As SpaceX Ramps Up Activity In The Rio Grande Valley, Local Concerns Grow
Local activists in the Rio Grande Valley are frustrated with Elon Musk’s SpaceX operation in Boca Chica, just east of Brownsville.
Their concerns range from blocked public access to parks and beaches to long-term ecological damage to region-wide gentrification.
Local leaders, including Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez, regularly post on social media to announce meetings and tours with SpaceX officials while providing updates to local media about the developing relationship between the company and the region.
In a recent interview with the Rio Grande Guardian, Mendez expressed excitement that housing prices in the area were beginning to “shoot up” as a result of SpaceX and the third-party projects that it has already attracted to the area. Those projects include a newly formed out-of-region venture capital firm dedicated to funding space startups and a media channel that will broadcast only news about the space industry.
Read more: https://www.tpr.org/border-immigration/2021-05-12/spacex-rio-grande-valley-local-concerns-grow
