US F&W WANTS PUBLIC FAR FROM SPACEX LAUNCH

By Juan Montoya
Remember the hype about the stream of tourism that would result from the coming of billionaire Elon Musk's bringing SpaceX to launch commercial vehicles from the sands near Boca Chica Beach?
The Sunshine Boys over at the Brownsville Economic Development Council estimated that if Musk deigns to choose Boca Chica Beach, SpaceX would be an $80 million capital investment, bring 600 direct jobs and $50 million in annual salaries as well as 10,000 to 15,000 visitors per launch.
Salinas said the numbers were compiled from SpaceX and the council’s independent economic analysis.
Well, we have found out that while Salinas, Jason Hilts, Musk, and the legislators cheerleading the advent of the commercial launch site have swallowed those job numbers, SpaceX is telling the government in its Environmental Impact Statement that there will not be 600 jobs after all.
In fact, if Musk gets enough "incentives" from Texas, Cameron County and the BEDC ($15 million so far) that will compete with the incentives from Florida, Puerto Rico and Georgia, there will be a total of 30 jobs to start in 2014 and will reach a peak of 150 in 2022.
This includes permanent SpaceX employees and contractors.
That's quite a comedown from 600, isn't it Gilbert and Jason?
And in the months after the 2011 meeting, state and local officials gave Musk, a billionaire, what he and his lobbyists sought: about $20 million of financial incentives, laws changed to close a public beach during launches and legal protection from noise complaints. SpaceX hasn’t said whether the Texas site, near Brownsville, the poorest metropolitan area in the nation, will be selected over locations in Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico.
Now we have learned from Jim Chapman of the Frontera Club that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is asking that the road be closed at the border patrol checkpoint on launch days.
That checkpoint is located on Highway 4 almost halfway between the beach and Brownsville, which is 25 miles southwest of the gulf. It is manned around-the-clock by Border Patrol agents or highway troopers who stop all drivers headed back from the beach. Now they will halt them on the way there on launch day.
The upshot of all this is that all these people who are excited by the prospect of watching it up close will not be allowed anywhere near the launch site.
And, in contrast to what was said at the cheerleading hearing in Brownsville in 2011, Musk has stated that American astronauts won’t be launched from Boca Chica. SpaceX will continue its NASA-funded launches at Cape Canaveral, in Florida.
 But Musk said Boca Chica would be focused on business from companies and foreign governments as well as, eventually, space tourism.
Under the new state law, SpaceX could launch rockets up to 12 times a year, mostly between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., but not on weekends or holidays unless the company can show local and state authorities that scrubbing a launch would cause significant business consequences. At least one nighttime launch would be allowed per year.The beach would be closed for 15 hours on a launch day, up to a maximum of 180 hours per year.
SpaceX would use its Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. Musk testified that the rocket thrust would be the equivalent of four 747′s taking off simultaneously.
Unfortunately, if the US Fish and Wildlife people have their way, the "thousands" of tourists expected to attend the launches will also be kept at least 12 miles away from the launch itself. They might be able to hear the ruckus and see the smoke off in the distance, however.