U.S. Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and Jared Huffman (D-CA-02) reintroduced the Alan S. Lowenthal Blue Whales, Blue Skies Act, a bill to create a new federal program encouraging commercial shipping companies operating off the Pacific coast to reduce the speeds of their vessels in order to protect marine life and cut air pollution.
Create a federal program encouraging commercial shipping companies operating off the Pacific coast to slow their vessels to protect marine life and cut air pollution.
Occurrences
Evidence
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
WhaleSpotter launched in San Francisco Bay, giving mariners real-time alerts to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
A gray whale near Pier 80 was killed by injuries consistent with a vessel strike, and scientists point to vessel-speed reductions and communication protocols as mitigations.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
GovInfo lists H.R. 9185 as introduced in the House and referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 8, 2026.
legacy_unverified · Source version not recorded · locator unknown
Carbajal's office said the reintroduced bill would create a federal NOAA recognition program modeled on the regional vessel speed reduction program.
Assessments
The promised outcome was a created federal program, not merely support for an existing regional voluntary vessel speed reduction effort. Carbajal sponsored/reintroduced H.R. 9185 in the 119th Congress to direct NOAA to establish the Blue Whales and Blue Skies Program, but the bill was only introduced and referred to committee on June 8, 2026, with no evidence it was enacted or implemented as a federal program by August 29, 2026. This is a serious legislative attempt, so effort credit applies, but the promise was not delivered.
Carbajal appears to have made a serious legislative effort toward this promise, including sponsoring or reintroducing legislation aimed at protecting blue whales and reducing coastal air pollution. But the promised outcome was a federal program encouraging Pacific coast commercial shippers to slow vessels, and the available evidence still shows the vessel-slowing response operating through voluntary California or local efforts rather than an enacted federal program created by Carbajal. Because the federal program itself was not delivered, the best judgment is never, with effort credit for the attempt.