# Banned in California

> An interactive editorial visualization about industrial permitting in California. Shows why it is effectively impossible to build a smartphone, electric car, or naval destroyer in the state due to environmental regulations (CEQA, CARB, SCAQMD, BAAQMD), and maps the grandfathered facilities that still operate under pre-regulation permits.

## Author

Sam D'Amico — https://x.com/sdamico

## Content

- [Main page](https://banned-in-california.vercel.app/): Interactive visualization with annotated SVG diagrams showing which manufacturing steps are blocked by California permitting. Covers three products:
  - **Smartphone**: Semiconductor fabrication, aluminum anodizing, lithium-ion cell manufacturing, PCB etching, optical lens coating, glass tempering, RF component plating
  - **Electric Car**: Automotive paint shops, battery cell manufacturing, metal stamping/die casting, SiC/GaN power semiconductor fab, copper winding, float glass, brake manufacturing, rubber vulcanization
  - **Navy Destroyer (Arleigh Burke-class)**: Steel plate rolling, superalloy turbine blade casting, phased array antenna manufacturing, missile canister fabrication, gun barrel forging, propeller casting, anti-fouling coatings
- **Interactive map**: Leaflet map of ~30 grandfathered industrial facilities in California (oil refineries, semiconductor fabs, aerospace plants, shipyards) with details on each facility's history, processes, and permit status

## Key Topics

- California environmental regulations (CEQA, AQMD, SCAQMD, BAAQMD, CARB)
- Industrial permitting barriers and regulatory burden
- VOC emission limits and automotive paint shop restrictions
- Semiconductor fabrication permitting impossibility
- Shipbuilding and naval manufacturing constraints
- Grandfathered industrial facilities and pre-regulation permits
- Tesla Gigafactory location decision (Nevada over California)
- Oil refinery permitting freeze since 1969