[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 9 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H215-H216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REINING IN CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Harrigan). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 3, 2025, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from
California (Mr. Kiley) for 30 minutes.
Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, this week, I announced
legislation to rein in the California Coastal Commission, to strip the
California Coastal Commission of the powers that it has been granted by
Federal law.
The undeniable reality is that the commission is completely out of
control and has veered far from its purpose of protecting the coast.
Mike Stoker, the former Southwest administrator of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, said this: ``The California Coastal
Commission was created in 1972. For over 50 years, it has been one of
if not the most overzealous, overreaching, and self-important
regulatory agency I have ever dealt with at the local, State, or
Federal level.''
This legislation has become all the more necessary in light of the
tragedy that continues to unfold in Los Angeles. The task of rebuilding
those communities, the imperative of recovery, is going to be difficult
enough as it is, but it will be impossible as long as the California
Coastal Commission continues to exercise its powers in such
irresponsible ways.
My bill, specifically, will amend the Coastal Zone Management Act to
remove the commission's authority to block national security-related
activities, critical infrastructure projects, and activities with high
economic impact, including post-disaster recovery and rebuilding.
We all got a very clear window into the manifest irrationality of
this agency just a couple of months ago when there was a proposal by
SpaceX, together with the Air Force, to increase the launch cadence out
of Vandenberg Space Force Base to allow for more launches that are
launching satellites for important national security purposes and
launching other payloads, such as Starlink satellites.
I will note, by the way, that Starlink is right now, as we speak,
being used by first responders in the L.A. area who have lost
connectivity and would otherwise not be able to have the necessary
communications for emergency response.
This was all known, by the way, at the time that this sort of use
case for Starlink was part of its potential. I wrote a letter, at the
time, supporting the request for more launches, and we specifically
cited the use in fighting wildfires as one reason why this is
important.
Nevertheless, at the time, just a couple of months ago, with this
very clear bipartisan proposal supported by the military to allow
SpaceX to do more launches, the California Coastal Commission rejected
it and tried to stop SpaceX from increasing its launches, increasing
its capacity to support our national security, to improve connectivity.
The reason that they gave was this--this is not just me sort of
speculating about their reasons--this is literally what the
commissioners said in a public meeting. They said that they do not like
Elon Musk's political posts on X on completely unrelated topics, and so
to punish him, they were going to reject the proposal that wasn't just
from SpaceX but from the U.S. military itself in order to do more
launches.
That told us everything about what the California Coastal Commission
is all about. That was very recent, but this agency has a long history
of decisions that defy all rationality, defy all measures of public
interest, and that don't actually serve the purpose of protecting the
environment and protecting the coast.
Indeed, when you look at the specific most problematic causes of the
catastrophe in L.A., forest management and the water supply, the
California Coastal Commission has been a major hindrance in both areas.
In 2019, for example, there was an ongoing project by the L.A.
Department of Water and Power, where, through Topanga State Park, they
were replacing these aging wooden power line poles that were almost 100
years old. They were in an area that had been identified as having an
elevated fire risk. As a very important project, these wooden poles,
100 years old in a high-risk area, they were replacing them with steel
and with more fire-resistant materials.
As the New York Post explained, the goal of the project was to
improve fire safety for the Pacific Palisades area by replacing those
wooden poles with steel. Also, they were installing wind- and fire-
resistant power lines. Again, this is all in a high fire-risk area.
The California Coastal Commission caught wind of this, and they
learned that there was a particular rare plant, a few of the Brauton's
milkvetch, in the area, so they rushed in and said to stop. They
brought the project to an immediate halt. It didn't get done, and then,
in the process, they, in fact, collected $2 million in fines.
This is the sort of action that the California Coastal Commission has
taken.
Consider just a decision from just 2 years ago, when the commission
blocked a desalination plant in Huntington Beach that would have
increased L.A.'s water supply. The commission denied a permit for
Poseidon Water's proposed $1.4 billion desalination plant in Huntington
Beach.
Of course, we have all seen how the lack of a sufficient water supply
is one of the things that allowed the fires in L.A. to grow unchecked.
We had an empty reservoir, for example. Here, just 2 years ago, you had
the California Coastal Commission rejecting a major augmentation in the
region's supply.
{time} 1315
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned the issue related to SpaceX also undermined
our national security, in addition to our ability to innovate and the
ability to launch Starlink satellites.
The CCC, the California Coastal Commission, has also on several
occasions rejected proposals from the U.S. Navy. For example, it
rejected the U.S. Navy's proposal to increase sonar and underwater
explosives training off of southern California.
In another instance, it filed a lawsuit against the Navy for
proceeding with 14 major training exercises off of southern California,
again harming U.S. national security.
Then, finally, there is the issue of housing because it is going to
be a major undertaking in order to rebuild these beautiful communities.
The California Coastal Commission is most assuredly going to stand in
the way of that process. It has a long history of denying project after
project. California has a massive housing shortage.
Yet, even when we have projects that have gotten all the necessary
approvals, which have met all the very stringent requirements set out
by the State, the California Coastal Commission will come in and spike
the project.
They have done this so much that a group called Circulate San Diego
issued a report recently highlighting how the California Coastal
Commission has consistently taken actions that worsen California's
housing crisis.
They highlighted examples of how even these very, what some would
call, left-leaning set of requirements for
[[Page H216]]
housing that the legislature has set, even projects that have met all
of those things, they said: The California Coastal Commission ``has
resisted, opposed, and delayed the construction of deed-restricted
affordable homes that use programs like Density Bonus Law.'' They noted
this is true even when all of the zoning approvals have been obtained.
The report documents examples where the California Coastal Commission
opposes projects that the legislature encourages as part of
California's efforts to combat climate change. Crosswalks, bicycle
lanes, and infill development near projects, the report states, are all
goals of recent statewide legislation, yet the California Coastal
Commission opposes or delays many of these projects.
Mr. Speaker, the process of rebuilding and recovery in L.A. is going
to be a long and difficult one. There are some things that we know we
need to do right off the bat. Perhaps the easiest thing, the most
obvious thing is to assure that the California Coastal Commission does
not stand in the way.
That is why I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and both
Houses of Congress to move on this legislation as quickly as possible.
This will be an important first step towards rebuilding Los Angeles and
towards restoring some common sense in California.
Congratulating Blue Origin on Successful Orbit of New Glenn Rocket
Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate
Blue Origin on successfully reaching orbit in the first flight of its
New Glenn rocket.
New Glenn is a 320-foot rocket that is taller than the Statute of
Liberty. It has 7 engines, and it can carry 45 metric tons to low Earth
orbit.
According to a report from Blue Origin, in the flight that left at, I
believe, 2:03 a.m. this morning, the first stage burned for more than 3
minutes before the second stage separated at an altitude of 70
kilometers. Then the report states the upper stage's two engines
appeared to perform flawlessly, pushing what is called the Blue Ring
Pathfinder payload toward orbit.
This is an apparatus that is going to allow for the adjustment of
other payloads that are in orbit and bring them into different orbits,
adjusted orbits, from using that device. Apparently, it is now working
properly and is registering data. So far so good is the report.
It goes on to state that the engines burned for nearly 10 minutes
before shutting down, having reached an orbital velocity of 28,800
kilometers per hour.
As a spokesperson for Blue Origin states: ``The vehicle underpins our
efforts to establish sustained human presence on the Moon, harness in-
space resources, provide multi-mission, multi-orbit mobility through
Blue Ring, and establish destinations in low Earth orbit. Future New
Glenn missions will carry the Blue Moon Mark 1 cargo lander and the
Mark 2 crewed lander to the Moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.''
We also have another launch scheduled in just a few hours. I believe
this is flight seven for SpaceX's Starship which is the largest rocket
ever built, the largest space vehicle ever built. I happened to have
the chance to watch launch six which was truly an awe-inspiring
experience. I wish them the best of luck today for flight seven.
Both of these developments serve to underscore that we are living in
a very exciting time where for decades we didn't see much progress when
it came to space exploration. We now have a commercial space industry
which has picked up the baton and pushed us towards new frontiers.
In order to enable that, I have introduced the New Space Age Act
which is designed to encourage and catalyze the growing commercial
space industry by streamlining the process for getting launch approvals
and getting the FAA out of the picture because they have tried to
unnecessarily hold back progress.
I think this will be a great piece of legislation to enhance
America's competitive advantage. We are far outpacing the rest of the
world right now when it comes to space and will facilitate many, many
more flights in the future which have the capacity to not only enhance
our national security and bring about further innovations but also to
capture the imagination of Americans as well.
Honoring the Life of Don Brewster
Mr. KILEY of California. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the life and
legacy of Don Brewster, the cofounder of Agape International Missions,
who sadly is no longer with us.
As we reflect on the life that Don led, we also celebrate the
inspiring 20-year legacy he built. After many years of service as an
executive pastor at Adventure Christian Church in Roseville,
California, Don and his wife, Bridget, visited Cambodia on a mission
trip.
When they returned home, they learned about the horrors of child sex
trafficking in the country they had just visited. This led Don and
Bridget Brewster to establish Agape International Missions, also known
as AIM, to combat child sex trafficking.
Don's heart wasn't just for girls to be rescued but to help them find
true healing and to live in freedom. During Don's 20 years of
leadership, AIM developed a holistic model to rescue, heal, and empower
survivors of sex trafficking in Cambodia and beyond.
With the help of dedicated partners and their mission, Don began a
SWAT team to partner with local authorities in shutting down brothels
and prosecuting traffickers.
Beyond rescue, survivors received refuge and trauma-informed
counseling at AIM's restorative homes, as well as access to education
and vocational training through their employment center in Cambodia.
Seeing the need to target the issue at the source, Don went on to
establish prevention programs that have transformed communities and
continue to protect future generations from ever knowing the horrors of
sex trafficking.
Don Brewster worked tirelessly to spread love and compassion wherever
he went. We thank Don for the legacy he built and his devotion to the
global fight against sex trafficking.
As AIM moves into its 20-year anniversary, Agape International
Missions will continue to spread Don's legacy and his transformative
work. He had a heart for service that seemed to fill the world. Don
Brewster will be deeply missed.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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