• During a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on Nov. 14, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) questioned the members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on safety regulations and next steps regarding the Conception boat fire that killed 34 people near the Channel Islands in September. According to a press release about Carbajal’s opening statement at the hearing, he said he was concerned that the Coast Guard hasn’t implemented various procedure changes that the NTSB has advocated for in regard to safety inspections for boats. In his opening statement, Carbajal claims the Conception was operating under old safety requirements and not the most up-to-date rules. “What are some of the safety implications to continue to operate under this framework?” Carbajal asked. “And why, why do we need to wait until another tragedy to change our current safety rules?” According to the press release, the safety board is expected to release the results of its investigation into the deadly incident next year.
• On Nov. 12, during America Recycles Week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for its recycling and food recovery efforts. According to the EPA’s press release, last year the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, which owns and operates the Chumash Casino Resort, diverted almost 3 million pounds of waste from local landfills through its zero waste program. “The Chumash Casino Resort’s Zero Waste initiatives are making a real difference for the environment,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker said in the release. “By diverting more than 90 percent of their total waste stream from landfills and sharing their expertise with other tribes, they are true recycling champions.” According to the press release, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians was able to accomplish this through its participation in several innovative programs.
• State Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced on Nov. 18 that he, along with Los Angeles County and the Los Angeles District Attorney, has filed a lawsuit against Juul alleging that the company’s marketing practices target young people and fail to warn users about the potential harm of using its products. Juul is a San-Francisco-based company that makes electronic cigarettes. The lawsuit also alleges that Juul sent marketing materials to the email addresses of underage individuals who failed an age verification on the company’s website. According to a press release from Becerra’s office, as of Nov. 13 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 42 deaths associated with electronic cigarettes or vaping products. “We’ve worked too hard, committed our hard-earned money for too long combatting harmful tobacco use to stand idly by as we now lose Californians to vaping and nicotine addition,” Becerra said. “Today we take legal action against the deceptive practices that Juul and the e-cigarette industry employ to lure kids into their vaping web.”
• On Nov. 19, U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) introduced the Safe Skies Act, along with the Air Line Pilots Association and the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association. This bill would strengthen the flight, duty, and rest regulations that cargo pilots operate under— regulations that are currently weaker than commercial pilots operate under. According to a press release from Carbajal’s office, these weaker regulations lead to increased pilot fatigue, which creates safety concerns for everybody flying throughout the U.S. “The Safe Skies Act would address the safety double standard by applying the same strong standards for cargo pilots that exist for airline pilots,” the release states. m
This article appears in Nov 21-28, 2019.