BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS - U.S. Reps. Filemon Vela and Vicente Gonzalez can help ensure Elon Musk does not pull SpaceX out of Brownsville, says the chairman of Brownsville Navigation District.
Sergio Tito Lopez said BND leaders have been in touch with the two South Texas congressmen to see what they can do to help ensure the Federal Aviation Administration gives environmental approval to SpaceX’s for its continued rocket testing operations at Boca Chica.
According to news reports, if the FAA decides an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is needed for SpaceX’s work at Boca Chica, Musk could shift operations to Florida.
“SpaceX founder Elon Musk said he expects to fly what would be the most powerful rocket to ever launch from the Earth by year’s end, but if it can’t do it sooner from Texas like it had planned, the company will shift efforts to Kennedy Space Center,” wrote reporter Richard Tribou for the Orlando Sentinel on Feb. 11.
Sergio Tito LopezIf the FAA opts for the EIS for Boca Chica, Musk said the company’s efforts would shift to Florida, referring to it often as “Cape Kennedy.”
“That doesn’t mean things don’t get delayed from a regulatory standpoint,” the Orlando Sentinel quoted Musk as saying.
“We do have the alternative of the Cape and we actually applied for environmental approval from launching from the Cape a few years ago and received it. So we actually are approved from an environmental standpoint to launch from 39-A. So I guess our worst-case scenario is that we would be delayed for six to eight months to build up the Cape launch tower and launch from there.”
Lopez said Texas cannot allow that to happen.
“We hope that does not happen,” Lopez said, when asked if he was concerned that SpaceX’s rocket testing site could be moved from Boca Chica to Florida.
“He (Musk) has come and he has invested a lot of money into our community. We are thankful for that. Of course, we are not the FAA. We do not make those decisions.”
Lopez gave an exclusive interview to Ron Whitlock Reports and the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the South Port Connector road.
Asked if the BND Board of commissioners had made its position known to Reps. Vela and Gonzalez, Lopez said: “Actually, right now, we are in talks with both of them. We want them to help. It is a huge economic impact, having SpaceX here. It makes the Rio Grande Valley and in this case Brownsville more lucrative. It gives global attention to our city, which is something we have needed for a long, long, time.”
A reporter put it to Lopez that the City of Brownsville is hoping to attract thousands of tourists once SpaceX starts sending rockets to the Moon and Mars.
“It would be a tremendous loss if we lose that,” Lopez said.
“I think it is crucial that SpaceX and Mr. Musk know that the Port of Brownsville is here. We are behind him. Anything we can do to help facilitate their business or their commerce… that is one of the reasons why we also built this South Port Connector road,” Lopez said.
Lopez pointed out that the South Port Connector was built for overweight heavy load cargo. He also noted that SpaceX’s Boca Chica facility is only 3-plus miles from the Port of Brownsville.
“We know that the easiest and cheapest mode of transportation is water,” Lopez said. “You get some of his (Musk’s) raw materials to come into our ship channel. It would not have to go into a city, through a commercial route. It would come in and go out of this port.”
Another BND commissioner, Ralph Cowen, said he believes the FAA will give environmental clearance to SpaceX for its Boca Chica operations. In an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Cowen said the BND commissioners have not only spoken to Reps. Vela and Gonzalez, but also their colleague, Congressman Henry Cuellar.
“I think we will get it (the environmental clearance),” Cowen said. “I was out there (at Starbase) a couple of weeks ago. Elon Musk invited us to come. Our commission and other entities. He gave an update. I feel we are going to get it (environmental clearance). He (Musk) has got the governor behind him, he has got all the people that are decision makers and have the power and the stroke behind him. That is how it gets done.”
Cowen added that, in his opinion, Boca Chica is offers the best geographical location in the United States from which to launch rockets.
Editor’s Note: The main image accompanying the above news story shows SpaceX’s Starbase center at Boca Chica, near Brownsville, Texas. (Photo Credit: Alexander Hatley/Wikipedia)
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