House Science Committee Approves Changes To Space Law

schwit1 writes: In a series of party line votes, the House Science Committee has approved a number of changes to the laws that govern the private commercial space industry. Almost all of the changes were advocated by the industry itself, so in general they move to ease the regulatory and liability burdens that have been hampering the industry since the 2004 revisions to space law. While it is very unlikely commercial space can ever get free of strong federal regulation, these changes indicate that they can eventually get some of the worst regulations eased.

Comments

Treaty Violations

[Anonymous Coward]

It would seem that the US is on a path of violating every international treaty it has ever made.

Lord of the Flies continues...

I heard dis

[slashmydots]

I heard Obama also snuck in wording that will let him secretly declare Martian Law in Texas.

Re:Veto it

[garyisabusyguy]

FTA:
a decade-long extension of the moratorium on regulating commercial human spaceflight
a nine-year extension of industry-government cost sharing for damages caused by launch accidents
and an act that would give companies property rights to materials they mine from asteroids.

So, the industry would like to have low regulations, GOVERNMENT PROTECTION from liabilities and sole ownership of whatever they find

Hey, I am fine with industry standing on its own and living or dying by the free market, but since when was letting the government own your liabilities part of the free market vision?

This reeks of cronyism and people simply working to maximize their profits at the cost of the rest of us.
If you wanna mine an asteroid, then you have to pay for it if you drop it on my city
No corporate welfare for you

Re:Veto it

[HangingChad]

Hey, I am fine with industry standing on its own and living or dying by the free market, but since when was letting the government own your liabilities part of the free market vision?

They're just asking for the same deal the insurance industry, defense industry, agriculture, pharmaceutical and banking industries already enjoy. Who paid the tab for the last recession? That would be the government, as in we the people. Who paid to rebuild New Orleans after Katrina or Florida after the last set of hurricanes? It was partly the insurance industry, which threatened to claim bankruptcy if the government didn't pick up most of the tab. Who pays for bad weather that wipes out crops? And who pays when someone loses their job and can't make their mortgage payment? Who paid for broadband infrastructure and then gave it away to telecos to sell at a profit which then started to whine like bitches when it came time for upgrades?

I actually agree that the government shouldn't be on the hook for any of that, at least not indefinitely. The government might have to be the buck of last resort for the private space industry until the risks are understood and private insurance has a structure for coverage. But then there's an accident and the insurance companies threaten to file bankruptcy if they have to shoulder the full burden of the claim and most re-insurers are located offshore, so they're not worried about paying up to the limit of coverage and saying, C' ya!

If the government doesn't shoulder the burden of liability then the private space industry never gets off the ground. On the other hand, we the people deserve some payback if we're providing insurance.