Texas approves land-swapping deal with SpaceX as company hopes to expand rocket-launch operations
SpaceX is set to acquire public land from Texas after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a land-swapping deal that would cede 43 acres to entrepreneur Elon Musk's company in exchange for 477 acres that are yet to be bought
MCALLEN, Texas — SpaceX would acquire public land in Texas to expand its rocket-launch facilities under a tentative deal that is moving forward after months of opposition from nearby residents and officials near the U.S.-Mexico border.
The tentative land-swapping deal moved forward this week when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously voted in favor of swapping 43 noncontiguous acres from Boca Chica State Park with SpaceX, which would give the state 477 acres about 10 miles south of the park near Brownsville, Texas.
Some of the 43 contested acres are landlocked with no public access but with protected plant and animal species. Although SpaceX is proposing swapping the public land for 477 acres, it has not yet purchased that property. None of the land in the deal has beach access, but the 43 acres sit near protected federal land and lagoons that stretch along the coast.
“Through this transaction we are guaranteeing the conservation of 477 acres, which would otherwise potentially be developed into condominiums or strip centers,” Jeffery D. Hildebrand, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission chairman appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott, said at the meeting's close.
The deal started in 2019 as a conversation between the state and SpaceX. But it was finally worked out in 2023, said David Yoskowitz, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's executive director.
People sent over 2,300 letters to the department to voice their opinion. Although the majority, 60%, were opposed, the
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