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4w ago

Trump Administration Weighs Land Swap Giving SpaceX 775 Acres of South Texas Wildlife Refuge

The Fish and Wildlife Service says it is reviewing the proposal, which it contends could deliver a net conservation benefit.

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Construction at a SpaceX facility in South Texas on Friday, March 15, 2024. This photo shows the land surrounding the SpaceX facilities where the company is building and testing its Starship rocket. The New York Times has reported that SpaceX could be pursuing a land swap with the federal government that would give it land managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Overview

  • Under the proposal, SpaceX would receive 775 acres from the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in exchange for roughly 692 acres it owns elsewhere in Cameron County.
  • Several SpaceX parcels offered to the government are slated for addition to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles north of the refuge tracts under review.
  • The federal land under consideration includes parts of the Palmito Ranch Battlefield near SpaceX’s Massey site, and the refuge provides habitat for endangered species such as the ocelot.
  • An internal October memo from interim regional director Stewart Jacks described the exchange as a net conservation benefit, while conservation groups and a September staff note warned of risks to fragile habitats and Civil War–era relics.
  • Agency leaders have ordered a comprehensive review of all 573 wildlife refuges with initial recommendations due January 5 and a fuller analysis by February 15, and SpaceX has not commented as it considers a deal after withdrawing from a 2024 state-level swap.