Proposed SpaceX Spaceport Passes Its Final Federal Environmental Review 40
An anonymous reader writes "The proposed SpaceX spaceport in Brownsville, Texas, has passed its final federal environmental review. 'The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which had raised concerns about possible impact on habitat for some endangered species, ultimately concluded that "the project is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any listed or proposed to be listed species nor adversely modify piping plover critical habitat". But wildlife officials don't expect the project to be harmless: Two individual cats, either from the endangered ocelot or jaguarondi species, could be lost as a result of the project in spite of efforts to avoid just that with measures such as posting warning signs along the road leading to the launch site. And federal wildlife officials also anticipate that more than 7 miles of beachfront used by nesting sea turtles could be disturbed by security patrols, though driving is already permitted on the beach.'"
Re:Wow, two whole cats. (Score:5, Informative)
Texas at one time had six native cat species: bobcat, mountain lion, ocelot, jaguar, jaguarundi and margay. Jaguars and margays have been gone for about a hundred years, and now ocelots and jaguarundis are rare, with just a few hanging on at the southern tip of the state. We'd really prefer not to give them up.
Re:Wow, two whole cats. (Score:4, Informative)
get real, you've just given the proof that groups of both these two individual cats exist elsewhere. these individual cats can't breed, they don't matter.
Re:TFA: But several steps remain... (Score:2, Informative)
Also true of local governments. Our new runway here in Seattle cost more in "environmental" studies and related changes than all other costs combined. Also, environmental groups wouldn't allow the project to finish until very close to twenty years. The original cost estimates were just over $200 million, but after the environmental groups sued dozens of times and required expensive changes that had no purpose, it ended-up costing over a billion. Environmental groups were against it because it will save an estimated two billion dollars of fuel in 25 years! They always fight hard to damage the environment so they can get more power. In this case, they stole $800 million from the residents of WA, and caused almost 15 years worth of delays for passengers and 15 years of increased fuel due to planes circling because they couldn't land.
The airport is now trying to add more efficient air conditioning so that planes don't have to run their APUs. The Sierra Club is fighting this with everything they have. We get hate calls from them nearly every day because we're trying to help the environment.