Latest / Elon Musk Podcast / SpaceX shutting down site if this problem isn't fixed.

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SpaceX shutting down site if this problem isn't fixed. · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:00
  Did SpaceX break environmental regulations at its Starbase
• 0:04
  facility? Now, this question arose after
• 0:06
  recent reports indicated that both Texas and federal officials
• 0:10
  found SpaceX to be in violation of wastewater discharge rules.
• 0:15
  Now, this issue centers around Spacex's Starbase launch site in
• 0:19
  Boca Chicas, Texas. Now, SpaceX responded by stating
• 0:23
  that regulatory bodies, including the Texas Commission
• 0:26
  on Environmental Quality, the TCEQ, and the Environmental
• 0:30
  Protection Agency, the EPA, had permitted them to continue
• 0:34
  operations while working towards obtaining necessary permits.
• 0:40
  However, as of the latest reports, these agencies had not
• 0:43
  confirmed such an agreement. Spacex's Star Base facility,
• 0:47
  located about a mile from the Gulf of Mexico, has been in
• 0:50
  operation since 2014. The site was specifically chosen
• 0:55
  and developed to facilitate the testing and launch of Starship.
• 1:00
  Now, the site is about 20 miles from the nearest city,
• 1:02
  Brownsville, TX, and it's the former site of a small beach
• 1:06
  community called Boca Chica. Now, SpaceX has bought most of
• 1:10
  the property near the facilities at Boca Chica, so they will
• 1:13
  continue to expand on what they already have there.
• 1:18
  Now SpaceX secured approval from the Federal Aviation
• 1:22
  Administration, the FAA in 2013 or 2023 to conduct regular
• 1:27
  launches from the site and the approval was contingent on the
• 1:30
  company adhering to various environmental standards.
• 1:34
  Now among these standards and these regulations that intended
• 1:39
  to minimize the environmental impact around the Starship
• 1:42
  launch facility. Now the need for stringent
• 1:45
  environmental controls became apparent after the first Test
• 1:49
  flight of Starship in April of 2023.
• 1:53
  Now the launch resulted in substantial damage to the
• 1:55
  launchpad and after the damage was cleaned up and the pad was
• 1:59
  rebuilt, SpaceX installed the deluge system with the sprinkler
• 2:02
  system to mitigate the force exerted by the Rockets powerful
• 2:07
  Raptor. And now this system releases an
• 2:10
  estimated massive amount of 422,000 gallons of water per
• 2:14
  flight, a portion of which is vaporized instantly, and the
• 2:18
  remainder is what has drawn scrutiny from environmental
• 2:21
  regulators. Now, according to a report first
• 2:23
  published by CNBC, the TCEQ found the SpaceX had been
• 2:28
  discharging industrial wastewater from this deluge
• 2:31
  system into Texas waterways without proper authorization.
• 2:36
  Specifically, the TCe QS July 30th report accused SpaceX of
• 2:40
  violating state environmental laws by failing to secure a
• 2:44
  Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.
• 2:49
  Now, the report identified 4 unauthorized discharges since
• 2:52
  March 2023, an allegation that if substantiated, could have
• 2:56
  serious implications for SpaceX operations going forward at
• 3:00
  Starbase. Now SpaceX in his defense, has
• 3:04
  maintained his position that the water used in his deluge system
• 3:08
  is clean, potable water and then it has worked closely with the
• 3:12
  TCEQ throughout the construction and testing phases of the system
• 3:17
  to ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
• 3:20
  Now, the company has also stated that it submitted an application
• 3:24
  for an individual wastewater discharge permit to the TCEQ on
• 3:29
  July 1st, 2024. This permit, once granted, would
• 3:33
  formally authorize the discharge of wastewater from the deluge
• 3:36
  system under specific conditions set by the agency.
• 3:41
  Now, the system has attracted criticism from environmental
• 3:44
  groups and local activists, who argue that SpaceX should not be
• 3:48
  allowed to continue its operations until all
• 3:51
  environmental concerns are fully addressed.
• 3:55
  Now, Mary Angela Branch, who's a member of the nonprofit
• 3:58
  organization Save RGV, has been particularly vocal and she said
• 4:03
  the Spacex's activity should be halted immediately given the
• 4:07
  reported violations. She also said that her
• 4:10
  organization have been involved in legal actions aimed at
• 4:13
  protecting these sensitive environmental ecosystems
• 4:15
  surrounding Boca Chica since SpaceX started their activities
• 4:20
  there. Now, the controversy over
• 4:22
  Spacex's wastewater discharge practices has also affected the
• 4:26
  FA as plans to hold public hearings on the company's
• 4:29
  request to increase frequency of launches and landings at
• 4:33
  Starbase. These hearings, which were
• 4:35
  scheduled to begin August 5th, were abruptly postponed by the
• 4:40
  FAA. In a statement, the FAA cited
• 4:43
  the need for additional information from SpaceX before
• 4:46
  rescheduling the meetings. The hearings were intended to
• 4:51
  gather public input on a draft environmental assessment related
• 4:55
  to Spacex's expansion plans at Starbase.
• 4:59
  Now, the postponement of the public hearings has sparked
• 5:02
  further concerns among local stakeholders, particularly in
• 5:06
  the Rio Grande Valley, where Spacex's operations have had
• 5:09
  significant huge environmental and social impacts.
• 5:13
  A coalition of environmental and civil rights groups, along with
• 5:18
  the tribe, the Comacruto Tribe of Texas.
• 5:23
  I'm sorry if I butchered that. It's a letter to the FAA
• 5:25
  Administrator, Michael Whitaker, expressing their dissatisfaction
• 5:29
  with the current public participation process.
• 5:32
  Letter criticized the FAA for failing to adequately inform the
• 5:35
  local Hispanic community about the hearings and for proposing a
• 5:38
  format that would prevent the public from hearing each other's
• 5:42
  concerns. The coalition argued that
• 5:46
  proposed one-on-one format where residents would provide comments
• 5:50
  privately to an FAA stenographer would limit community engagement
• 5:56
  and hinder a comprehensive understanding of the concerns.
• 6:01
  That's those concerns are surrounding SpaceX and their
• 6:04
  operations at Starbase, and they requested that the FAA hold open
• 6:07
  public meetings where attendees could hear and discuss the
• 6:11
  viewpoints of the peers, thus fostering a more inclusive and
• 6:15
  transparent dialogue on the issue.
• 6:18
  SpaceX has sought to address these concerns by reiterating
• 6:22
  its commitment to the environment down there.
• 6:26
  They want to be environmental stewards and they want to comply
• 6:28
  with regulatory requirements. And in a statement released on
• 6:32
  social media on X Actually, company outlined the steps it
• 6:36
  has taken to ensure its operations in Starbase do not
• 6:39
  harm the environment. SpaceX said that its deluge
• 6:42
  system, which is similar to those used on other launch sites
• 6:47
  across the United States such as NASA launch sites, is designed
• 6:50
  to protect both the launch site and the surrounding area by
• 6:53
  absorbing the heat and vibration generated during the rocket
• 6:56
  launches. That's the biggest rocket ever
• 6:59
  built, by the way. SpaceX also pointed out that the
• 7:02
  water used in the deluge system is not exposed to any industrial
• 7:06
  processes before or during operation, and that most of the
• 7:10
  water is vaporized by the rocket engines immediately during
• 7:13
  liftoff and the fur. To mitigate these environmental
• 7:16
  risks, SpaceX collects and hauls off water used in pre launch
• 7:19
  power washing of the launchpad. Additionally, SpaceX has
• 7:22
  implemented a retention pod system to capture any excess
• 7:27
  water, which is then removed from the site to prevent
• 7:30
  contamination of local groundwater.
• 7:33
  So they're doing their part here.
• 7:35
  And despite these assurances, though, the TCEQ findings
• 7:38
  suggest that there are ongoing concerns about the potential
• 7:43
  environmental impact of Spacex's operations.
• 7:47
  The agency's report noted that during an investigation in late
• 7:50
  July 2024, SpaceX was found to have discharged industrial
• 7:55
  wastewater without the required permitting.
• 7:57
  The report indicated that this discharge could potentially
• 8:01
  introduce pollutants into Texas waterways.
• 8:04
  Although SpaceX has of course contexted these findings,
• 8:08
  particularly the claim that wastewater contained unsafe
• 8:11
  levels of mercury. We don't want mercury in any of
• 8:15
  the water. SpaceX has countered the
• 8:17
  allegations by highlighting the results of the independent
• 8:21
  laboratory tests, which it says have consistently shown
• 8:25
  negligible traces of contaminants in the water, the
• 8:28
  soil, and the air around the launchpad.
• 8:32
  Now the company acknowledged that while a small amount of
• 8:34
  water does escape the pad area during launches, the quantity is
• 8:39
  minimal, equivalent to just 0.004 inches of rainfall over
• 8:44
  the surrounding area. And SpaceX maintains that this
• 8:47
  is insignificant compared to the regions average rainfall at the
• 8:52
  annual rainfall of 27 inches. Now the ongoing dispute between
• 8:56
  SpaceX and environmental regulators is a huge deal for
• 9:00
  SpaceX. The company faces a a huge
• 9:03
  challenge. Could they possibly halt the
• 9:06
  operations at Starbase to get these regulations under control?
• 9:11
  Is SpaceX doing the right thing or will they have to be
• 9:14
  investigated again? Will there be another complex
• 9:17
  environmental review for Starbase before even the next
• 9:21
  launch? Will they launch from Starbase
• 9:25
  again within the next month or so?
• 9:28
  We're not 100% sure. So the future of Starbase and
• 9:32
  Spacex's broader ambitions to get people to the Moon and to
• 9:35
  Mars, they're in question right now.
• 9:39
  Now, the outcome of this investigation and the
• 9:40
  environmental assessment process will be critical in shaping how
• 9:45
  SpaceX does operations down to Starbase.
• 9:47
  The company's ability to secure the necessary permits and
• 9:51
  address regulatory concerns will determine also whether it can
• 9:55
  proceed with its planned expansion of launch activities.
• 9:59
  And at the same time, the voices of local communities,
• 10:01
  environmental groups will continue to play an important
• 10:04
  role in this. Now, SpaceX does plan to launch
• 10:08
  rockets from another tower at Starbase.
• 10:11
  They have tower one that they've continuously launched on and
• 10:15
  they also are building tower two right now and they're going to
• 10:18
  launch and land rockets at both tower one and at tower two.
• 10:23
  So anything that happens with his environment stuff has to do
• 10:27
  with tower one and also tower two.
• 10:30
  So let me know what you think down in the comments.
• 10:33
  It's a really tough situation for SpaceX here because they
• 10:37
  want to build rockets that can send people to the moon and to
• 10:39
  Mars, but they also want to do the right thing for the
• 10:43
  environment. And they think they're doing the
• 10:44
  right thing right now. They think they are.
• 10:46
  But the data shows, some of the data shows, and it's been
• 10:49
  refuted numerous times since any of these reports came out.
• 10:54
  It's gone back and forth, but what is SpaceX going to do?
• 10:59
  That's what we're really worried about here are are they going to
• 11:01
  be able to make the necessary changes to appease the people in
• 11:06
  the region and also the regulatory bodies?
• 11:09
  Let me know what you think in the comments.
• 11:10
  That's about it for today, guys. Take care of yourselves and each
• 11:13
  other. Make sure to hit the subscribe
• 11:15
  button too, and the like button. And if you're really cool, make
• 11:19
  a comment with a rocket emoji down below.
• 11:21
  That'd be really cool, thanks again.
• 11:24
  Take care of yourselves and each other and I will see you in the
• 11:26
  next one.