New Claims Filed Over SpaceX Launchpad Explosion
Piping Plover by Ray Hennessey.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas, December 15, 2023)— National and local environmental groups and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, Inc., filed additional legal claims today against the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
Today’s filing focuses on the agencies’ failure to fully analyze and mitigate environmental harms from the April 20 explosion of the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy rocket and launchpad at Boca Chica in south Texas.
The April 20 launch resulted in the ejection of concrete and metal thousands of feet into the surrounding lands. This included sensitive tidal flats and other habitat for migratory birds and federally protected species covering an approximate 385-acre area, nearly 3 acres of which were sensitive dune vegetation that was severely burned. A plume of dust also blanketed a residential area more than six miles from the launchpad. Read more