In South Texas, SpaceX faces skepticism over environmental damage

“SpaceX Faces Skepticism in South Texas Over Environmental Damage” was first published in The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs — and engages — Texans on public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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BOCA CHICA — It was no ordinary day at the beach.

But this small strip of sand on the Texas-Mexico border has never had one since SpaceX started launching rockets there.

On this particular Saturday in August, about a dozen people came here to celebrate what the beach means to them and to draw attention to the damage they believe the new space industry is doing to the environment.

An art installation of billowing fabrics greeted the crowd as they approached the water and splashed in the waves, meant to evoke memories of families spending time here in decades past.

For several hours, beachgoers were treated to quesadillas, oysters and various casseroles, relaxing under tents and admiring the beach, which has undergone drastic changes in less than a decade.

Behind them loomed the SpaceX rocket launch pad.

The beach was once considered a local secret, but is now the subject of a dispute between locals who want to preserve it and those who see it as a place for innovation.

Members of the ENTRE Film Center, a local film center and regional archive, organized a gathering in Boca Chica to celebrate the beach and motivate people to fight for its preservation, which they believe has been threatened since the arrival of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

“This is the people’s beach, this is our beach,” said Nansi Guevara, the visual artist who created the art installation. “And we will fight to protect it.”

ENTRE is part of a coalition of Rio Grande Valley groups that have investigated activities at Starbase, SpaceX’s headquarters in Boca Chica, and for years have opposed the company’s efforts to expand operations there.

This summer, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality raised concerns about the environmental impact of SpaceX’s proposal to increase the number of launches per year.

Concerned groups continue to oppose the company and government agencies, citing concerns about environmental impacts and the increasing denial of beach access to the public.

The Federal Aviation Administration was set to hold public hearings in August on SpaceX’s proposal to launch its Starship/Super Heavy rocket 25 times a year from Boca Chica. But the coalition has called on the agency to restart the public participation process.

In a letter to the FAA, they called for a full environmental impact statement, in English and Spanish, that would address all of SpaceX’s potentially adverse impacts, and asked for more time for the public to review the reports.

“SpaceX is an evolving issue, getting approved permits from regulatory agencies that have really flawed processes,” said Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network.

A SpaceX spokesman declined to be interviewed for this article.

The FAA ultimately postponed the public hearings after it learned of allegations, first reported by CNBC, that SpaceX violated the Clean Water Act at its Boca Chica launch site and was unable to confirm the accuracy of SpaceX’s license application or draft environmental impact assessment, according to an agency spokesperson.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality also confirmed it had cited SpaceX for violating regulations. The state reached an agreement with SpaceX to resolve the issue. The formal agreement is pending approval by the commission or its executive director.

SpaceX responded to the allegations in a post on X, saying it was working with the environmental commission to obtain an individual permit for its flood system after previously operating under the Texas Multi-Sector General Permit, which regulates stormwater discharge for industrial use. The company also noted that both the TCEQ and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had allowed its operations to continue.

The CNBC report also raised concerns about traces of mercury in discharge other than rainwater. However, SpaceX said there was a typo in the permit application and said the mercury levels were well below state and federal water quality criteria.

Christopher Basaldú, a member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe, doesn’t take SpaceX at its word and believes the environmental damage to the area is undeniable. The tribe considers Boca Chica sacred land and is currently suing the Texas Park and Wildlife Department for agreeing to a land swap with SpaceX.

As part of the deal, the Texas Park and Wildlife Commission agreed to transfer 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres of land adjacent to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

“SpaceX has always polluted,” Basaldú said. “And I think people have been brainwashed into thinking that rockets — building rockets, testing rockets, blowing up rockets — somehow don’t pollute.”

He added that if SpaceX were to receive FAA approval to launch rockets 25 times a year, it would result in more frequent closures of State Highway 4, the only road leading to Boca Chica, limiting access for residents.

“If they’re running 25 times a year, that’s basically every other week, so it looks like they’ll close Highway 4 for half the year,” he said.

In addition to restricted beach access due to SpaceX rocket launches, another change to the area is the arrival of Musk and SpaceX superfans who gather along the road adjacent to the launch site.

That same Saturday, a brown pickup truck with the words “Base Camp Zero” on its side was parked across from the launch site. A large tent covered the truck, where Calvin Wehrle was heating food on a hot plate.

Wehrle, a Galveston resident, travels to Boca Chica several times a year, camping there for weeks at a time, hoping to get a front-row seat to a rocket launch.

Wehrle, a former member of the Galveston Sierra Club, believes environmentalists are in a losing battle against SpaceX and advises them to work with the company to save what they can.

“I saw it happening and made the mistake of fighting it,” Wehrle said. “And a lot of that development, you can’t win.”

But Basaldú, who wants nothing less than to completely shut down SpaceX’s operations in Boca Chica and restore wildlife habitat, believes it is possible to completely turn SpaceX around.

“Close it, take it apart,” Basaldú said. “Human hands made it, built it; human hands can also tear it down.”

Rio Grande Valley reporting is supported in part by Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

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This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at

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