• U.S. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara), Juila Brownley (D-Ventura), and Jimmy Panetta (D-Monterey), along with U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-California) hailed the release of the Biden-Harris administration’s environmental impact study for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, the final step that puts the federal designation on track to be finalized by the end of this year, according to a Sept. 6 statement from Carbajal’s office. “The Central Coast has pursued this sanctuary designation for decades, and as someone who’s been helping push for it in Washington since I first got to Congress, I am so pleased to see us passing the final checkpoint on our way to seeing the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary made official before the end of this year,” Carbajal said in the statement. “This historic designation will come not a moment too soon. Our oceans and our communities are facing unprecedented challenges from a changing marine environment, this new sanctuary comes at a critical time for our region. I look forward to working with our tribal and local stakeholders and federal partners to finalize these boundaries—which will nearly double the coastline protected along the Central Coast—and build on them to protect every coastal community and ecosystem in our region.” The boundary released in the environmental impact study will be 4,543 square miles off the Central Coast from Gaviota and Point Conception to Pismo Beach and southern San Luis Obispo County. The proposed sanctuary will cover 116 miles of coastline. The final proposed boundary will be the nation’s third largest marine sanctuary, and it would be the first ever to be nominated by a local tribe. The plan recently released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also lays the groundwork for a later expansion of the marine sanctuary boundaries to cover Avila Beach and Morro Bay, connecting the new sanctuary with the southernmost border of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
• State Assemblymembers Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) and Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters) announced that they will be introducing legislation to stabilize California’s oil market, according to a Sept. 3 statement from Hart’s office. The bill ensures that refineries have adequate fuel reserves to avoid the supply shortages that hike gas prices and penalize consumers. To stabilize California’s oil supply and prevent price spikes, the bill requires refineries to maintain adequate reserves and properly plan for refinery shutdowns. Specifically, the California Energy Commission would have the authority to require California’s petroleum refiners to implement resupply plans and arrangements that adequately offset production losses from refinery maintenance. The commission could only adopt these regulations if it determines that they will lead to lower average retail prices, increase the fuel supply, and reduce the price volatility at the pumps for consumers. “When gas prices spike because of supply constraints, everyday Californians suffer and the oil industry profits. This legislation will protect California consumers by ensuring refineries maintain a stable fuel supply,” Hart said in the statement. “This bill is a common-sense solution. By requiring oil companies to better plan for refinery shutdowns, we can save Californians a lot of money from reduced gas prices.”
• Gov. Gavin Newsom issued proposed emergency regulations to protect youth from the adverse health effects of hemp products, according to a Sept. 6 statement from Newsom’s office. The regulations, proposed by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), require that industrial hemp food, beverage, and dietary products intended for human consumption have no detectable THC or other intoxicating cannabinoids per serving; make 21 the minimum age to purchase hemp products; and limit the number of servings of hemp products to five per package. The emergency regulations respond to increasing health incidents related to intoxicating hemp products, especially beverages and food products, which state regulators say have been sold across the state. Children are particularly at risk should they consume these products. Studies show that use of these products can negatively impact cognitive functions, memory, and decision-making abilities in developing brains. “We will not sit on our hands as drug peddlers target our children with dangerous and unregulated hemp products containing THC at our retail stores,” Newsom said in the statement. “We’re taking action to close loopholes and increase enforcement to prevent children from accessing these dangerous hemp and cannabis products.”
