SpaceX may soon have more control over Texas public roads and beach lockdowns
SpaceX may soon have greater control over South Texas residents’ recreational activities. Houston Chronicles (pass Gizmodo) and San Antonio Express Reports said a pair of state Senate bills introduced earlier this month would allow officials in the possible Star City to decide when and when to close nearby beaches for a workday start-up event. Meanwhile, a third bill proposed on Wednesday will take control of the company further, making it a criminal offence for people on the beach to fail to comply with SpaceX’s evacuation orders.
These bills are possible due to the upcoming elections and will almost certainly give SpaceX officials control of the area. On May 3, voters will decide whether Starbucks will become a Texas city, first proposed by Elon Musk in 2021. Given that the area near the Rocket Station is mostly resided by SpaceX employees (after the previous homeowner of Boca Chica Village moved and was often acquired by the company), we just say that the outcome of this election may not be Tos.
Republican state Senator Adam Hinojosa’s first bill, SB 2188, will allow Starbucks city officials (assuming the municipal agency establishment bill passed) to decide when to close Boca Chica Beach for workday rocket tests and flights. Republican Janie Lopez proposed an identical bill in the state capitol HB 4660. Cameron County officials now keep controls closed will remain in control Friday afternoon and weekends.
Meanwhile, Hinojosa’s second Senate bill (SB 2230) will make people on the beach fail to comply with Starbase’s evacuation order, making it a Class B misdemeanor. The freshman state senator said the bill would allow commercial spaceports to “real teeth” “force people to do the right thing.” (As appropriate, Hinojosa’s election website touted his belief: “We don’t need more commercial government – we need more government business.”)
Houston Chronicles The report said that the FAA environmental assessment showed that SpaceX has transferred most of its tests to a station that does not require the closure of Interstate 4. SpaceX flight tests in April 2023 closed more than 24 hours in April 2023, while another closed it for nearly 8 hours last June. The company can close state 4 for up to 500 hours each year for standard operations and up to 300 hours to resolve events such as explosions and rockets.
On the other hand, environmental groups believe SpaceX’s activities are harming the area. Last year, the Center for Biodiversity in the U.S. Bird Sanctuary and Other Groups sued the FAA for allegedly not conducting a comprehensive environmental review, eager for SpaceX’s licensing process. The Environmental Protection Agency was fined for allegedly dumping pollutants into Texas wetlands near Rio Grande.
Craig Nazor, the conservation chairman of the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club, testified to the state Senate Wednesday that SB 2188 will “put the beach shutdown directly into SpaceX’s hands.” He also expressed concern that a second Senate bill could put people who don’t know the upcoming launch in legal trouble. “[SB 2230] He said.
