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Community organizations are suing Texas, claiming that SpaceX Launchpads wastewater is being washed away by nearby wetlands.
Activists behind the lawsuit against the Texas Environmental Quality Commission (TCEQ) say the wastewater contains metals and contaminating chemicals used at South Texas launch sites.
Space X, owned by Elon Musk, has issued a statement that the wastewater is “literally drinking water” used in the “Flame Deflector.” After the rocket is blown up into space, the use of water as a deflector of the flame cools the launch site.
Newsweek asked for email comment from TCEQ and Space X on Thursday.
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Why is it important?
Musk, also owned by Tesla electric vehicle company, is a close ally of President Donald Trump, and when Trump comes to power in January, Musk will become co-director of the new federal advisory group, government efficiency .
Environmental groups say SpaceX is dumping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water into environmentally sensitive wetlands without intervention from the Texas government.
What do you know
The incident is being carried out by the South Texas Environmental Justice Network and the Carrizo Comecrudo tribe of Texas to TCEQ due to the decision to allow SpaceX to temporarily drain contaminated water into the Boca Chica wetlands.
In a statement on December 18, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network argued that TCEQ “shunned permission procedures in favour of SpaceX’s industrial emissions and set a bad precedent.”
In its statement, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network said its mission is to “support the leadership of frontline BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities. Challenging the power of businesses, the South Texas region will build a future tailored to values, principles and practices centered around the social and environmental health of local native and BIPOC communities.”
“By bypassing these requirements, the committee puts the Boca Chica environment at risk of degradation,” the plaintiff’s lawyer said in a statement.
The lawsuit was filed Monday, December 16th in Travis County District Court, Texas.
In September, SpaceX said in a written statement that it was using “literal drinking water” on its launch pads.
He also said testing after water was exposed to water on the launch site found “negligible traces of contaminants.”
It agreed that he had already paid a small amount of fine, but that was because the wastewater permit was for flood water, not industrial waste, and the permit designation was changed.
What people are saying
Space X said: “It is very unfortunate that if you fundamentally disagree with the claim, you will pay a fine. The EPA has agreed that there is no need to change anything regarding the operation of the fire escape room. It is supported by facts. There is no need to change the name alone. The permit has been changed.”
In a statement, TCEQ said it had not commented on the pending lawsuit. Its preliminary decision regarding Space X’s industrial wastewater permits was found to “not expect significant decomposition of water quality in tidal wetlands.”
Robert Zimmerman, author of the book on NASA’s Apollo 8 mission, accused the South Texas Environmental Justice Network of America as a group of left-wing activists who are only interested in the attacks of Elon Musk. “These left-wing activists blindly opposed Musk, and all he’s doing is making their noses amputate so they stare at their faces,” he said in November. I wrote it on the website.
Newsweek requested an email comment from The South Texas Environmental Justice Network on Thursday.
Newsweek requested an email comment from The South Texas Environmental Justice Network on Thursday.
What will happen next
The Texas government has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit. It would likely seek that advantageous summary judgment. If that is not accepted, a pretrial movement could begin.
