For decades, the California Coastal Commission has had near-unchecked authority to regulate development along the state's 860-mile coastline, and it's been unafraid of using it.
It's now trying to expand its terrestrial authority to outer space.
This past week, the commission voted to oppose plans by private space company SpaceX to launch more rockets from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.
The commission is asserting for the first time that SpaceX must get coastal development permits to shoot more rockets into space. SpaceX and the Department of the Air Force have conversely argued that SpaceX launches are federal activity that's exempt from the commission's regulatory powers.
WORSE: it appears that the regulators opposed the launch due to Elon Musk's political beliefs. The case now goes to trial.
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