By Brandon Lingle
San Antonio Express-NewsThe Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has moved up – by three weeks – its consideration of a proposed land swap with SpaceX near Boca Chica Beach outside Brownsville that sparked widespread outcry from local Indigenous and environmental groups. It will instead be voted on Monday, March 4.
More than 1,000 people spoke out following the Texas Parks and Wildlife Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s late January revelation of the proposal to give 43 acres in Boca Chica Beach State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres near Laguna Heights, more than 10 miles away.
Only about 25 percent of the comments voiced support for the move, and the commission, which oversees the department, withdrew the proposal from consideration the day before its Jan. 25 meeting as many called for tabling the matter to allow more time for public disclosure and discussion.
The commission had said it would vote on the proposal during a meeting in late March, however, the commission set a special meeting for Monday to consider the land swap, and activists from the Brownsville area plan to carpool to Austin to voice their concerns in person.
By accelerating the vote, the land swap could obtain the commission’s approval before SpaceX attempts to launch Starship and its Super Heavy Booster for the third time. CEO Elon Musk has said that launch could happen as soon as the first half of March pending Federal Aviation Administration approvals. SpaceX’s testing of its next rocket had Boca Chica Beach closed much of the day Monday with additional closures possible Tuesday and Wednesday.
Critics see the proposed land swap as another state concession to Musk’s commercial space company that’s rapidly expanding outside Brownsville as it races to operationalize its Starship spacecraft.
Two area activist groups — the South Texas Environmental Justice Network and Another Gulf is Possible — held a news conference Monday with local native and environmental advocates outlining their concerns.
Christopher Basaldu, a spokesman for the Carrizo Comecrudo tribe of Texas, read a statement from the tribe’s chairman, Juan Macias, that said the proposal puts more ancestral lands at risk and opens the door for additional SpaceX growth in a sensitive wildlife region near where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico.
The commission had said it would vote on the proposal during a meeting in late March, however, the commission set a special meeting for Monday to consider the land swap, and activists from the Brownsville area plan to carpool to Austin to voice their concerns in person.
By accelerating the vote, the land swap could obtain the commission’s approval before SpaceX attempts to launch Starship and its Super Heavy Booster for the third time. CEO Elon Musk has said that launch could happen as soon as the first half of March pending Federal Aviation Administration approvals. SpaceX’s testing of its next rocket had Boca Chica Beach closed much of the day Monday with additional closures possible Tuesday and Wednesday.
Critics see the proposed land swap as another state concession to Musk’s commercial space company that’s rapidly expanding outside Brownsville as it races to operationalize its Starship spacecraft.
Two area activist groups — the South Texas Environmental Justice Network and Another Gulf is Possible — held a news conference Monday with local native and environmental advocates outlining their concerns.
Christopher Basaldu, a spokesman for the Carrizo Comecrudo tribe of Texas, read a statement from the tribe’s chairman, Juan Macias, that said the proposal puts more ancestral lands at risk and opens the door for additional SpaceX growth in a sensitive wildlife region near where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf of Mexico.
To read rest of story, click on link: https://www.expressnews.com/business/article/spacex-land-swap-parks-wildlife-department-meeting-18689220.php
8 comments:
How convenient ....to change the date from later in the year to now.
This is another abuse of power from the officers bought with money from Elon Musk.
Gloria Rincones wants to win....and needs this proposal to be passed now and not later in the year.
give it away free elected officials here do that all the time. for a mochis of course...
Still hoping in a miracle ( have my doubts cause of the $$$ involved). But hoping THE TPWD has the fortitude and balls to stand up to Elon Musk and his billions. If they vote to give it to him might as well hand over all the “so called protected lands” cause they are now bargaining chips and land that will be sold to the highest bidder. FUCK the environment , wildlife and ecosystems . No need to worry about those now. As a matter of fact why keep all these agencies the TPWD ,EPA, Forestry dept etc cause it now seems like they dont give a shit. FUCK Smokey the bear, send him packing . All that matters now is the almighty dollar $$$$. We have given up on our planet.
"Say hello for Mrs Mosley for me", Pinche coco mamon as if his customers were all gringos. They get a little feria and all of a sudden ya son gringos, pinches mamones, just like the other mamon the ex employee THAT WAS "FIRED", from el puerto, puros pinches cocos they even change their hispanic name to a gringo name, PUROS PINCHES MAMONES WANNA BEEES BUT NEVER WILL BEEEE BALANCO. MAMONES. there are a few here! any bets???
NEED A COMPLETE NEW SLATE OF ELECTED OFFICIALS IN ALL OF BROWNSVILLE, COB CC. BISD, THE PORT, PUB, ALL THE BOARDS
DO NOT RE-ELECT NOBODY? if you do you might lose your lands, raise your taxes, PUB increases, water bill doubled, more traffic tickets with double the number and amount of fines, more bike, more murals downtown, boca chica beach close permanently, NO BUS SHELTERS!!!!!!
IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT?
DO NOT RE-ELECT NO ONE!!!
VP Harris calls for cease-fire in Gaza
She thinks its a getto in da bronx. pendeja
Kari Lake photo perfectly illustrates cultlike Trumpian loyalty
glad she lost otherwise she'd be declaring herself a dictator and rename the state Trumputo usa.
March 3, 2024 at 8:25 PM
Not Smokey the Bear.
Not Dusty.
Even a Great White Shark came to protest against Elon Musk and Space X.
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