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Environmentalists opposed to Starship at Boca Chica appeal dismissal of their lawsuit

Environmentalists from the Sierra Club and one Texas Indian tribe have now appealed the dismissal of their lawsuit aimed at blocking further tests or launches of Starship and Superheavy by SpaceX at its Boca Chica facility.

The Sierra Club and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of South Texas jointly appealed the 445th District Court’s decision July 7 to dismiss a lawsuit concerning SpaceX testing of its next-generation Starship vehicle closing nearby Boca Chica Beach, the coalition said July 28. In the dismissal, Judge Gloria Rincones argued there is “no private right of enforcement” concerning the beach access, according to KRGV.com (opens in new tab). The dismissal took place over the appellants’ protests that closing the beach violates the Texas state constitution, along with access rights by traditional groups.

The Sierra Club’s Brownsville organizer, Emma Guevara, stated the appeal is taking place because the beach is closed weekly to allow “a billionaire [to] launch deadly rockets near homes and wildlife.”

Citing a fireball that briefly and unexpectedly engulfed Starship during testing July 12, Guevera said her family was “forced” to hear the noise, which “launched without any warning for the public.” [emphasis mine]

My my, what a horror! I suppose everyone must stop what they are doing because Guevera and his family might be inconvenienced. And who cares if the lawsuit prevents thousands of south Texas citizens from having jobs and a thriving economy? It is more important Guevera doesn’t have to hear loud noises.

The lawsuit claims that allowing SpaceX to periodically close access to the nearest beach violates the state’s constitution, despite laws passed by both the local and state legislatures allowing for these closures.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


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"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

9 comments

  • Mitch S.

    Sounds like a shakedown.
    They just want Musk/SpaceX to decide it’s quicker/cheaper to break out the checkbook than fight in court.

  • Col Beausabre

    Forward into the fantasy land!

  • Col Beausabre

    ““a billionaire [to] launch deadly rockets near homes and wildlife.” Who cares if he is rich – totally irrelevant. As for “deadly”, who or what has these instruments of death and destruction harmed

  • ““a billionaire [to] launch deadly rockets near homes and wildlife.”

    Not like, you know, deadly motor vehicles operated near ‘homes and wildlife’.

    And hey, SpaceX isn’t crashing for-real deadly rockets near ‘homes and wildlife’.

  • Catch Thirty-Thr33

    Ms. Guevara’s real motivation is envy, hatred and resentment. Why else spit out “a billionaire”?

  • Edward

    Mitch S. suggested: “Sounds like a shakedown.

    The Sierra Club is likely jealous that other environmental groups had recently talked the FAA into awarding them unearned extortion money from SpaceX, so they want part of that action, too.

    Places where corruption costs businesses money just to do their business are places where poverty abounds. It becomes expensive to start and operate businesses, profits are low which makes expansion difficult, and so employment is difficult to find. Only the corruptocrats benefit, and they don’t do very well, either, because what little there is for them to buy with their ill-gotten booty is expensive.

    The United States did well over its first five hundred years, because this kind of corruption was rare. It is growing, and it is not being stopped by those whom we hire to stop it — those people are also happily taking part in this corrupt extortion, because it is not yet so bad that there are shortages and high prices.

    Oh, wait …

  • sippin_bourbon

    “No private right of enforcement.”.

    I can see a liberal appeals judge deciding that these progressive orgs have this power. Based on nothing, of course.

    Most of these groups are interested in shake downs. A few of the hardcore believers really want to stop the R&D that the “billionaire” is doing. Idealists or useful idiots. Hard to judge without knowing more

  • TwoRivers

    What a heartless prick. Guevera is right, that the residents in that area should be given notice of a commercial rocket ship’s launch, and if a military test launch, so that they can prepare ahead of time. I get the point being that a billionaire such as the Musk, Gates, etc’s reputation might’ve played a role of a compromised judge.
    As far as the Sierra Club goes, that’s just another globalist organisation, but in this case I’d have to agree on the fore-notice if the residents indeed did not get that notice.
    Rocketships do pose a potential threat of harm, just as we saw Challenger Space ship destroyed mid-air whether by accident or sabotage. NASA is bonded for such events although it can’t bring back a life if that happens it destroyed as body human or otherwise.
    As far as supporting jobs, you’re not wise in your comment that that’s the bottom line. Drug cartels supports jobs too, but that doesn’t make it right. This is not to imply right or wrong about Space X jobs, but about making blanket statements about supporting jobs. In the case of Space-X for Mars travel is a waste of money and resources when we have enough problems we need to deal with here on earth from medical, political, and religious tyranny from these globalist fascist and communists reprobates.

  • sippin_bourbon

    TwoRivers

    Aside from posting on something from weeks ago, your post is very confusing.
    Starting a post with an insult wins you no favors. Are you used to twitter or something?

    I was going to unpack your post, be decided it is a waste of time.

    This comment tells me what I need to know:
    “Mars travel is a waste of money and resources when we have enough problems we need to deal with here on earth…”

    Lack of vision.

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