Episode 1612: EPA, TCEQ Cite SpaceX for Starbase Clean Water Act Violations

Environmental regulators are beginning to clamp down on Starbase. The big question is: Do these enforcement actions have enough significance to force the FAA to delay launch activities at Boca Chica?

Some troubling headlines  appeared on CNBC.com on Monday, August 12, 2024 concerning SpaceX’s alleged issues regarding compliance with environmental regulations that govern their activities at the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas. 

The story by Lora Kolodny alleges that “Elon Musk’s SpaceX violated environmental regulations by repeatedly releasing pollutants into or near bodies of water in Texas, a state agency said in a notice of violation focused on the company’s water deluge system at its Starbase launch facility.

“The notice from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) last week came five months after the Environmental Protection Agency Region 6 office, which covers Texas and surrounding states, had also informed SpaceX that it violated the Clean Water Act with the same type of activity.”

SpaceX finally submitted an application for an Industrial Wastewater Individual Permit on July 1, 2024. It was later revised, and the revised application was  submitted August 14, 2024.

Beginning at 45:20 of this episode we discuss the following: SpaceX posted a response on X in the afternoon of August 12. It dubbed the CNBC story “factually inaccurate,” and revealed additional interesting information that was previously unknown to us.

So Many Questions…

We’re devoting this looonng episode (sorry!) to an analysis of these developments, and Eric Roesch is back with us to help give it all the once-over. And you know that wherever Eric is, a controversial, SpaceX-related environmental issue can’t be far behind. Among the topics we’ll discuss:

• What exactly happened here?
• The classic question: What did SpaceX know, and when did they know it?
• Do these enforcement actions have enough significance to force the FAA to delay launch activities at Boca Chica?
• How much worse can SpaceX make it by continuing to use the water deluge system before a permit is issued?
• What are the potential consequences for these violations? Could anyone actually go to jail?
• In SpaceX’s response post on X, why don’t some of SpaceX’s assertions make sense?
• Why did the FAA on Monday (the same day the CNBC story broke) cancel previously scheduled public hearings on the new draft Environmental Assessment for Boca Chica which requests a higher launch cadence and use of a bigger, more powerful and louder version of Starship than is currently in use?

Please be sure to let us know your thoughts on the topics we discuss. You can always reach us at mailbag@TalkingSpaceOnline.com. You now have a way to easily send us a voice recording that we may use on the show: just click on the blue microphone icon at the bottom right of any page at TalkingSpaceOnline.com.

Show recorded 08-13-2024.

Host: Larry Herrin

Panelist(s): Heather Smith and Eric Roesch (Gene Mikulka, Mark Ratterman, Dr. Kat Robison and Sawyer Rosenstein will return)

Podcast Editor: Larry Herrin

TalkingSpaceOnline.com episode page photo credits:

Boca Chica OLM water deluge system test on July 27, 2023: SpaceX/X

TCEQ Boca Chica OLM water deluge system permit application: TCEQ