SpaceX May Gain Hundreds Of Acres In Texas Refuge Under Proposed Land Deal With Trump Administration: Report

• SpaceX would give the government hundreds of acres of its own property in exchange. 
• 775 acres of federal land are currently part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.
• According to the report, it is unclear whether the deal would require SpaceX to take steps to protect wildlife or habitats. 
   

The Trump administration is reportedly considering giving nearly 800 acres of land in a federal wildlife refuge in Texas to SpaceX, the rocket and satellite maker run by billionaire Elon Musk.

According to a report by the New York Times, citing documents reviewed by them, SpaceX, in return, would give the government around 692 acres of property it has purchased elsewhere in Cameron County, some of which is about 20 miles from the refuge.

Under the proposed deal, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would give SpaceX 775 acres of land currently part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, which the rocket maker would use to expand its rocket launch and production site. 

The report said it is unclear whether the deal would require SpaceX to take steps to protect wildlife, habitats, or any cultural resources linked to the land it receives from the government.

Land Allotments With Corporations

Republicans and Democrats have previously exchanged land in wildlife refuges with private companies. Last year, the Biden administration gave utility companies nearly 20 acres of public land in the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, according to the report by The New York Times.  

In October, the Trump administration finalized a plan to open the coastal plains of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling. The deal called for the Interior Department to transfer 490 acres of land in the refuge to King Cove Corporation. 
 

Environmental Questions Around SpaceX

SpaceX has frequently faced questions from environmentalists and conservation groups, which have also sued the company and U.S. authorities over the environmental harm caused by SpaceX rocket launches.

Environmental groups had sued the Federal Aviation Administration over the approval of SpaceX's expanded rocket launch operations next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas, a lawsuit that was dismissed by a judge in September, according to The Texas Tribune.

Also See: Will Rocket Lab’s Red-Hot Rally Spill Into 2026? Space X-Sized Ambitions And Better Margins Are Keeping Investors Bullish

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