Commissioners Court expected to vote on resolution in support of SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy project – Brownsville Herald

A view of the natural terrain along Texas State Highway 4 near the SpaceX facility and Boca Chica Beach. (Miguel Roberts/The Brownsville Herald)

Cameron County Commissioners Court will meet Tuesday where commissioners will consider adopting a resolution in support of SpaceXs Starship/Super Heavy Program.

This is the third time the resolution has been placed on the agenda. It was tabled twice before with the latter occurring July 5 after it was recommended that the public have access to review the resolution before the commission voted on it.

The background/back up information for the resolution had not been provided at the earlier meetings.

The Commissioners Court meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. inside the Historic Dancy Building, located at 1100 E. Monroe St. The public can attend in person or by videoconference.

Individuals who would like to comment during the public comments period must submit their comments no later than 8:45 a.m. Tuesday to [emailprotected]

Portions of the resolution include that SpaceX has invested over a billion dollars in the Boca Chica launch site, providing economic benefits for Cameron County, Texas, and its residents; SpaceX activity in Cameron County has had a tremendous positive impact on job creation and economic growth in the region, to the direct benefits of residents of Cameron County; SpaceXs Boca Chica facility creates more than 1,600 SpaceX jobs, as well as hundreds of contract positions, and 71% of those residents reside in Cameron County; SpaceX has generated and supported an estimated 6,185 jobs across Cameron County as a result of investments.

The resolution also reads that in 2021 the aggregate market value of goods and services produced in the U.S. economy from SpaceX activities in Cameron County amounts to about $900 million, its anticipated that SpaceX activities in the Cameron County will generate more than $880 million in gross economic output and more than $640 million in gross county output for 2022 and more than $900 million in gross economic output and more than $640 million in gross county output for the year 2023.

The resolution further states that SpaceX has worked closely with federal, state, and local stakeholders to minimize environmental impacts of its activities; partnered with Sea Turtle Inc. in undertaking efforts to protect and conserve the Kemps ridley sea turtle and other sea turtle species; and that the FAA published a Programmatic Environmental Assessment and a Finding of No Significant Impact related to the SpaceXs Starship/Super Heavy Program.

It also states that SpaceX will undertake several measures to schedule launch operations and associated temporary access restrictions so as to avoid and minimize disruption to the public.

Several temporary road closures on Highway 4 near Boca Chica Beach have occurred during this month as testing was to have taken place at the launch site with the most recent scheduled for last Thursday. Testing is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 10 pm. Tuesday.

On July 11, a Starship pressure test at the site ended with an explosion with smoke from the pressure test being seen as far away as South Padre Island with some visitors saying they heard what sounded like a boom.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk had said in a tweet testing was going on at the site and that what happened at the site was not actually good.

The resolution also states SpaceX will undertake numerous measures to enhance recreation, mitigate environmental impacts, and conserve environmental resources around Boca Chica.

The resolution reads that Commissioners Court supports the expansion of commercial space activities of SpaceX and other companies in and around the county while preserving and protecting public safety and reasonable public access to our beaches, and it supports the Starship/Super Heavy Project at SpaceXs Boca Chica launch site.

Commissioners Court will also vote on whether to abandon several portions of roads near the Boca Chica launch site that include Annette, Joanna and Remedios roads to support spaceport and economic development, background information on the agenda items state. They will also vote on the full abandonment of Lucero Court for the same reasons.

At a previous meeting, Alex Dominguez, a state representative and former Cameron County commissioner, who owns lands on Remedios Avenue, said he was at Boca Chica Beach about two weeks ago and when he was driving by Remedios he noticed trash on his property and that SpaceX had already taken over a part of the road.

If the county decides to abandon this road, that is what I expect to happen to the rest of the property there, in fact I think that would be the type of taking and I think that this frustrates landowners who still own land there and perhaps want to develop land, Dominguez said.

He said if the county plans to abandon the land it would be up to the property owners to not only maintain it but to provide access to the road as well.

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Commissioners Court expected to vote on resolution in support of SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy project - Brownsville Herald