South Texas groups sue to block state land swap with SpaceX

A group of South Texas advocacy organizations has sued the state to block a proposed land swap with SpaceX approved last month.

The land swap would see SpaceX take over 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park near its Brownsville spaceport in exchange for 477 acres adjacent to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.

The lawsuit, filed last week, claims the state unable to search for alternatives to a land swap in its negotiation process with SpaceX, failing in its obligation to limit damage to public lands.

He also claims that SpaceX does not own the 477-acre land it offered in exchange. The Texas Standard reported earlier this year that SpaceX owner Elon Musk was in talks to acquire the land.

“This is just the latest example of our state officials failing to meet their obligations to Texans whenever SpaceX is involved,” plaintiff attorney Marisa Perales said in a statement. “The duty of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is to protect park lands and wildlife resources, including at Boca Chica Beach and the state park.”

“Protecting public parks and the public interest means saying ‘no’ to demands from SpaceX, whose spaceflight activities have caused harm to public lands and wildlife habitats,” she added.

Residents opposed the deal, approved by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission (TPWD) last month, due to concerns that it would cede land considered sacred by the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe and privatize popular public recreation lands.

The tribe is among the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, alongside environmental groups Save RGV and South Texas Environmental Network.

The commission downplayed concerns in its approval, noting that the land ceded to SpaceX is not adjacent to the park’s popular recreation areas and that the new 477-acre parcel would be a boon for wildlife conservation.

“This is an excellent opportunity to acquire land that has been of interest to us and the conservation community for many years,” TPWD Executive Director David Yoskowitz said last month.