’s cannabis industry through an environmentally responsible and legally sound licensing program,” Department of Marijuana Control Director Nicole Elliott said in a statement. he said.