Senate Dems Boxer, Durbin, Blumenthal, Harkin, Brown, Markey, Reed urge US DOT to ban “smoking” of e-cigs on planes

[Bill Godshall]

US Senate Dems Boxer, Durbin, Blumenthal, Harkin, Brown, Markey, Reed urge US DOT Secretary to issue Final Rule on DOT's unlawful regulation it proposed September, 2011 to ban "smoking" of e-cigs on airlines.
Ban E-Cig Electronic Cigarettes on Airplanes, Senators Say=

Since e-cigs don't emit any smoke, it would be unlawful for DOT to redefine smoking as including the use of smokefree e-cigs.

CASAA, Washington Legal Foundation, and Smokefree Pennsylvania's comments (submitted in November, 2011) pointed out that fact to DOT, which is probably why DOT hasn't issued the Final Rule.

 

[Katya]

Who says Congress is useless?

Boxer, Durbin, Blumenthal, Harkin, Brown, Markey, Reed... Here they go again.

 

[Alexander Mundy]

For the safety of all, please ban breathing on all flights. Exhaled breath constitutes more than 3,500 components, the bulk of which are volatile organic compounds such as methanol, isoprene, acetone, ethanol and formaldehyde. It is a known fact that exhaled breath in constrained spaces can lead to serious medical conditions including death.

 

[sonicdsl]

For the safety of all, please ban breathing on all flights. Exhaled breath constitutes more than 3,500 components, the bulk of which are volatile organic compounds such as methanol, isoprene, acetone, ethanol and formaldehyde. It is a known fact that exhaled breath in constrained spaces can lead to serious medical conditions including death.

Don't forget all the germs being exhaled and rubbed onto the planes surfaces while all are trapped in that tube in the sky! 8-o

 

[Bruce Nye]

If my vaporizer is smoking, you better start running .

 

[NorthOfAtlanta]

Don't forget all the germs being exhaled and rubbed onto the planes surfaces while all are trapped in that tube in the sky! 8-o

We need to point out that Pg is germicidal and therefore a plane with vapors on board is safer.

 

[MD_Boater]

Interesting. I thought I was already breaking the rules vaping on airplanes.

 

[Bill Godshall]

MD Boater wrote

Interesting. I thought I was already breaking the rules vaping on airplanes.

While some airlines have banned e-cig use on their airlines (after being bullied by DOT), there is no federal law or regulation banning e-cig use on airlines.

And there's a huge difference between a flight attendant nicely notifying a passenger that the airline prohibits e-cig use, and being arrested by US Marshalls, being dragged off an airplane in handcuffs, and being fined a thousand dollars or more.

But since the spring of 2011 when Big Pharma funded Sen Frank Lautenberg urged DOT to ban e-cig use on airlines, the former and current Secretaries of DOT have both falsely claimed to various news media that DOT has banned e-cig use on airlines (in an attempt to confuse and bully the public and airlines).

 

[Berylanna]

MD Boater wrote



While some airlines have banned e-cig use on their airlines (after being bullied by DOT), there is no federal law or regulation banning e-cig use on airlines.

And there's a huge difference between a flight attendant nicely notifying a passenger that the airline prohibits e-cig use, and being arrested by US Marshalls, being dragged off an airplane in handcuffs, and being fined a thousand dollars or more.

But since the spring of 2011 when Big Pharma funded Sen Frank Lautenberg urged DOT to ban e-cig use on airlines, the former and current Secretaries of DOT have both falsely claimed to various news media that DOT has banned e-cig use on airlines (in an attempt to confuse and bully the public and airlines).

For years, my biggest NRT expense was for long flights. BT needs to keep that part of the market, it's probably the biggest part.

 

[aikanae1]

They probably discovered the flight crew were vaping in the cockpit (I'm serious). Besides, even snus worked better for me than NRT's. For all we know, they may already use PG in the air system to keep viruses etc. from spreading - I don't really know. It's just abnormally VERY dry.

This is the latest headline to confuse vaping with smoking, that's all. If I recall, smoking was treated so seriously on planes due to someone putting a cigarette that wasn't out all the way in a bathroom trashbin and it eventually caught fire. That's a safety issue and unlikely to happen with ecig's. But never mind.

I haven't looked up the list of Senators, but are any of them under a hundered? Why are they grandstanding ecigs weekly - how much money are they being paid for this?

 

[Berylanna]

Sigh, I though Boxer had started to wise up. I guess she was only on vacation or something.

 

[klynnn]

Why do people keep re-electing these nuts to office?

 

[Berylanna]

Why do people keep re-electing these nuts to office?

This particular form of insanity is new-enough to have started since the last election.

If they get reelected again this time (Boxer is not running this time) it will be partly because the average person votes based on ads and word-of-mouth, so if vapers don't get organized (Join the Vaping Militia for state and local action) and volunteer to support their opponents, nothing will change. Volunteers typically do one or more of the following:

1. Walk precincts talking to voters in favor of their candidates.

2. Stuff envelopes.

3. Volunteer their house or apartment for a "coffee with the candidate" meeting during the pre-election period.

4. The days right before the election, CALL the voters who are believed to be for your candidate the day before and remind them to vote. If they aren't sure they can get to the polls, and if there are enough volunteers, people might physically help them, whether with a ride to the polls or help with a handicap situation or whatever.

I also assume that those call lists and the invitations for candidate coffees require some data entry. So even if you are housebound you can help.