As SpaceX Gears up To Build Natural Gas-Related Infrastructure in an Ecologically Sensitive Area, Environmental Concerns Take a Backseat

SpaceX, a veritable leader in the emerging infinite-based economic image, is pursuing an ecologically insensitive strategy to expand the operations at its Boca Chica facility. The magnitude of this expansion is then extensive that it virtually renders the 2014 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of the facility nearly obsolete.

As a refresher, SpaceX had appear toward the start of the year that it would drill its ain natural gas near its Southern Texas facility in society to generate the required energy to send missions to the moon and beyond. The planned expansion includes at least five nearby gas wells that would supply the fuel to two gas-fired power stations. Additionally, the visitor plans to turn purified gas from these wells into liquid methane via refrigeration. This methane would and then exist combined with liquid oxygen and other chemicals to produce rocket fuel.

How Is SpaceX's Expansion of the Boca Chica Facility Problematic?

Of class, this vision will entail substantial infrastructure, including a 250-megawatt gas-fired ability plant, a natural gas treatment facility, a methane liquefier, a cooling tower, a desalination plant, and a dedicated pipeline to supply the gas to the power institute. It should be noted that SpaceX has not mentioned a pipeline in its plans so far. However, it would exist well-nigh impossible to operate a power station of this size without a dedicated pipeline. This is doubly of import as the Boca Chica facility is located in a broadly unproductive function of Texas, with the nearest productive gas field located at to the lowest degree 70 miles away.

This brings us to the crux of the matter. SpaceX'due south 2014 EIS for the Boca Chica facility did not consider a total-blown gas extraction and processing functioning at the site. Given the magnitude of incremental changes involved, a new EIS should accept been conducted. Instead, the FAA has adopted the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) route to qualify this expansion. This is problematic every bit the PEAs are not very exhaustive and thorough. Likewise, while an EIS can take upward to 5 years to materialize, a PEA can exist conducted fairly quickly.

The latest Typhoon PEA for SpaceX'due south Starship base can exist accessed here. This draft is now open for public comments. Nosotros would as well urge our readers to go over this excellent thread compiled past ESG Hound on this subject.

In a worrying evolution, the PEA barely mentions SpaceX's gas-fired ability plant. Moreover, there is not a unmarried mention of a pipeline that would exist required to transport gas in such hefty volumes to the power station. Pat Parenteau, a law professor and senior counsel in the Ecology Advocacy Dispensary at Vermont Police School, who was quoted by TechCrunch on this bailiwick, believes that a lack of mention of this pipeline potentially contravenes the federal National Environmental Policy Human activity (NEPA).

A thread about CO2 emissions from cogen steam Natural Gas fired turbines, as information technology relates to @SpaceX Boca Chica

(I am doing your work for you, journalists)

SpaceX claimed that they would emit 9,858 Tons of CO2/year from a 250 MW power plant

i/ https://t.co/K6JmSpm7AU picture.twitter.com/JLqs3WqStY

— ESG Hound (@ESGhound) September 29, 2021

SpaceX estimates that it would produce 47,522 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per twelvemonth once the entire Starship base kicks into high gear. The power plant alone volition contribute 9,858 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions per year. Notwithstanding, equally per the tabulation by ESG Hound, the emissions from this power plant are likely to exceed 1 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year. If this is indeed true, information technology corresponds to an underreporting past a whopping 100 times!

Finally, readers should note that the Boca Chica facility is home to a rich ecology and its expansion might show devastating for a number of biomes. According to EJ Williams, vice president at the American Bird Conservancy, there were at least three explosions at the site final year which directly impacted the habitat of some endangered species:

"These explosions directly impacted designated critical habitat used by federally listed and other declining species."

Wrapping It All Up

No i doubts the utility of SpaceX's fossil fuel-related plans. Later on all, the upgrade would provide a significant contribution to the efficiency of the visitor'due south space-related operations. Notwithstanding, there is mounting concern vis-à-vis the potential subterfuge that SpaceX is employing to obtain a fast-rail approval for this expansion, for example, by underreporting emissions or completely excluding the necessity of a pipeline.

Readers would remember that Elon Musk had spurred a widespread correction in the unabridged crypto sphere earlier this year after he recanted Tesla'south acceptance of Bitcoin while citing the cryptocurrency's soaring free energy employ and the bellboy carbon footprint. Confronting this backdrop, SpaceX's potentially underhand tactics to expedite the approval of its gas-related infrastructure reeks of hypocrisy at best and a possible criminal comport at worst.

Source: https://wccftech.com/as-spacex-gears-up-to-build-natural-gas-related-infrastructure-in-an-ecologically-sensitive-area-environmental-concerns-take-a-backseat/

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