Congressman calls for legislation following Conception report
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.
Local Congressman Salud Carbajal reacted to the National Transportation Safety Board hearing by talking about legislation he introduced after the deadly Labor Day weekend dive boat accident in 2019.
“Just last year, we lost 34 lives and experienced the worst maritime disaster in California history when the Conception dive boat caught fire and sank off the Central Coast. In the wake of this unbelievable tragedy, I introduced the Small Passenger Vessel Safety Act with Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congresswoman Julia Brownley to institute long overdue safety reforms for small passenger vessels like Conception."
Passage of the Democrat's bill will depend on elected officials from both parties favoring new regulations.
“This bill addresses many of the shortcomings uncovered in the NTSB’s investigation and reflected in their findings. The bill requires interconnected fire detection equipment and two different means of escape, calls for the use of monitoring devices to ensure a roving patrol is awake, and directs the Coast Guard to create and adhere to safety rules around flammable items like lithium batteries."
The safety board's mission is to determine probable cause, and in this case the Conception dive boat burned up direct evidence.
Photos show chargers overloaded and the boat's design shows lifesaving flaws.
“The NTSB’s investigation and findings underscore the critical importance of passing this legislation and ensuring the Coast Guard enforce existing and updated safety regulations. I am hopeful that this bill will be signed into law so we can honor the memory of the 34 lives lost by working to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again.”
Similar vessels are still operating out of the Santa Barbara Harbor.
The industry and the Coast Guard will have to work together to prevent similar deadly fires at sea.
