Proposed SpaceX Launch Site in Texas Draws Concerns
The company behind the commercial spacecraft that landed successfully in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after a mission to the International Space Station wants to come to the Rio Grande Valley. But the launch pad it is considering building has raised concerns among environmentalists and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department because of the proposed site's proximity to endangered animals and other wildlife.
The 50-acre site in southern Cameron County scouted by SpaceX, a commercial space transport company, is surrounded by Boca Chica State Park where animals listed under the Endangered Species Act such as ocelots, jaguarundi, piping plovers ...
Comments (3)
Jim Vance
KSC and the Air Force Canaveral launch site have coexisted with the Merritt Island NWR for decades, though it's very likely there are no Florida panthers or other big cats who roam through that part of the coast -- they tend to stay in the middle, unpopulated areas (by humans, anyway) and there aren't very many of them anymore.
If SpaceX were to have a launch rate of 12/year, the disruption would not only occur from the launch itself but also from the logistics of bringing the vehicle to the launch site, whether by truck, rail or barge -- this aspect has not been explained in any of the stories as of yet. While the launch activity and noise disruption might be occasional, the construction of an access road, rail spur or barge landing would be permanent and perhaps more disruptive for the cat species. These are legitimate issues for concern, and a credible examination of the support requirements by wildlife biologists and others is needed before any well-founded (even preliminary) decision can really be made.
David Spratt
When talking about oil and gas drilling the animals are always an issue. In areas populated by deer it does not bother them at all. I go to gas pads all the time ,,,,, I counted 17 deer standing within 30 ft of a running compressor just last night. I see it everyday. You have to wait for them to move off the lease road at times. They get used to it and pay no attention. Animals and people can coexist. When it comes down to it there is not any land anywhere that is off limits to the tree huggers, even if there are no trees to hug. They actually are putting the animals above people in importance. Some people in the area probably could get some kind of work if this went through. I guess the huggers would rather they continue to live off of welfare and live a bare existence just to save a few cats the inconvenience of having their sleep disturbed by some noise every now and again.
Jim Vance
Here's a link (PDF) to the actual 58-page document TPWD sent to the FAA from the Environment Texas website.
http://environmenttexas.org/sites/environment/files/reports/TPWDletter.pdf