SpaceX could soon have greater control over the recreational activities of South Texas residents. The Houston Chronicle (via Gizmodo) and San Antonio Express-News report that a pair of state senate bills introduced earlier this month would give officials at the likely Starbase city the authority to decide when a nearby beach shuts down for weekday launch activities. Meanwhile, a third bill floated on Wednesday would take the company’s control a step further, making it a criminal offense for people on the beach not to comply with SpaceX’s evacuation orders.
The bills are possible because of an upcoming election that will almost certainly give SpaceX officials control of the area. On May 3, voters will decide if Starbase becomes a Texas city, something Elon Musk first proposed in 2021. Given that the area near the rocket site is populated mainly by SpaceX employees (after previous homeowners in Boca Chica Village moved, often after being bought out by the company), let’s just say the election’s outcome won’t likely be a toss-up.
Republican state senator Adam Hinojosa’s first bill, SB 2188, would let Starbase city officials (assuming the municipality establishment bill passes) decide when Boca Chica Beach is closed for weekday rocket tests and flights. An identical bill, HB 4660, was introduced in the state house by Republican Janie Lopez. Cameron County officials, who control the closures now, would maintain control on Friday afternoons and weekends.
Meanwhile, Hinojosa’s second senate bill (SB 2230) would make it a Class B misdemeanor for people on the beach not to comply with Starbase’s evacuation orders. The freshman state senator said the bill would give the commercial spaceport “real teeth” to “compel people to do the right thing.” (Fittingly, Hinojosa’s election website touts his belief that “we don’t need more government in business — we need more business in government.”)
The Houston Chronicle reports that the FAA’s Environmental Assessment shows that SpaceX has moved much of its testing to a site that doesn’t require the closure of State Highway 4. A SpaceX flight test in April 2023 closed the road for over 24 hours, while another shuttered it for nearly eight hours last June. The company can close State Highway 4 for up to 500 hours each year for standard operations and up to 300 more hours to address incidents like an exploding rocket.
On the other hand, environmental groups have argued that SpaceX’s activities are damaging the area. Last year, the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy and other groups sued the FAA for allegedly rushing SpaceX’s permitting process without a full environmental review. And the Environmental Protection Agency fined the company for allegedly dumping pollutants into Texas wetlands adjacent to the Rio Grande River.
Craig Nazor, conservation chair for the Sierra Club’s Lone Star chapter, testified to the state senate on Wednesday that SB 2188 would “put beach closures directly in the hands of SpaceX.” He also expressed concern that the second senate bill could put folks who are unaware of an upcoming launch into legal trouble. “[SB 2230] could potentially make a criminal out of someone who’s out there and lost track of exactly what may be going on at the launch pad,” he said.
