Texas considers giving SpaceX a piece of a state park in proposed land swap

SpaceX is eyeing a chunk of a beachfront Texas state park to expand its operations and rocket tests as part of a proposed land swap with the state.

At a public meeting Thursday, Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners will consider turning over 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park in exchange for 477 acres near the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

The department has indicated support for the swap, saying it would help strengthen conservation efforts around the refuge, which is a coastal home to wintering and migratory birds that is considered a premier bird-watching destination. Acquiring the land would also provide additional recreational opportunities, such as hiking, camping and wildlife viewing, the department says.

Cameron County property records show the land is owned by Bahia Grande Holdings, an Austin-registered business. It is not clear how SpaceX and the property owner are connected. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.

Conservation groups have urged commissioners to delay the vote, arguing the public has not had enough time to examine the plan.

“This is an important decision involving state lands, and the public deserves the right to know and provide input before a decision is rushed through on behalf of a private developer like SpaceX,” Cyrus Reed, conservation director for the Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter, said in a statement.

Led by billionaire Elon Musk, the space exploration company is quickly transforming the Rio Grande Valley with its Starbase facility, rocket launches and plans to build a new multimillion-dollar shopping center and restaurant in Brownsville.

But conservation groups and some residents have complained about noise, light pollution, construction and road traffic. Last year, environmental groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration, challenging its approval of SpaceX’s expanded rocket-launch operations.

The lawsuit came when SpaceX’s Starship exploded over South Texas shortly after a launch in April, sparking a fire and hurling chunks of concrete and metal shrapnel thousands of feet from the air. At the time, Musk addressed criticism from environmental groups, saying the debris amounted to “a human-made sandstorm.”

“It’s not toxic at all or anything,” he said in May. “It did scatter a lot of dust, but to the best of our knowledge, there has not been any meaningful damage to the environment that we’re aware of.”

Starship exploded over South Texas again in November but spread significantly less debris than the first explosion, according to reports.

Mary Angela Branch, board member for SaveRGV, told the San Antonio Express-News she wants an environmental assessment of the proposal to swap two different types of land — wetlands versus thornscrub. The Rio Grande Valley advocacy organization has previously pushed for the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to complete a full environmental assessment of SpaceX operations in South Texas.

“You’re chipping away at more of that very unique ecosystem,” Branch told the news outlet. “The whole thing stinks.”

Until recently, Texas has leased Boca Chica State Park to Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversaw its management. The state acquired the parkland in 1994.

In an email, Stephanie Garcia, a Texas Parks and Wildlife spokesperson, said “the potential land exchange could provide mutual benefits” for both Texas’ conservation efforts and SpaceX’s growth.

“These conversations continue more than a decade of cooperative work with SpaceX to carry out our respective missions as neighbors,” Garcia said.