Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX faces lawsuits and criticism for its environmental impact on the Rio Grande Valley. Credit: Shutterstock / Frederic Legrand – COMEO
A trio of South Texas organizations sued the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Monday, alleging the agency broke federal law by letting billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX dump industrial wastewater without a permit.

South Texas Environmental Justice Network, Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas and Save RGV sued TCEQ in Travis County District Court, arguing that a temporary permit the state issued for SpaceX to discharge contaminated water into wetlands violates the U.S. Clean Water Act.

“The Clean Water Act requires the TCEQ to follow certain procedural and technical requirements when issuing discharge permits meant to protect public participation and ensure compliance with Texas surface water quality standards,” Lauren Ice, an attorney for the groups, said in a statement.

The discharge of the contaminated water creates environmental risks around the Gulf Coast site of Boca Chica, where SpaceX’s launch site is located, Ice added.  

The lawsuit comes amid mounting concerns about SpaceX’s environmental record in the Rio Grande Valley.
 In September, SpaceX agreed to pay more than $148,000 in penalties over a spill of 36,000 gallons of liquid oxygen into wetlands adjacent its launch area, the EPA said.

Some of the same groups suing the TCEQ have also pursued legal action against the Federal Aviation Administration. In that suit, the organizations argue the feds failed to conduct environmental reviews of SpaceX’s April test launch.

Additionally, the groups have sued the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for signing off on a deal that would have turned over 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres adjacent to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, according to the Texas Tribune.

SpaceX scrapped the land swap last month, the Tribune reports.  

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This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...