Cookies help us run our site more efficiently.

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. View our Privacy Policy for more information or to customize your cookie preferences.

Accept Deny

GoGreenNation news

South Texas Groups Sue State Agency for Allowing SpaceX to Discharge Industrial Water Without Permit

News Feed
Thursday, December 19, 2024

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — Rio Grande Valley groups are suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, accusing the agency of bypassing state regulations by allowing SpaceX to temporarily discharge industrial water at its South Texas launch site without a proper permit.The groups — the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, along with the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, and Save RGV — filed the lawsuit Monday after the agency decided last month to allow SpaceX to continue its operations for 300 days or until the company obtained the appropriate permit.It is the latest in a string of lawsuits filed by environmental groups aimed at curbing the possible environmental impacts of SpaceX’s operations at Boca Chica on the southern tip of Texas.Earlier this year, TCEQ cited SpaceX for discharging water into nearby waterways after it was used to protect the launchpad from heat damage during Starship launches four times this year.SpaceX did not admit to any violation but agreed to pay a $3,750 penalty. Part of the penalty was deferred until SpaceX obtains the proper permit and on the condition that future water discharges meet pollution restrictions.The environmental groups say that allowing SpaceX to continue is a violation of permitting requirements and that TCEQ is acting outside of its authority.“The Clean Water Act requires the TCEQ to follow certain procedural and technical requirements when issuing discharge permits meant to protect public participation and ensure compliance with Texas surface water quality standards,” Lauren Ice, the attorney for the three Rio Grande Valley organizations, said in a statement.“By bypassing these requirements, the Commission has put the Boca Chica environment at risk of degradation,” Ice said.A TCEQ spokesperson said the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.Some of the Rio Grande Valley groups are also involved in a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration for allegedly failing to conduct an environmental review of SpaceX’s rocket test launch in April. The case remains pending in federal court.They also sued the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for agreeing to a land exchange that would give 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres adjacent to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. SpaceX canceled the deal in November.This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Rio Grande Valley groups are accusing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in a lawsuit of bypassing state regulations by allowing SpaceX to temporarily discharge industrial water at its South Texas launch site without a proper permit

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — Rio Grande Valley groups are suing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, accusing the agency of bypassing state regulations by allowing SpaceX to temporarily discharge industrial water at its South Texas launch site without a proper permit.

The groups — the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, along with the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, and Save RGV — filed the lawsuit Monday after the agency decided last month to allow SpaceX to continue its operations for 300 days or until the company obtained the appropriate permit.

It is the latest in a string of lawsuits filed by environmental groups aimed at curbing the possible environmental impacts of SpaceX’s operations at Boca Chica on the southern tip of Texas.

Earlier this year, TCEQ cited SpaceX for discharging water into nearby waterways after it was used to protect the launchpad from heat damage during Starship launches four times this year.

SpaceX did not admit to any violation but agreed to pay a $3,750 penalty. Part of the penalty was deferred until SpaceX obtains the proper permit and on the condition that future water discharges meet pollution restrictions.

The environmental groups say that allowing SpaceX to continue is a violation of permitting requirements and that TCEQ is acting outside of its authority.

“The Clean Water Act requires the TCEQ to follow certain procedural and technical requirements when issuing discharge permits meant to protect public participation and ensure compliance with Texas surface water quality standards,” Lauren Ice, the attorney for the three Rio Grande Valley organizations, said in a statement.

“By bypassing these requirements, the Commission has put the Boca Chica environment at risk of degradation,” Ice said.

A TCEQ spokesperson said the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.

Some of the Rio Grande Valley groups are also involved in a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration for allegedly failing to conduct an environmental review of SpaceX’s rocket test launch in April. The case remains pending in federal court.

They also sued the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for agreeing to a land exchange that would give 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres adjacent to Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. SpaceX canceled the deal in November.

This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos You Should See - Sept. 2024

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

Related News

At least 15 English sewage plants use plastic beads spilled at Camber Sands

Exclusive: Experts urge water companies to update plants to avoid another catastrophe, as analysis reveals scale of useAt least 15 sewage plants on England’s south coast use the same contaminated plastic beads that were spilled in an environmental disaster in Camber Sands, Guardian analysis can reveal.Environmental experts have urged water companies to update these old treatment plants to avoid another catastrophic spill, which can lead to plastic beads being permanently embedded in the environment and killing marine wildlife. Continue reading...

At least 15 sewage plants on England’s south coast use the same contaminated plastic beads that were spilled in an environmental disaster in Camber Sands, Guardian analysis can reveal.Environmental experts have urged water companies to update these old treatment plants to avoid another catastrophic spill, which can lead to plastic beads being permanently embedded in the environment and killing marine wildlife.The sewage works in these areas, which include some of England’s most treasured beaches, use billions of floating plastic beads in tanks to purify water. Experts say this is a risky method of treating sewage because of the risk that the beads could spill into the sea if one of the mesh screens holding them fails.The government and regulators keep no record of which water companies use these beads, where the treatment works using them are located, or how many are in use, a government spokesperson confirmed, adding that it was a “matter for water companies”. This analysis reveals the scale of the problem for the first time.Campaigners have called for water companies to phase out the beads. Rob Abrams of Surfers Against Sewage said: “Once released, bio-beads behave like any other microplastic: they can be ingested by fish, seabirds and shellfish, enter the food chain, carry harmful pollutants on their surface, and pose risks to human health. And the risk is even greater as so many of these systems sit on the coast. Storms, sea levels rising, and increasingly extreme weather only heighten the chance of failures. Yet instead of investing in safe, modern infrastructure, water companies have siphoned money out to shareholders while letting environmental protections crumble.”The beads are used to create layers of biofilm, bacteria that purify water. Billions at a time are held in tanks, and all that separates them from the environment is a mesh screen. Most of the sewage works using these beads were built about 30 years ago.Beverley Coombes, of the plastic pollution nonprofit Strandliners, said: “A loss from a coastal plant is much more of a pollution risk. The discharge goes directly out to sea, where the bio-beads can be carried along the coast for many miles or even across the Channel. I think existing treatment centres should be exploring alternatives to bio-beads. Anything that can stop billions of these potentially toxic bio-beads from entering our rivers and seas has to be a step in the right direction.”The vast majority of the sewage works using beads are in small towns on England’s south and south-west coastlines, in Sussex, Cornwall, Devon and Dorset. Coastal areas affected include Exmouth, Porthleven, Lyme Regis and Peacehaven.The Guardian scrutinised water treatment centre applications and reports to build a picture of where they are used, as well as drawing on data from the Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition, which has been tracking the issue in Cornwall.Camber Sands in East Sussex faced a spill of an estimated 650m of these beads this month. They have found their way along the coastline, contaminating beaches including Hastings and Dungeness, and buried themselves into the shingle and salt marshes around the area. They were spilled due to a failure of the screen on their tank. Southern Water has apologised and committed to paying for cleanup operations.These beads contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which have been linked to cancer. They often contain toxins including lead, antimony and bromine. Once in the sea, they attract algae, making them smell like food to sea creatures, which then ingest them and can be poisoned.England’s coastal communities are some of its most deprived, and they have failed to gain investment over past decades, as tourism habits have changed and people fly abroad instead of visiting the coast.Helena Dollimore, the MP for Hastings and Rye, said: “Southern Water revealed at my public meeting last week that the use of plastic beads is outdated, and modern treatment works don’t use them. So why is our coastline being put at risk? Southern Water must urgently explain how they will ensure an incident like this never happens again. These beads are contaminating some of our most precious habitats, from the salt marsh at Rye Harbour to the sand dunes at Camber. Our area, and especially our wildlife, will be dealing with these beads for many months to come.”John Penicud, the managing director for wastewater at Southern Water, said: “In our new plant construction since the early 2000s we don’t use beads any more. We use something called membrane technology.” This uses fixed membranes rather than billions of floating plastic beads, so poses less of an environmental risk.Penicud blamed the government’s focus on sewage pollution for not retrofitting his sites: “Where we have put forward cases for how we can retrofit some of these sites instead, our focus from government has been to continue to improve the environment by reducing discharges, improving the quality of the sewage that we treat every day.” He added that retrofitting these sites was “always under review”.Cornish plastics campaigners have battled over this issue for years. Volunteers and beachcombers are still finding beads from a major 2010 spill from the Newham sewage treatment works near Truro. In 2017, vandals slashed some sacks holding beads at a treatment centre, causing a spill on to Tregantle Beach, Whitsand Bay.skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionThe Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition says it frequently finds beads from more low-level spills along the coast, where they have been handled incorrectly.South West Water, which owns the sewage treatment plants on that stretch of the coast, was initially planning to phase out beads. Instead, it has replaced the smaller beads with newer, larger ones, which should be less likely to escape.Claire Wallerstein, from the Cornish Plastic Pollution Coalition, said: “We are very concerned that South West Water is using new beads to extend the use of these old wastewater plants beyond the end of their planned 30-year lifespan – we fear this is a recipe for potential disaster.“A breach in the containment mesh was what caused the devastating Cornish spill back in 2010 and now, 15 years on, the infrastructure of these plants is surely at even greater risk of rupture.”A South West Water spokesperson said: “Only eight of our 655 wastewater treatment works use bio-beads, which are all fitted with two levels of robust containment measures and are inspected to ensure beads are kept within the treatment works. Decommissioning these plants is very costly as it requires the whole treatment process to be completely replaced. We are aiming to remove the bio-bead process at our remaining sites when they are required to be upgraded in the future.”Wessex Water has been contacted for comment.Where the beads are usedCoastal Gorran Haven (South West Water) Combe Martin (South West Water) Porthleven (South West Water) Slapton (South West Water) Exmouth (South West Water) Lyme Regis (South West Water) Plympton (South West Water) Eastbourne (Southern Water) Peacehaven (Southern Water) Sandown (Southern Water) Broomfield Bank (Southern Water) Beckley (Southern Water) Kingston Seymour (Wessex Water) Inland

Water
Food
Health

Trump Administration Moves to Weaken Federal Protections for Waterways and Wetlands

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army on Monday announced a proposal to further define, and scale back, the number of waterways and wetlands protected by the federal government under the Clean Water Act, a bedrock environmental law. Flanked by supporters, including Republican members of Congress and West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, […]

Environmental groups warn the proposal to change the definition of “waters of the United States” would eliminate crucial safeguards for “countless” bodies of water.By Aidan HughesThe Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Army on Monday announced a proposal to further define, and scale back, the number of waterways and wetlands protected by the federal government under the Clean Water Act, a bedrock environmental law.

Water
Government

Trump proposes to narrow where Clean Water Act applies

The Trump administration is proposing to narrow which bodies of water qualify for Clean Water Act protections. The administration proposed a new definition Monday for what counts as a “water of the United States” and is therefore subject to federal pollution regulations under the Clean Water Act. The issue is a controversial one, with developers,...

The Trump administration is proposing to narrow which bodies of water qualify for Clean Water Act protections.  The administration on Monday proposed a new definition for what counts as a “water of the United States” and is therefore subject to federal pollution regulations under the Clean Water Act. The issue is a controversial one, with developers, farmers and others calling for including fewer bodies of water to make it easier for them to operate. Environmental activists, however, argue that more bodies of water deserve protection in order to prevent pollution that can flow to important waters. “There will be less that will be regulated by the federal government,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told reporters. Waters of the U.S. require permits for pollution, as well as activities such as filling and dredging. Those that are not so classified may not require permits.  In general, large, permanent bodies of water such as oceans and lakes are considered waters of the U.S., but wetlands and streams have been more contentious. DEVELOPING… Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Water
Pollution
Government

Thames Water bidder says it is offering £1bn extra cash injection

Castle Water says restructuring plans do not go far enough and extra funds will help resolve pollution crisisBusiness live – latest updatesA bidder for Thames Water has said it would inject £1bn more into the struggling utility company than rival proposals if it gained control.John Reynolds, the chief executive of the independent water retailer Castle Water, said the current plans under discussion with creditors to rebuild Thames Water’s finances does not go far enough and does not properly address its environmental crisis. Continue reading...

A bidder for Thames Water has said it would inject £1bn more into the struggling utility company than rival proposals if it gained control.John Reynolds, the chief executive of the independent water retailer Castle Water, said the current plans under discussion with creditors to rebuild Thames Water’s finances does not go far enough and does not properly address its environmental crisis.Castle Water would provide a cash injection of at least £1bn over current proposals, he told the Times.“No one wants a restructuring that does not stick. The negotiations are not heading anywhere,” he said.“You cannot compromise on the pollution problem. It has to be resolved and that means changing the way the company spends its money.”Thames Water, which supplies water to about 16 million people, has been on the verge of collapse for several years as it struggles under the weight of net debt of £17bn, built up over the decades since privatisation.Its lenders, led by a group of hedge funds including the combative US firms Elliott Investment Management and Silver Point Capital, have effectively taken over Britain’s biggest water company.Their turnaround plan includes writing off billions of pounds of debt, and proposals that mean Thames Water may not fully comply with rules on pollution of England’s waterways for as long as 15 years. Reynolds told the Times that there should be “zero tolerance” of serious pollution incidents.“There has to be investment upfront without which you cannot sort it out,” he said, adding that his plans would target the ageing Mogden sewage works in west London.The extra investment, he told the paper, could be freed up by the creditors taking a greater haircut on their liabilities and with an extra injection of equity investment.The alternative to a creditor-led turnaround plan is a special administration regime, under which the water company would come under temporary government control to impose debt write-offs and find a buyer.Reynolds, who is a former investment banker and turnaround specialist, said that talks between creditors and Ofwat, the industry regulator, to restructure Thames had stalled. However, a spokesperson for the creditor group, London & Valley Water, denied that talks were not progressing and said it still aimed to gain approval for its plan by Christmas.Castle Water is a relatively small company, backed by the property empire of the billionaire Pears family, and co-founded by the Conservative party treasurer, Graham Edwards. It bought Thames Water’s non-household water and sewerage retail business in 2016.skip past newsletter promotionSign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotionLate last year, Castle Water reportedly offered to inject £4bn into Thames in return for a majority stake.A spokesperson for London & Valley Water said: “It is simply not true that discussions have stalled. Thames Water needs £5bn of urgent funding from committed and experienced new investors to deliver improved outcomes for its customers and employees. We are working hard to secure a solution as quickly as possible.“The London & Valley Water plan will invest £20.5bn over the next five years to fix the foundations, upgrade the network and reduce pollution so that Thames Water can once again be a reliable, resilient and responsible company for its 16 million customers.”A Thames Water spokesperson said: “Discussions between Thames Water Utilities Ltd’s senior creditors, the London & Valley Water consortium, Ofwat, and other regulators in relation to a potential market-led solution to the recapitalisation of the company are continuing.“TWUL remains focused on delivering a recapitalisation transaction which delivers for its customers and the environment as soon as practicable.”Ofwat was approached for comment.

Water
Business
Pollution

The Dune of Dreams: Upstart League Baseball United Hosts Inaugural Game in Dubai With Its Own Rules

Baseball United has launched its inaugural season in Dubai, aiming to bring baseball to the Middle East

UD AL-BAYDA, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Emerging like a mirage in the desert outskirts of Dubai, a sight unfamiliar to those in the Middle East and Asia has risen up like a dream in the exact dimensions of the field at Yankee Stadium in New York.Now that it's built, though, one question remains: Will the fans come?That's the challenge for the inaugural season of Baseball United, a four-team, monthlong contest that will begin Friday at the new Barry Larkin Field, artificially turfed for the broiling sun of the United Arab Emirates and named for an investor who is a former Cincinnati Reds shortstop. The professional league seeks to draw on the sporting rivalry between India and Pakistan with two of its teams, as the Mumbai Cobras on Friday will face the Karachi Monarchs. Each team has Indian and Pakistani players seeking to break into the broadcast market saturated by soccer and cricket in this part of the world. And while having no big-name players from Major League Baseball, the league has created some of its own novel rules to speed up games and put more runs on the board — and potentially generate interest for U.S. fans as the regular season there has ended. “People here got to learn the rules anyway so we’re like if we get to start at a blank canvas then why don’t we introduce some new rules that we believe are going to excite them from the onset," Baseball United CEO and co-owner Kash Shaikh told The Associated Press. All the games in the season, which ends mid-December, will be played at Baseball United's stadium out in the reaches of Dubai's desert in an area known as Ud al-Bayda, some 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. The stadium sits alongside The Sevens Stadium, which hosts an annual rugby sevens tournament known for hard-partying fans drinking alcohol and wearing costumes. As journalists met Baseball United officials on Thursday, two fighter jets and a military cargo plane came in for landings at the nearby Al Minhad Air Base, flying over a landfill. The field seats some 3,000 fans and will host games mostly at night, though the weather is starting to cool in the Emirates as the season changes. But environmental concerns have been kept in mind — Baseball United decided to go for an artificial field to avoid the challenge of using more than 45 million liters (12 million gallons) of water a year to maintain a natural grass field, said John P. Miedreich, a co-founder and executive vice president at the league. “We had to airlift clay in from the United States, airlift clay from Pakistan” for the pitcher's mound, he added.There will be four teams competing in the inaugural season. Joining the Cobras and the Monarchs will be the Arabia Wolves, Dubai's team, and the Mideast Falcons of Abu Dhabi.There are changes to the traditional game in Baseball United, putting a different spin on the game similar to how the Twenty20 format drastically sped up traditional cricket. The baseball league has introduced a golden “moneyball," which gives managers three chances in a game to use at bat to double the runs scored off a home run. Teams can call in “designated runners” three times during a game. And if a game is tied after nine innings, the teams face off in a home run derby to decide the winner. “It’s entertainment, and it’s exciting, and it’s helping get new fans and young fans more engaged in the game," Shaikh said. America's pastime has limited success Baseball in the Middle East has had mixed success, to put a positive spin on the ball. A group of American supporters launched the professional Israel Baseball League in 2007, comprised almost entirely of foreign players. However, it folded after just one season. Americans spread the game in prerevolution Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the decades, though it has been dwarfed by soccer. Saudi Arabia, through the Americans at its oil company Aramco, has sent teams to the Little League World Series in the past.But soccer remains a favorite in the Mideast, which hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Then there's cricket, which remains a passion in both India and Pakistan. The International Cricket Council, the world's governing body for the sport, has its headquarters in Dubai near the city's cricket stadium. Organizers know they have their work cut out for them. At one point during a news conference Thursday they went over baseball basics — home runs, organ music and where center field sits. “The most important part is the experience for fans to come out, eat a hot dog, see mascots running around, to see what baseball traditions that we all grew up with back home in the U.S. — and start to fall in love with the game because we know that once they start to learn those, they will become big fans," Shaikh said. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

Water

Suggested Viewing

Daaham Thirst

Water is a precious resource which humanity should use responsibly. Our relationship with Nature should always be guided by reciprocity. Nature protects us all and we in turn should protect natural resources and be sympathetic to the needs of fellow human beings.

Water
Culture
Fiction

BlackWater

BlackWater is a documentary about protecting Florida Springs, focusing on the Ichetucknee River. The Florida Springs have been displaying a decline in quality and will continue to if we do not make a change. I encourage you to visit and experience the Florida Springs system, as it truly is a religious experience. Produced by Ethan Beckley, Annick Joseph, and Jiahui Shen.

Water
Conservation
Science

THE WATER WILL TAKE US

This film tells the story of the victims of the flood of 2019 in Iran, which happened in the three provinces of North, Central and South of the country and left a lot of damages. The main narrators are three women who reveal the causes of this incident and mismanagements and tell the story of the people who were left to fend for themselves during the flood and after.

Water
Social Justice
Climate

Still River, Silent Jungle

When a novel dam proposal threatens indigenous communities in the Bolivian Amazon, an Uchupiamona woman named Ruth Alipaz Cuqui must step into the unknown and become a spokesperson for her people. To the Uchupiamona people, the river has its own life and personality, just as a woman does. Returning to her land for guidance, Ruth and her people explore an alternative future for their rivers based on adventure tourism and whitewater rafting. While opposing powers much bigger than her, she must come to terms with how much she is willing to risk to protect her river and her people.

Water
Indigenous
Activism

Blue Tomorrow - Mavi Yarın

A man who lives alone on his island goes on an unknown journey caused by the rising ocean. After witnessing a catastrophe on the way, he finds hope again with other people. But when the ocean rises again, this time he makes an unexpected decision to another unknown.

Animation
Water
Family

Join us to forge
a sustainable future

Our team is always growing.
Become a partner, volunteer, sponsor, or intern today.
Let us know how you would like to get involved!

CONTACT US

sign up for our mailing list to stay informed on the latest films and environmental headlines.

Subscribers receive a free day pass for streaming Cinema Verde.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.