Hi Everyone!
The "thing" has torn the fabric of our country apart.
If you live in the US you know that our country is plummeting into the abyss of absolute ruin. Through its actions at every level from government to civil society, this administration is actively eroding the foundational principles that define us as a people. It seems that every day, a new catastrophe occurs to validate this point.
There is no way to write about ALL of the infractions, so I will bring up just one. The recent land deal involving Elon Musk's SpaceX in South Texas is a land swap approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, rather than a direct gift. It exchanges 715 acres of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge for 683 acres of private land owned by SpaceX located nearby.
This is the facility now. SpaceX utilizes approximately 200 acres of directly developed land for its core operations in Boca Chica, Texas.
If the land swap deal is finalized, the 683 acres of private land, currently owned by SpaceX, will be transferred to federal ownership and integrated into the Laguna Atascosa National wildlife Refuge system.
Because this land passes from a private corporation to the federal government, the plans focus entirely on conservation and habitat restoration rather than industrial development. The existing starbase facility will remain fully intact and will be directly expanded onto the new 715 acres of land SpaceX is acquiring.
The environmental impact that SpaceX has already created will never be revived.
Ecological Impact: The refuge is one of the last remaining habitats in the United States for the endangered ocelot (fewer than 100 left in the country), as well as Kemp's ridley sea turtles and rare migratory birds.
Nesting Impacts: The noise, extreme vibration, and flying debris have directly harmed local wildlife. Field surveys conducted by the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program revealed that after specific launches, every single monitored shorebird nest near the launchpad suffered damaged or missing eggs.
Cultural and Historic Value: The land being transferred includes portions of the Palmito Ranch Battlefield National Historic Landmark (the site of the last Civil War battle) and holds ancestral, sacred value to the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas.
Water Pollution: Following launches, SpaceX's massive water deluge system discharges tens of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater into surrounding wetlands. Both the EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have levied fines totaling over $150,000 for Clean Water Act violations stemming from these unpermitted discharges.
$150,000 is nothing to musk
Noise and Vibrations: The sheer volume of the sound and vibrations from rocket engine tests and launches can be detrimental to local wildlife behaviors and surrounding communities.
There is legal opposition. A coalition including the Center for Biological Diversity, Save RGV, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation has already filed a federal lawsuit to block the deal, arguing it violates federal laws requiring a net conservation benefit.
In June, the Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the land exchange
would not have significant adverse effects on public health or safety,
historic or cultural resources, tribal sacred sites for federally
recognized Tribes, ecologically critical areas, wetlands or floodplains,
or on designated wilderness or research and natural areas. (Lies)
It's frustrating and I don't know how we get around huge businesses getting their way with total disregard for the impact of their actions.
I've seen it first hand in N. Idaho where mining companies closed and left the pollution behind. Decades later the government came in and remediated the valley. Our property was one that had heavy metals detected in the ground. The workers came in and removed 10" of soil from our 2 acres of land and replaced it with non polluted soil and put our property back the way it was.
We were very thankful.
This is not a new topic, big corporation destroying everything in their wake. But our earth is quickly coming to the point of no return. If musk reaches Mars, (his goal) or any other planet, how will man destroy those?
Nicole
The above is my opinion.
Nicole
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