Was it true – as Elon Musk's SpaceX supporters claim – that the billionaire pulled the construction of a plant that would have manufactured "800 to 1,000" rocket engines from Boca Chica and instead moved it to McGregor, Texas because of unspecified "challenging" conditions here?
Or is it, as his detractors say, a "bluff" to extract even more concessions from local governments and elected officials?
"We need him being here because it will allow our kids to stay here instead of leaving to find employment," lamented a SpaceX supporter. "There is a real danger that he will pick up all the equipment he has here and leave us with nothing because of retirees and tree-huggers."
But others say that Musk was just using scare tactics to get environmentalists and elected officials who are listening to his opponents saying the rocket manufacturing plant could not have been established here because of the lack of propulsion engineers and other high-tech specialists needed to fill the workforce need of such a plant.
"He never intended to put that plant here," said an elected official. "Where is he going to find those specialized engineers here? What he can get here is the welders and low-skilled employees to conduct his tests on the Starships he is launching there. He's using scare tactics to justify not complying with county sanitary rules and pushing environmental limits that include the use of security officers who are not certified or registered with the state as he agreed when he came to Texas."
Recently, Cameron County District Attorney Luis V. Saenz sent the SpaceX manager at Starbase (Boca Chica) a letter pointing out continued transgressions against the county's control of roads around the SpaceX complex. At one point, several assistant DA's were ordered to leave a road outside the SpaceX complex over which they had no authority. The Saenz letter revealed that none of the SpaceX security personnel had registered with the Texas Department of Public Safety as required by law.
A source close to law enforcement is saying that the DA is angered by the fact that Cameron County Sheriff's Department deputies are employed to provide road closing and security have turned a blind eye to obvious traffic violations before their eyes.
"The sheriff deputies are there when SpaceX workers drive four-wheelers on Highway 4 when they know it's illegal to operate them on public roads," said one. "They drive them in front of the deputies with impunity, yet if Southmost Juan were to do the same, he would get cited. Can you say double standard?"
Still, SpaceX supporters say that the high-level administrators with the space company say that Musk and his cadre are getting tired of the "challenging" conditions in Cameron County. They warn that word has filtered down to vendors that unless they back off a bit, Musk and SpaceX are not above taking their equipment and leaving the area.
"They are in tune with the fact that local officials are listening to those who don't want them here and we are in the real danger of them pulling out of here and leaving us with nothing, just like we were before," said a SpaceX supporter.
9 comments:
Southmost Juan..... the Southmost is now connected to Space X.... from Southmost to Mars.
Will Southmost survive all the NEW viruses, illnesses, galactic beings, and Mars Attacks?
Juan, what about about the transas taking place at TSC where his wife was APPOINTED onto the board? Who else was considered? I would like to see the list of other people that were chosen to replace Juan “Trey” Mendez on the TSC board. What a laughing JOKE.
Juan you should put a timeline together of the FACTS around these suspicious events.
China and Russia with hypersonic weapons are going to kick our ass. Liberals try and convoy to those countries and tell them to stop harming its people and environment. The way things are going, I hope they dont take over our country.
Brownsville's "fatalism" rearing its familiar head.
You people can't stand a good thing.
💣
@10:51 AM
It was tu papa Trump who took funding from the military to build a Border Wall that would keep your parientes in mexico away from here, pooooo-toh.
Jediondo!
If DA Luis Saenz has a problem with Sherriff Eric Garza and his Deputies then he should adress that with the Sherriff. Now Luis wants to control the BPD, Sheriff, Constables, BISD Police, Us Customs, Border Patrol, DEA, FBI, IRS, CSI, and any other 3 letter agency in Cameron County.
Give it a break Luis Saenz. You didn't enforce the law when your nephew got arrested not once nor twice but 4 times in a 3 months for DUI and possesion of cocaine. So don't shoot from your mustache. Elon Musk is not responsible for what the Deputy Sherriff don't do or want to do. Just like you have prosecutal discretion, so do the Deputies.
Bu bye SpaceX. Your out of town employees, mostly from California are total assholes and will no longer be welcomed in this city. Clean up the mess you have created and go back to California.
SAS LOL....
Elon is about to bolt and take his rockets with him.
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