A federal judge has rejected an effort by environmental groups to temporarily block a controversial land exchange involving Elon Musk’s SpaceX and two South Texas wildlife refuges, delivering a significant setback to opponents of the company’s growing Starbase operation.
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. denied the groups’ request for a preliminary injunction on September 21, ruling that they had not provided enough evidence to justify stopping the exchange while the broader lawsuit proceeds.
And one portion of the ruling stands out.
Judge Rodriguez wrote that the plaintiffs offered “relatively weak” evidence that the proposed expansion of SpaceX’s Massey Test Site would cause environmental harm in the immediate future. He also said the groups had failed to demonstrate that the property would suffer aesthetic, environmental, cultural, or historical degradation during the litigation.
