• Congress advanced federal legislation that acknowledges the disruption that space launch noise has on nearby communities, a first for federal decisionmakers, according to a Dec. 12 statement from U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal’s (D-Santa Barbara) office. Carbajal secured the language as well as helped outline the steps the Department of Defense should take to mitigate the impact of sonic booms and other disturbances. “Residents of the Central Coast in Lompoc and other communities nearby Vandenberg [Space Force Base] have shared their growing concerns as increased space launch cadence makes launch noise a larger burden on their routines and quality of life,” Carbajal said. “This language makes it clear to the Department of Defense that these are not concerns they can plug their ears and ignore. Congress will take these impacts seriously. … I will continue working with the leadership at Vandenberg, the Department of the Air Force, and my region’s residents to pursue the win-win solutions that protect both national security and the serenity of the Central Coast.”
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) announced that the Environmental Protection Agency awarded 15 California projects a combined $216.5 million to advance local, on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and strengthen workforce development. The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act as part of the Community Change Grants Program, the largest nationwide investment in environmental and climate justice in history. The Community Change Grants program addresses the diverse and unique needs of disadvantaged communities by reducing air, water, and soil pollution, building resilient infrastructure to extreme weather events, and bolstering workforce development. “Overlooked communities across California have struggled for generations with air pollution and unaffordable water and energy bills. The climate crisis has only underscored these vulnerabilities,” Padilla said in the statement. “Thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, we’re delivering millions in environmental justice investments to reduce energy costs and improve air quality, while developing climate-resilient community workforces.”
• Continuing the state’s efforts to address the illegal cannabis market, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Task Force seized a combined total of more than $19 million worth of illegally grown cannabis and illegally manufactured cannabis products during concurrent operations in Oakland and Hayward, according to a Dec. 10 statement from Newsom’s office. “I’m proud of the recent work by our cannabis task force, seizing a staggering $19.2 million in illicit cannabis from across the Bay Area,” Newsom said in the statement. “These operations are imperative in both bolstering California’s legal cannabis market and protecting consumers from unregulated and dangerous products.” Illegal products seized in the California Department of Fish and Wildlife-led operation in Oakland included more than 7,000 illegal cannabis plants worth $6.1 million, 1,200 pounds of processed cannabis flower worth $2 million, 581 pounds of concentrated cannabis worth $4.4 million, and 6,250 disposable vape cartridges worth more than $41,000. In 2022, Governor Newsom created the task force to further align state efforts and increase cannabis enforcement coordination between state, local, and federal partners. The enforcement actions protect consumer and public safety, safeguard the environment, and deprive illegal cannabis operators and transnational criminal organizations of illicit revenue that harms consumers and undercuts the regulated cannabis market in California.
This article appears in Dec 19-29, 2024.