Did SpaceX break environmental regulations at its Starbase facility? Now, this question arose after recent reports indicated that both Texas and federal officials found SpaceX to be in violation of wastewater discharge rules.
Now, this issue centers around Spacex's Starbase launch site in Boca Chicas, Texas. Now, SpaceX responded by stating that regulatory bodies, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the TCEQ, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA, had permitted them to continue operations while working towards obtaining necessary permits. However, as of the latest reports, these agencies had not
confirmed such an agreement. Spacex's Star Base facility, located about a mile from the Gulf of Mexico, has been in operation since 2014. The site was specifically chosen and developed to facilitate the testing and launch of Starship.
Now, the site is about 20 miles from the nearest city, Brownsville, TX, and it's the former site of a small beach community called Boca Chica. Now, SpaceX has bought most of the property near the facilities at Boca Chica, so they will continue to expand on what they already have there.
Now SpaceX secured approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA in 2013 or 2023 to conduct regular launches from the site and the approval was contingent on the company adhering to various environmental standards. Now among these standards and these regulations that intended to minimize the environmental impact around the Starship launch facility. Now the need for stringent environmental controls became apparent after the first Test flight of Starship in April of 2023.
Now the launch resulted in substantial damage to the launchpad and after the damage was cleaned up and the pad was rebuilt, SpaceX installed the deluge system with the sprinkler system to mitigate the force exerted by the Rockets powerful Raptor. And now this system releases an estimated massive amount of 422,000 gallons of water per flight, a portion of which is vaporized instantly, and the remainder is what has drawn scrutiny from environmental
regulators. Now, according to a report first published by CNBC, the TCEQ found the SpaceX had been discharging industrial wastewater from this deluge system into Texas waterways without proper authorization. Specifically, the TCe QS July 30th report accused SpaceX of violating state environmental laws by failing to secure a Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
Now, the report identified 4 unauthorized discharges since March 2023, an allegation that if substantiated, could have serious implications for SpaceX operations going forward at Starbase. Now SpaceX in his defense, has maintained his position that the water used in his deluge system is clean, potable water and then it has worked closely with the TCEQ throughout the construction and testing phases of the system to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
Now, the company has also stated that it submitted an application for an individual wastewater discharge permit to the TCEQ on July 1st, 2024. This permit, once granted, would formally authorize the discharge of wastewater from the deluge system under specific conditions set by the agency.
Now, the system has attracted criticism from environmental groups and local activists, who argue that SpaceX should not be allowed to continue its operations until all environmental concerns are fully addressed. Now, Mary Angela Branch, who's a member of the nonprofit organization Save RGV, has been particularly vocal and she said the Spacex's activity should be halted immediately given the
reported violations. She also said that her organization have been involved in legal actions aimed at protecting these sensitive environmental ecosystems surrounding Boca Chica since SpaceX started their activities
there. Now, the controversy over Spacex's wastewater discharge practices has also affected the FA as plans to hold public hearings on the company's request to increase frequency of launches and landings at Starbase. These hearings, which were scheduled to begin August 5th, were abruptly postponed by the FAA. In a statement, the FAA cited the need for additional information from SpaceX before
rescheduling the meetings. The hearings were intended to gather public input on a draft environmental assessment related to Spacex's expansion plans at Starbase. Now, the postponement of the public hearings has sparked further concerns among local stakeholders, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley, where Spacex's operations have had significant huge environmental and social impacts. A coalition of environmental and civil rights groups, along with the tribe, the Comacruto Tribe of Texas.
I'm sorry if I butchered that. It's a letter to the FAA Administrator, Michael Whitaker, expressing their dissatisfaction with the current public participation process. Letter criticized the FAA for failing to adequately inform the local Hispanic community about the hearings and for proposing a format that would prevent the public from hearing each other's
concerns. The coalition argued that proposed one-on-one format where residents would provide comments privately to an FAA stenographer would limit community engagement and hinder a comprehensive understanding of the concerns.
That's those concerns are surrounding SpaceX and their operations at Starbase, and they requested that the FAA hold open public meetings where attendees could hear and discuss the viewpoints of the peers, thus fostering a more inclusive and transparent dialogue on the issue. SpaceX has sought to address these concerns by reiterating its commitment to the environment down there. They want to be environmental stewards and they want to comply
with regulatory requirements. And in a statement released on social media on X Actually, company outlined the steps it has taken to ensure its operations in Starbase do not harm the environment. SpaceX said that its deluge system, which is similar to those used on other launch sites across the United States such as NASA launch sites, is designed to protect both the launch site and the surrounding area by absorbing the heat and vibration generated during the rocket
launches. That's the biggest rocket ever built, by the way. SpaceX also pointed out that the water used in the deluge system is not exposed to any industrial processes before or during operation, and that most of the water is vaporized by the rocket engines immediately during liftoff and the fur. To mitigate these environmental risks, SpaceX collects and hauls off water used in pre launch
power washing of the launchpad. Additionally, SpaceX has implemented a retention pod system to capture any excess water, which is then removed from the site to prevent contamination of local groundwater. So they're doing their part here. And despite these assurances, though, the TCEQ findings suggest that there are ongoing concerns about the potential environmental impact of Spacex's operations.
The agency's report noted that during an investigation in late July 2024, SpaceX was found to have discharged industrial wastewater without the required permitting. The report indicated that this discharge could potentially introduce pollutants into Texas waterways. Although SpaceX has of course contexted these findings, particularly the claim that wastewater contained unsafe levels of mercury. We don't want mercury in any of
the water. SpaceX has countered the allegations by highlighting the results of the independent laboratory tests, which it says have consistently shown negligible traces of contaminants in the water, the soil, and the air around the launchpad. Now the company acknowledged that while a small amount of water does escape the pad area during launches, the quantity is minimal, equivalent to just 0.004 inches of rainfall over
the surrounding area. And SpaceX maintains that this is insignificant compared to the regions average rainfall at the annual rainfall of 27 inches. Now the ongoing dispute between SpaceX and environmental regulators is a huge deal for SpaceX. The company faces a a huge challenge. Could they possibly halt the operations at Starbase to get these regulations under control? Is SpaceX doing the right thing or will they have to be
investigated again? Will there be another complex environmental review for Starbase before even the next launch? Will they launch from Starbase again within the next month or so? We're not 100% sure. So the future of Starbase and Spacex's broader ambitions to get people to the Moon and to Mars, they're in question right now. Now, the outcome of this investigation and the environmental assessment process will be critical in shaping how SpaceX does operations down to Starbase.
The company's ability to secure the necessary permits and address regulatory concerns will determine also whether it can proceed with its planned expansion of launch activities. And at the same time, the voices of local communities, environmental groups will continue to play an important role in this. Now, SpaceX does plan to launch rockets from another tower at Starbase.
They have tower one that they've continuously launched on and they also are building tower two right now and they're going to launch and land rockets at both tower one and at tower two. So anything that happens with his environment stuff has to do with tower one and also tower two. So let me know what you think down in the comments.
It's a really tough situation for SpaceX here because they want to build rockets that can send people to the moon and to Mars, but they also want to do the right thing for the environment. And they think they're doing the right thing right now. They think they are. But the data shows, some of the data shows, and it's been refuted numerous times since any of these reports came out. It's gone back and forth, but what is SpaceX going to do?
That's what we're really worried about here are are they going to be able to make the necessary changes to appease the people in the region and also the regulatory bodies? Let me know what you think in the comments. That's about it for today, guys. Take care of yourselves and each other. Make sure to hit the subscribe button too, and the like button. And if you're really cool, make a comment with a rocket emoji down below. That'd be really cool, thanks again.
Take care of yourselves and each other and I will see you in the next one.