after changing twitter into a repug propaganda site and, offering people a million dollars to register to vote in swing states...
'Shocking political bias': Elon Musk is really mad at California
Musk posted online that the California Coastal Commission is 'shamelessly breaking the law!'
By Matt LaFever, North Coast Contributing Editor Oct 23, 2024
SpaceX, the rocket company headed up by Elon Musk, is accusing a California regulatory body of “unlawfully overreaching its authority,” according to a lawsuit reviewed by SFGATE. In the lawsuit, filed Oct. 15 in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, SpaceX accuses the California Coastal Commission of allowing politics to inform its decision-making. The filing comes after an Oct. 10 public hearing in which the commission denied a request to increase SpaceX rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, about 60 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.
In the Oct. 10 meeting, the United States Air Force requested that the California Coastal Commission green-light an increase in the annual number of SpaceX launches from 36 to 50. While it’s not explicitly stated what the increase in launches would be for, statements from Commissioners Mike Wilson and Gretchen Newsom implied they could be used to expand Musk’s Starlink satellite system.
California Coastal Commission scientist Walter Deppe informed the commission that this request is only the beginning: The Air Force plans to submit another request to ramp up SpaceX launches and landings to 100 annually next year, he said. Commissioners spent over an hour debating the rocket launch proposal in the Oct. 10 meeting, with the conversation repeatedly turning to Elon Musk’s political leanings.
Wilson, who also serves on the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors, described Musk as “the richest person in the world with direct control over what could be the most extensive global communication system on the planet,” apparently referring to Starlink. Wilson also mentioned Musk’s appearance with former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally earlier this month, saying Musk made remarks about “political retribution” that were “very glib,” especially given he was standing next to a candidate who “openly promotes and is working to normalize that language … and we have to push back against that.”
Caryl Hart, the chair of the California Coastal Commission, criticized Musk for “aggressively [injecting] himself into the presidential race and [making] it clear what his point of view is.”
Newsom, an alternate commissioner who is not related to the governor, read a prepared statement criticizing Musk for “hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA” while claiming to help hurricane survivors with free Starlink internet access. She further condemned Musk’s remarks against California’s anti-discrimination protections, saying that he cited “his bigoted beliefs against California’s safeguards and protections of our transgender community. This behavior raises concerns about the motivations behind his request for government support.”
The federal lawsuit filed by SpaceX contends that these comments exceed the Coastal Commission’s mission to regulate land and water use within California’s coastal zones and instead constitute “naked political discrimination.” It further alleges the commission’s decision to deny the increase in launches was unconstitutional, citing “shocking” political bias as a key factor. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has publicly sparred with Musk in the past, sided with the tech billionaire on the issue, telling Politico, “I’m with Elon.” He added: “You can’t bring up that explicit level of politics.”
The California Coastal Commission ultimately voted 6-4 against the project, despite its own staff’s recommendations for approval; Deppe said the commissioners should approve the launches given past precedent, provided the Air Force agrees to a comprehensive environmental monitoring plan.
The commission’s justification for its “no” vote was that a privately held company like SpaceX could not classify its launches as military activity, but rather must be treated as a private entity. Private companies fall under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission and are required to apply for a coastal development permit.
During the Oct. 10 meeting, Cassidy Teufel, deputy director of the Coastal Commission, explained, “Launching rockets is development under the Coastal Act and all of the associated activities, including barge transport of the rockets from Long Beach. There’s a whole suite of things that occur as part of these rocket launch activities that we consider to be development.”
In the federal lawsuit, SpaceX argued its launches qualify as military activity, citing the U.S. government’s long-standing relationship with commercial space operators “to carry out national space program activities” and help with “advancing the country’s national defense and security goals.”
Federal activities are exempt from state permitting. Both SpaceX and the Air Force made the military argument; Teufel noted that the commission rejected this view, saying, “We received a letter from SpaceX essentially echoing the perspective that the Air Force has shared. ... We responded with a letter refuting that and making our points that it is development and requires a permit.”
Musk did not hold back in criticizing the California Coastal Commission’s decision, writing on his social media platform X, “The Coastal Commission has one job — take care of the California coast.” Musk accused the commission of letting personal politics influence their decisions, adding, “It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics.”
“Yet here they are shamelessly breaking the law!” he said.
The Coastal Commission has one job – take care of the California coast.
It is illegal for them to make decisions based on what they (mostly wrongly) think are my politics.
For example, I have done more to advance sustainable energy & help the environment than maybe anyone… https://t.co/x5CF2WkVdA
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2024
In its lawsuit, SpaceX specifically raised questions about its treatment compared to other private rocket operators. “No space launch operator has ever applied for or obtained a [coastal development permit],” the suit says. It also points out that the commission recently granted another commercial space launch operator permission for up to 60 launches a year from the same base and categorized that program as federal agency activity in its ruling.
Aside from permitting or political questions, the Coastal Commission did discuss possible environmental hazards of the launches. Deppe, the agency’s environmental scientist, raised concerns about noise, saying rocket engines can produce noise levels up to 150 decibels for about 30 seconds during launches and landings. This volume is considered dangerous to humans, according to the American Academy of Audiology.
The proposed increase could also disturb local wildlife habitats, Deppe said. Key species at risk include the western snowy plover, California least tern, California red-legged frog, southwestern pond turtle, pallid bats and western red bats, and monarch butterflies. Deppe emphasized the need for careful oversight if launch frequency increases “because the methods used for wildlife monitoring to date have not allowed us to confidently determine if and how rare and biologically significant species’ habitats are being disrupted.”
Still, the discussion mostly centered on the permitting question. When it came time for them to cast their votes, four commissioners, including Wilson, voted to approve SpaceX’s request so the regulatory body could “keep a seat at the table,” Commissioner Susan Lowenberg, who voted to approve the request, said. Six members of the California Coastal Commission voted to deny the request and force SpaceX into the permit-seeking regulatory process. In casting her “no” vote, Hart, the commission chairman, declared, “We have to take a stand.”
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