South Texas Environmental Justice Network Files a Request for a Contested Case Hearing Against TCEQ Regarding SpaceX’s Granted Permit
BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – The South Texas Environmental Justice Network (STEJN), an environmental and social network advocating for Indigenous tribes and Latinx communities in South Texas, represented by TRLA, has filed a request for a contested case hearing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) against its decision to grant SpaceX’s Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit (TPDES) (WQ0005462000).
The permit allows SpaceX to discharge untreated industrial wastewater, endangering sacred Native sites and risking water quality degradation in a fragile ecosystem that serves as critical habitat for numerous species and is one of the last remaining pristine coastal greenspaces in Texas.
The TCEQ is responsible for issuing Clean Water Act (CWA) permits in Texas, including TPDES, which mandates a permit to discharge wastewater into the "waters of the United States.” These permits undergo rigorous review, often taking several months, to ensure they do not adversely affect the people and wildlife that depend on the water. TPDES permits typically limit the volume of wastewater and the concentration of specific pollutants that can be released into the water.
Despite these requirements, TCEQ granted SpaceX’s permit in less than two months. TCEQ also neglected to impose significant limitations or restrictions on SpaceX’s wastewater discharge. This deficiency is concerning due to heavy metals and toxins in SpaceX’s discharge, allowing unlimited pollution into the water.
“It’s a pattern of unwavering favoritism toward SpaceX,” says Paola Camacho, TRLA attorney representing STEJN. “TCEQ has ignored the requirements of state and federal law, dismissing the concerns of hundreds of members of the public, and inadvertently sent a message to all Texans: Pollution in the name of profit is more important than protecting the people and the environment.”
Once the TPDES permit is granted, those at risk from adverse impacts can challenge it in a contested case hearing. The hearing ensures that the permit complies with federal and state law and employs the best available science in its decision.
The contested case hearing was filed with the TCEQ on behalf of STEJN on December 26, 2024.
"By suing and demanding to contest the bad permit decision, we are sending a message to the TCEQ that Texans won't allow our State Environmental regulator to let SpaceX get away with dumping industrial wastewater into our critical habitat and on sacred Native lands of the Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe,” says Josette Angelique Hinojosa, STEJN co-founder, and Carrizo Comecrudo Tribe member.
###
For media inquiries, please contact:
Sam Rucobo, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Public Relations Manager, srucobo@trla.org
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid provides free legal services to people who cannot afford an attorney in 68 southwestern counties, including the entire Texas-Mexico border. TRLA attorneys specialize in more than 45 areas of law, including disaster assistance, family, employment, landlord-tenant, housing, education, immigration, farmworker, and civil rights. Our hotline is open from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (CST) Monday - Friday: (956)-996-TRLA (8752) or toll-free at (833) 329-TRLA (8752).