By ARABELLA SERRATA
Special to the PRESS
After much delay, the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA] has announced meeting dates to discuss the environmental review of the SpaceX Starship in Texas. Previous meetings were slated but canceled with no reason given by the FAA.
According to a press release from the FAA, four in-person meetings are happening in South Texas. Two meetings will be in Brownsville on Jan.7 at the Jacob Brown Auditorium at Texas Southmost College. The other two meetings will be at the Port Isabel Event and Cultural Center on Jan. 9. Both dates will have two sessions from 1-3 p.m. and 5:30-7:30 p.m.
There is also a virtual Zoom meeting on Jan. 13 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. According to the official FAA website, the dial-in number is (888) 788-0099, the passcode is 900729 and the webinar ID is 879 9253 6128. The full link to the meeting will be available on the FAA website.
The website continues to state that there will be a pre-recorded presentation for the first half hour of the meetings. Public comments can be submitted during the meetings, and Spanish translation services will also be available.
The meeting will cover the revised Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for SpaceX’s proposal to increase operations of their Starship and Superheavy projects in Boca Chica. The current plan is to “modify SpaceX’s existing vehicle operator license to authorize SpaceX’s proposed action to increase the cadence of the Starship/Super Heavy launch program at the Boca Chica vertical launch area in Cameron County, Texas to up to 25 annual launches and 50 total annual landings,” according to the draft.
Environmental concerns are also addressed in the draft. It states that “modification of SpaceX’s existing vehicle operator license for Starship/Super Heavy operations conforms to the prior environmental documentation” and that there were allegedly “no significant environmental changes.”
Also in recent SpaceX news, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network stated they were suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality [TCEQ] for “bypassing permitting in favor of SpaceX.”
According to a press release from the Network, Rio Grande Valley organizations have “denounced” the TCEQ for operating against the 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. By bypassing these requirements, the Commission has put the Boca Chica environment at risk of degradation,” stated Attorney Lauren Ice in the release. The lawsuit was filed on Dec. 16. Organizations included in the lawsuit against the TCEQ include the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe, Save RGV and the South Texas Environmental Justice Network. Ice is representing the three Rio Grande Valley organizations.
TCEQ has yet to issue an official statement on this matter. The PRESS reached out for comment but did not receive a response as of the time of publication.
For more information on the FAA meeting and the full draft, visit their website at www.faa.gov. For more information on the lawsuit, visit the network’s website at sotxejn.org.
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