BOCA CHICA AND THE DESTRUCTION OF STARBASE TEXAS
Matthew Quitoriano
WRIT 0082
October 16th, 2025
1
Background
For the last decade, America has continued to strive towards the dream of spaceflight.
Increasingly, after 2011, the federal government has shifted away from government-run
programs (like NASA) and turned towards private partners, one of which is SpaceX. SpaceX is
headed by Elon Musk, a billionaire and the founder of Tesla and PayPal. Musk has acquired
nearly exclusive control of the Boca Chica Village in Texas, “one of the last undeveloped,
pristine coastal areas in Texas. About 4452 hectares in size.”1 SpaceX chose this area for their
star base, a flagship space port, which Musk seeks to be the launching point for missions to
Mars.
However, the purchase and designation as a new spaceport have created tension in the
local community. Critics claim environmental, economic, and community degradation. On the
other hand, the Starbase project offers a dream of unprecedented economic growth to one of the
poorest cities in the country.2 This white paper will explore the effects SpaceX’s Starbase has had
on the local community in the construction of Starbase, and will offer solutions to regulatory
agencies - the State Government of Texas and Federal Aviation Administration to create
necessary protections.
The Problem
Displacement of Local Communities
One of the key parts of Musk’s purchasing of the area was the displacement of locals
from their homes. Local homeowners were given an offer to sell their homes, and when residents
“saw the new evaluations, some were insulted” by the offer.3 On the other hand, local elected
officials and judges have threatened the use of eminent domain - the forced sale of a property,
without residents’ consent. This has happened before in the stadium for the Dallas Cowboys in
Texas4; The local judge, Judge Trevino, said that the use of eminent domain in Boca Chica
Village is “probably a distinct possibility. The law is on SpaceX’s side.”5
Additionally, SpaceX has been given unilateral control over the only route in and out of
the village during rocket tests. Multiple checkpoints along the highway are required for residents
to enter the area, and closures of the highway number 1200 hours over 110 days, with little
notification to the local community.6 Additionally, thanks to an amendment that Musk
1
Perez, “SOIL CONTAMINANT SAMPLING RESULTS FROM LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE'S BOCA CHICA TRACT, CAMERON COUNTY, TEXAS”
2
Koren, “Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly”
3
ibid.
4
Trimble, “Eminent Domain a Decade After Kelo”
5
Koren, “Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly”
6
Koren, “Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly”
2
championed in the Texas legislature, the beaches around the base are closed to public access
during testing. SpaceX spokespeople warned that these “inconveniences are only going to get
worse.”7
Pollution
In addition to the destruction of native communities, SpaceX's Starbase has continued to
pollute the local area.8 Multiple explosions have caused increasing amounts of dust in the air,
with some locals reporting that their phones can become unusable at times outside. Ash in Port
Isabel, a city 6 miles away, was reported to be damaging residences, cars, and houses after a
failed rocket test.9 Failed tests shatter the windows of homes, and the noise pollution is reported
to be nearly 24 hours a day.10 Explosions have burned a total of 100 acres of public lands,11 left
multiple craters over 25 feet, and distributed bowling balls of concrete across environmentally
protected areas.12 The FAA reports that these items will not dissolve and therefore must be
retrieved manually.13 SpaceX has taken large excavators and machinery to these untouched
wetlands, causing environmental damage and disruption of local communities in the process.14
Environmental tourism
The Boca Chica Areas include “more than 3237 hectares of highly productive wetlands
near the mouth of the Rio Grande.”15 Tourism to these wetlands and in the nearby areas provides
$170 million per year and employs several thousand people.16 Experts propose that the debris,
fires, and particulates will result in the loss of genes, species, and biological traits that contribute
to the biodiversity of the area.17 Several types of sea turtles nest in the region, and the light
pollution has accelerated the decline of the species due to the turtles' inability to differentiate
between sunlight and artificial light.18 There has been a large decline in the number of unique
species in the area, which was previously home to hundreds of endemic birds, and nearly 60
percent of shorebirds in North America.
7
ibid.
Rosales, “Despite concerns from residents, Cameron County commissioners vote for resolution
supporting SpaceX”
9
Szolucha, “A disappearing frontier?: An ethnographic study of the labour of imagination of SpaceX fans
and space creators in South Texas”
10
Koren, “Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly”
11
Williams, “Public Comment for SWG-2012-00381”
12
Albeck-Ripka, “SpaceX’s Starship Kicked Up a Dust Cloud, Leaving Texans With a Mess”
13
Zee, “Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for Updates to Airspace Closures for Additional Launch
Trajectories and Starship Boca Chica Landings of the SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy Vehicle at the
SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas”
8
Sheridan, Interview by Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera and Michelle Keck
Perez, “SOIL CONTAMINANT SAMPLING RESULTS FROM LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY
NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE'S BOCA CHICA TRACT, CAMERON COUNTY, TEXAS”
14
15
16
Chapa, “Water key to valley eco-tourism”
Adebayo, “Loss of biodiversity: The burgeoning threat to human health.”
18
Guerro and Mahmoud, “Collaborative environmental approach for development of the lower laguna
Madre estuary program strategic plan in south Texas”
17
3
Causes
Lobbying
The state government has enabled this destruction of local communities, due to Musk’s
lobbying effort. Musk has spent more than $20 million in the state legislature to receive tax
benefits and ease regulations.19 To allow for beach closures (which were illegal under the Texas
constitution before 2018) must spend over $200,000 on lobbying and all expenses paid trips to
California. SpaceX is tax-exempt in the area and receives a $5 million job creation credit as an
incentive.20 Musk has also lobbied the federal government, which oversees the airspace above
the base. Elon Musk spent more than $290 million on the 2024 election,21 only months before the
FAA’s environmental analysis was written. Local activists in Boca Chica say that the report, once
published, did not reflect the environmental realities that they were experiencing.22
This lobbying has worked. In 2018, an amendment to the Texas Open Beaches Act
allowed closures during space testing23; Elon Musk reports that, “in the absence of these laws,
we cannot move forward.”24 Additionally, multiple lawsuits against Musk for environmental
degradation and the destruction of communities have been thrown out because “SpaceX has legal
immunity”, thanks to their lobbying efforts.25
Solutions
This white paper proposes multiple solutions - rooted in the guiding principles outlined in
the paper. Community input and environmental protection are important while also considering
the need for growth and the economic realities of Boca Chica, which is one of the poorest towns
in the country.26
1.​ Relocation
While drastic, the State Government could ask SpaceX to relocate to an area with less
environmental and cultural importance. SpaceX could replicate to places that have previously
been used for testing with established ecological degradation. This could include areas where
atomic bombs were tested. However, it’s important to acknowledge the infeasibility of this
proposal due to the limited role the State and Federal government historically have played in, as
19
O’Donnell, “Texas dangles incentives to lure billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX”
Rauf, “SpaceX's lobbying in Texas zooming”
21
Wright and Leeds-Matthews, “Elon Musk spent more than $290 million on the 2024 election, year-end
FEC filings show”
22
Chang, “SpaceX Wins Environmental Approval for Starship Mars Rocket Launch”
23
Rauf, “SpaceX's lobbying in Texas zooming”
20
24
ibid.
ibid.
26
Koren, “Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly”
25
4
well as the damage already done over the last eight years. In its totality, much of the community
has already been displaced, so relocation would not heal the damage done.
2.​ Regulation
It’s possible to regulate SpaceX’s base to protect local communities and the environment.
SpaceX has already installed water cannons to reduce fires and conducted some cleanup
measures. However, they are given exemptions that other companies are not, including
exemptions from littering fines and tax breaks. One solution could be removing those tax breaks
and increasing pollution fines.27
The FAA should do a comprehensive environmental analysis that considers the
perspectives of locals and wildlife organizations. Since the original ecological review conducted
in 2018 under the Biden administration, which has received very little lobbying money from
Elon Musk, Starbase has tested increasingly large and more devastating rockets in the area.
Community members write that the shift to larger rockets “is not a minor modification to their
original plan. It’s huge. It changed the whole environmental scope of what they’re doing.”28 The
FAA should conduct a comprehensive, updated environmental analysis that reflects this change
in scope, which would give the Texas State, congress, and the greater public awareness of these
issues and boost the legitimacy of these concerns.
Additionally, when asking individuals to relocate or compensating individuals in the area
for shattered windows and inconsistent access to their homes, the State Government could
increase the amount that Musk would have to pay. Some community members, including one
named McConaughey, “never want to give up her home in Boca Chica, but she would do it for
what she feels is a fair price.”29 If Musk and the State Government are going to leverage eminent
domain to force McConaughey out, she should be compensated for that fair price.
3.​ Representation
Importantly, the Texas State Government needs to stop accepting lobbying money.
Representative Jim Pitts, the Texas House legislators' top budget writer, spent several days in
California in January on a SpaceX-funded trip. He said, “I have heard about SpaceX… for the
first time this session, this is our opportunity.”30 If environmental lobbying groups had voiced
their concerns first to the Pitts, then regulation might look different. Musk said, “In the absence
of these [lower regulatory] laws, we cannot move forward in Texas with the launch site.”31
Instead, legislators must listen to community members. One analysis wrote that “if the
people of Brownsville come out and say not in my backyard, that might just kill the whole
27
Sheridan, “The fine print: Exploring Musk’s impact, local leaders’ complacency, & the community’s
struggle.”
28
Newstead, Interview by Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera and Michelle Keck
29
Koren, “Why SpaceX Wants a Tiny Texas Neighborhood So Badly”
30
Rauf, “SpaceX's lobbying in Texas zooming”
31
ibid.
5
deal.”32 But right now, thanks to lobbying efforts, SpaceX is immune to lawsuits around pollution
and noise33, further limiting the ability of local community members to voice their concerns.
Conclusion
The economic and spiritual realities of space exploration are incredibly complex. For the
towns of Brownsville and Boca Chica, this Starbase can be both incredibly devastating to
themselves in the local community, but it can also provide a promise of being a hub of
spaceflight. Throughout this journey, it’s important to ensure that all stakeholders are paying the
benefits and the costs, not just the poorest, most vulnerable community members, to achieve this
dream. We must ensure that the benefits of these economic developments do not only benefit the
rich and legislators who are lobbied, but in the community in which the base is being built.
32
33
Martinez, “Hundreds tearn out for SpaceX Hearing.”
Rauf, “SpaceX's lobbying in Texas zooming”
6
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