FOR PLANNING PURPOSES: April 1, 2025
Contact: Bekah Hinojosa at bekah@sotxejn.org or 956-975-6634
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Rio Grande Valley Organizations and Tribe Will Gather Outside Senator’s Office to Protest TX Lege Senate Bills for SpaceX
BROWNSVILLE, TX — On Thursday, April 3rd, the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas, and Brownsville residents will gather outside Senator Adam Hinojosa’s office in downtown Brownsville to protest two Senate bills SB 2188 and SB 2230 for SpaceX that would restrict access to Boca Chica beach and penalize beachgoers. Community members will also deliver letters from his constituents with stories of Boca Chica Beach, hold banners, speak out about protecting this precious resource, and urge Texas Senators to kill these bills. Residents will also speak out about SB 1706, which would allow state governmental bodies to close meetings from the public.
Rio Grande Valley residents have been outspoken about the environmental risks of SpaceX operations in the region for years. The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas and others have legally challenged the excessive closures of Boca Chica Beach that prevent the tribe from accessing the area for spiritual reasons and locals from fishing and recreating. If passed, the TX senate bills would grant SpaceX’s company town, Starbase, essentially all control over decisions regarding access to Boca Chica Beach when it is incorporated this May. South Texas Environmental Justice Network recently acquired, via records request, a map of the voting district for the proposed Starbase city, showing a crudely drawn boundary. Residents and organizations from the Rio Grande Valley will continue to urge Senate committee members to block the bills and prevent them from advancing to a floor vote and reaching the House.
When: Thursday, April 3, from 11:00 AM – 12 Noon
Where: sidewalk outside Senator Adam Hinojosa’s office (1324 E. Madison
Brownsville, TX 78520)
Who: Speakers:
Juan Mancias, Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas
Christopher Basaldú, PhD, South Texas Environmental Justice Network
Josette Angelique Hinojosa, South Texas Environmental Justice Network
And other community members from Brownsville, TX
Background: Residents and organizations from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas have spoken up about the environmental harms of SpaceX operations in their community. Cameron County has routinely closed beach access for the benefit of SpaceX and to the detriment of the County’s residents, including long-time fisherman families and Indigenous communities for whom the beach is culturally sacred.
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