By ALEXANDREA BAILEY
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] postponed three scheduled public meetings regarding SpaceX’s plan to increase the launches and landings of its Starship/Super Heavy vehicle. At the time, the FAA did not provide a public reason for the postponement.
In a recent development, on Aug. 29, the FAA released a statement clarifying why the meetings were canceled. “On Aug. 9, 2024, the FAA became aware of allegations that SpaceX violated the Clean Water Act at the Boca Chica Launch Site. The FAA was unable to confirm the accuracy of certain representations in SpaceX’s license application and the Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment prior to the public meetings scheduled for Aug. 13, 15 and 20. As a result, the FAA chose to postpone the public meetings until these matters could be resolved,” stated the FAA.
The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary law in the United States that regulates water quality and pollution in waterways.
The SpaceX launch facility in Boca Chica was recently the focus of an open investigation by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality [TCEQ] which closed as of July 30, 2024. Findings from this investigation showed that according to TCEQ, SpaceX violated Texas Water Code 26.121 (a) (1) and Texas Admin Code 305.42 (a) by discharging industrial wastewater into nearby bodies of water without a proper permit.
TCEQ fined SpaceX, a multi-billion-dollar establishment, $3,750.
“Just to be clear, this silly fine was for spilling potable drinking water! Literally, you could drink it,” Musk stated on his social media platform, X.
Many commenters on his X post called for Musk to drink the wastewater, as he alleged could be done.
SpaceX responded to the findings of this investigation in a press release on Tuesday, Sept. 10, alleging its
deflector system has been the target of false reporting, denying allegations that it pollutes the environment or has operated independent of regulation.
Jonathan Diaz, TCEQ Environmental Investigator, reported that SpaceX discharged industrial wastewater without a proper permit on four separate occasions in 2024: March 14, April 5, May 8 and July 26. However, in its latest press release, SpaceX remains firm in its allegation that it never once operated its water-cooled deflector without a proper permit.
“SpaceX was operating in good faith under a Multi-Sector General Permit to cover deluge operations,” stated
SpaceX.
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