[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[0:02] Okay, so we can get started now. Welcome to the board, Ms. Lozano, Ms. Martinez.
[0:10] We'll move, we'll do the Pledge of Allegiance first and then we'll move on to the agenda.
[0:21] Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, underground, indivisible, with liberty, justice, health.
[0:41] I can never remember that, so we'll have to somebody else leave that.
[1:04] Okay.
[1:06] Thank you.
[1:07] We'll move on to the first agenda item, public comments, and there's a number of folks that
[1:12] have signed up, some online.
[1:15] And I'm just going to call out each person individually.
[1:22] You have three minutes to speak.
[1:27] I think once, at least about 10 or 11 people signed up,
[1:29] if you find that you're repeating the same things
[1:32] that somebody has already mentioned in order
[1:36] to expedite things, we'd like to move on.
[1:39] But I'll just go ahead and call the first person that's
[1:41] online. Patrick Anderson, are you there Patrick?
[1:50] Patrick Anderson, are you online?
[2:00] Do we unmute
[2:01] them from here or can they?
[2:09] Are they online? I don't see Patrick Anderson online. All right,
[2:16] so if he gets back online we can probably come back to him later. We'll move on to the next
[2:20] person in person. Kristen Davis Klein, Ms. Klein are you here? She could introduce
[2:25] yourself and have three minutes.
[2:31] Can you hear me? Can everyone hear me?
[2:36] Good
[2:36] afternoon. Thank you for having me here. My name is Kristin Klein and I'm a
[2:39] resident of Cameron County. I'm here to publicly comment on the beachfront
[2:43] construction certificate and dune protection permit that is being
[2:46] considered today. My request is that this committee perform its due
[2:50] diligence when reviewing this or any permit application that comes before you.
[2:54] I'm asking that after a comprehensive and thorough review of
[2:57] information presented in these documents that you not recommend at this permit unless it complies
[3:02] with the provisions of the Cameron County Dune Protection and Beach Access Plan, the plan from
[3:08] here on out. I would like to remind the committee of one of its responsibilities detailed in section
[3:13] three, subsection A of the plan. In reviewing applications at least three committee members
[3:18] are required to physically inspect proposed project sites. The committee can then recommend
[3:24] and approval with conditions, if appropriate,
[3:27] or denial of a permit or certificate.
[3:30] I am not an expert.
[3:32] I am simply a concerned citizen,
[3:33] and when I studied this application packet,
[3:35] several issues came to my attention.
[3:37] I only have time for a couple.
[3:39] First, the applicant spends a great deal of space
[3:41] trying to classify the air separation unit, or ASU,
[3:45] as a habitable structure.
[3:47] It made me wonder why this was so.
[3:49] Probably because the permitting process
[3:51] for an industrial facility would be more difficult
[3:53] hold or costly to obtain.
[3:54] Please look at the images in attachment G of the application
[3:58] and ask yourselves whether this structure that I'm holding up
[4:01] before you can be considered habitable.
[4:05] Do an internet search for the Standard Industrial
[4:07] Classification, or SIC, SICK code for an ASU.
[4:12] Look closely at the area in which the applicant proposed
[4:15] to build the ASU, Property ID 171647.
[4:19] Can't see it on this one.
[4:20] It's too small.
[4:21] But it's red in the star based comprehensive plan and you will see that it is zoned heavy
[4:26] Industrial then please refer to section 3 subsection d2 of the plan and weigh the wishes of applicant
[4:32] Against the needs of local residents and beachgoers as well as Cameron County itself
[4:37] Second under the tech at Texas open each beaches act and the Texas Dune Protection Act
[4:41] Counties and cities are required to protect public public access to beaches and to preserve the natural coastal environment
[4:47] These statues direct local governments to avoid approving construction that jeopardizes
[4:53] the stability of dunes, which serves natural protection against storm surge and coastal
[4:57] erosion, does not consider if alternatives of the project site exist, does not provide
[5:02] an adequate mitigation plan to fully offset the unavoidable harm the project may cause.
[5:07] A high-pressure gas facility located just yards away from the Gulf of Mexico and within
[5:12] a federally designated hurricane zone may violate the intent of these laws.
[5:16] The recent explosion at the Massey site underscores how volatile SpaceX operations can be and how real the risks to nearby residents, public land and protect ecosystems are.
[5:28] Approval of this permit would not only contradict Texas coastal protection law but would also expose Cameron County to liability in the event of a future accident evacuation or environmental catastrophe.
[5:38] The public's safety and access to the beach should be just as important as supporting the effort to get to Mars.
[5:44] thank you thank you next we have online Sharon Wilcox hello can you hear me yes
[5:57] please go ahead thank you my name is Dr. Sharon Wilcox and I serve as the
[6:03] senior Texas representative for defenders wildlife we respectfully
[6:07] oppose the issuance of a beachfront construction certificate and doom
[6:12] protection permit for the proposed air separator unit at Boca Chica.
[6:17] The Texas Dune Protection Act is clear, dunes must be preserved for their vital ecological
[6:22] and protective functions.
[6:25] The proposed site lies within an active dune system that protects inland areas from storm
[6:30] surge and erosion.
[6:33] And
[6:41] its ability to withstand severe weather events, threatening the natural, recreational
[6:47] and human resources in this area.
[6:51] Boca Chica provides vital habitat for federally protected species,
[6:55] like the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, which nests on these beaches,
[6:59] and many migratory shorebirds that rely on the intact dune and beach habitat.
[7:05] These animals have extremely limited nesting and roosting habitat left in Texas.
[7:11] Continued fragmentation will only push them closer to extinction.
[7:16] It is worth noting that Cameron County is a global destination for birding and ecotourism
[7:22] and it is a major contributor to our local economy.
[7:26] Each disturbance erodes this ecosystem's resilience.
[7:30] Dunes Earth are difficult to restore once damaged and improving industrial infrastructure
[7:36] in this fragile zone directly contradicts the intent of our state's dune protection
[7:41] laws.
[7:43] mitigation as proposed cannot replace what would be lost. We must consider the cumulative
[7:49] impacts of the site. The star base footprint continues to grow and this project risks tipping
[7:56] the balance toward irreversible ecological harm. Every project sets a precedent allowing
[8:04] development of this nature this close to the dunes and shoreline invites future proposals
[8:09] that will further erode our coastal integrity.
[8:12] Critically this proposal fails to show impacts that have been avoided,
[8:17] minimized, or adequately mitigated. There is no alternative analysis, no
[8:22] assessment of impacts to adjacent state park lands,
[8:25] no detailed mitigation plan, and nothing that approaches
[8:29] the one-to-one restoration ratio. The applicant
[8:32] cannot simply push sand around and plant grass. True
[8:36] mitigation requires full and lasting ecological restoration. I urge the committee to deny
[8:43] this permit. The risk to wildlife coastal resilience and public trust are too great.
[8:48] Boca Chica holds deep significance to Indigenous cultures and to community identity. Any proposal
[8:55] here demands not just environmental review, but cultural consultation, respect and stewardship.
[9:02] ship. Thank you.
[9:05] Thank you, Miss Wilcox. Next we have in person René Medrano.
[9:18] Good afternoon.
[9:20] My name is René Medrano, lifelong residence of Brownsville. For more than 45 years, my family
[9:28] has lived about 17 miles from what is now Starbase. My concern is beach access.
[9:35] What is happening with SpaceX wanting to build more structures close to the only access onto the beach?
[9:44] How will this affect the only access we have to the beach?
[9:49] When is enough enough?
[9:51] I have seen chaotic changes that have happened in the area where I've lived,
[9:56] which includes dangerous traffic situations during shift changes at SpaceX,
[10:02] dangerous damaged roads with heavy oversized loads being driven back and
[10:08] forth on Highway 4 every day. Chaotic changes from what used to be a peaceful
[10:16] beautiful beach in Boca Chica is now an industrial eyesore to all traveling on
[10:25] on highway four to the only access onto Boca Chica Beach.
[10:31] When is enough enough?
[10:33] Cameron County has given everything they have,
[10:35] have asked for, and they keep giving them.
[10:38] And what does the county get in return?
[10:41] We get a burned up acreage of land
[10:43] from an extremely dangerous explosion the other night
[10:47] that rattled the entire county.
[10:50] We get roads so damaged it's hard to drive on
[10:54] and it's dangerous to drive on.
[10:56] We get very little communication from Cameron County,
[11:00] or SpaceX, or Starbase, for access to Boca Chica Beach,
[11:05] just for the common folk.
[11:07] It's always a guessing game to know when the only access road to the beach is open or closed.
[11:13] Starbase, Cameron County, SpaceX needs to develop a set schedule
[11:19] to let the general public know when access to the beach is open or closed.
[11:24] This 24-hour notice that Cameron County, SpaceX, Starbase, whatever it is,
[11:31] is followed as outdated.
[11:33] Beach access has always been number one concern.
[11:37] But now, with all this confusion on the beach access that has grown completely out of hand,
[11:43] will we always have access?
[11:46] I really hope so.
[11:47] You know, there needs to be an evenly structured plan so that we can reach Mars if we want
[11:54] to go to Mars, but more importantly be able to have access to enjoy Boca Chica Beach freely.
[12:00] So I hope this committee votes no to grant permission for yet more structures at SpaceX
[12:06] that will interrupt and affect the only access that we have in order to get to Boca Chica
[12:11] Beach.
[12:12] Thank you for your concerns.
[12:14] Thank you, Mr. Majano.
[12:15] next we have online Molly Smith
[12:25] okay I have I used to live in the valley and I'm
[12:32] a frequent visitor to the valley I'm here right now as a matter of fact I have
[12:36] several questions to ask right now though there are obviously many more how can it
[12:41] possibly be safe for an air separator that produces liquid oxygen one of the
[12:45] fuels for launching the biggest rocket ever made to be located in such close
[12:51] proximity to the launch site. If there was a mishap at the launch pad, it would compromise
[12:59] the air separation facility. Dunes are protected areas. How can it be that a very large facility
[13:05] can be built on such a fragile location? With the number of known explosions that have
[13:10] already occurred, how can it be assured or even close to assured that another one won't
[13:16] occur either at the air separator or during a launch? Will launch mishaps be more scrutinized
[13:21] if there is a facility right next door. If people during a launch can feel the ground
[13:25] shaking and hear windows rattling miles away, what effects will that have on the structural
[13:30] foundation of the air separator? In the prohibited activities section of when
[13:37] dune protection permits can be issued. The building of this facility obviously
[13:43] highlights many provisions such as removing sand from the beach and dune system to
[13:49] detonating bombs or explosives, that's one of the provisions, and accidental explosions
[13:55] are not specifically addressed, but they certainly have occurred multiple times.
[14:00] I hope that this, that this facility is disallowed.
[14:04] Thank you.
[14:05] Thank you, Ms. Smith.
[14:07] Next we have online Christopher Vasaldu.
[14:11] I hope I said that name correctly.
[14:16] I am Dr. Christopher Vasaldu.
[14:19] I grew up and I live here in Brownsville.
[14:21] I'm a co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, and I'm a member of the Garisoko
[14:27] Makurudo Tribal Nation.
[14:29] I asked this committee to consider denying the construction permit, the construction
[14:35] certification for the air separator unit.
[14:38] It is unnecessary, and whatever gases or fuels that SpaceX needs, they do not need
[14:44] created their onsite destroying a delicate ecosystem and the public beach. These areas
[14:52] of Boca Chica Beach, the mouth of the river, and the area that SpaceX now is on, those are all sacred lands.
[15:04] There has been no consultation with the tribal nation, and therefore there is no free prior
[15:11] and informed consent, and everything that SpaceX and Starbase are doing is not only an environmental
[15:17] disaster, but it's also a human rights violation and a violation of indigenous people's rights.
[15:23] I also ask you to not allow this permit to go forth to destroy the dunes.
[15:31] The dunes are delicate and also necessary, as well as beautiful.
[15:36] And we don't need more coastal erosion in the state of Texas.
[15:40] And as I said, you're allowing it to be destroyed for industrial purposes in an area that
[15:48] was never meant for industrial purposes, that the county and even the federal government
[15:56] has set aside lands out there to be wildlife refuge at State Park.
[16:00] So please deny the construction certificate and deny the permit of the dunes.
[16:05] I also demand that there be a full public hearings on these proposed projects with
[16:13] at least 30 days notice for the public to respond. For the documents they need to be more readily
[16:20] available to the public for review during that time and they must be provided fully in English
[16:25] and in Spanish so that people can have access to them both electronically and in public libraries
[16:32] here in Cameron County. We need an actual 30 days notice before we consider any of this.
[16:39] I want to warn Cameron County of the dangers of SpaceX and Starbase.
[16:45] When they originally proposed to their facility, they had a tiny project with a tiny footprint.
[16:50] They continue to take and annex and take more land and they are only polluting and
[16:56] destroying what was an incredibly beautiful area that human beings have had access to
[17:01] freely since the beginning of human living and occupation in these areas.
[17:07] Spacex will continue to pollute and destroy things. Cameron County should stop abating
[17:14] or helping or aiding or approving anything SpaceX does. I also want to remind Cameron
[17:20] County that Elon Musk made the Nazi salute at the presidential inauguration back in
[17:25] January. This should show you that he and his followers have a politic that is anti-human.
[17:31] Thank you, Mr. Basildo. I think you've reached your three minutes.
[17:34] Dr. Basildo.
[17:34] I'm sorry Dr. Bastold, I'm sorry my apologies. Thank you very much for your
[17:38] comments. I will move on to the next person. In person, Maria Galasso. Maria,
[17:47] are you here?
[17:51] Okay, she comes in later. I think I guess we could go back.
[17:55] I'm
[17:56] sorry. I'm online. She's online. I'm on, this is Maria Galasso. Okay, I'm sorry.
[18:02] Maria, I'd say she's in person here, so please go ahead.
[18:09] Okay, I appreciate it.
[18:12] Good afternoon, my name is Maria Galasso,
[18:14] and I live in Libana Vista.
[18:16] I've been here for about 15 years,
[18:18] but I was born here in the Rio Grande Valley,
[18:21] so I am a native.
[18:23] I'm asking that the item on the agenda for today
[18:27] be tabled for public safety considerations
[18:30] and possible alternatives.
[18:33] Before I begin, I will note that scheduling a meeting late
[18:37] in the afternoon at the start of this summer's biggest
[18:40] holiday celebrations suggest a lack of respect
[18:44] for public engagement and a lack of transparency.
[18:49] Public safety, back in September of 2022,
[18:54] during a Starship Engine test,
[18:56] a fire surrounded the launch pad
[18:58] and burned 68 acres of Boca Chica. Then in April of 2023, the first Starship launch
[19:07] resulted in an explosion and another fire at the launch pad which burned three
[19:13] and a half acres and caused a particulate matter to rain down on
[19:18] Port Isbell and the surrounding areas. Since then each new launch carries
[19:24] with it, the very real possibility of a fire, explosion, or both.
[19:31] Fast forward to two weeks ago.
[19:33] What happened at the Massey test site?
[19:36] Not what caused the two explosions, but what actually exploded with starship, especially
[19:42] the second explosion.
[19:44] Was it a liquid oxygen filled tank, or was it liquid methane or LNG, or maybe both?
[19:51] So, we don't yet know for sure, but Valley Central reported that the financial fire department
[19:59] was on site and although they didn't engage, they were kept on deck in case of another
[20:06] explosion of the nearby canisters.
[20:10] We should wait for a public report from the local fire marshal to help answer these
[20:16] and other questions.
[20:18] A decision to permit an ASU with propellant filled tanks just across the road from the
[20:25] launch pad should be tabled at this time so that any possible public safety risks to both
[20:34] the beach and beach goers and residents can be explored and considered perhaps at a public
[20:39] hearing where questions can be asked and answered and discussed because public safety is
[20:46] important. The proposed ASU site location may make logistical sense for SpaceX flight activities,
[20:55] but this is not Cape Canaveral where the nearest population zone is 15 miles away
[21:02] and protecting a public beach is not a consideration. Alternatives. The permanent
[21:11] application simply states that there are no alternative locations for the ASU. But per
[21:18] the scene Antonio News.
[21:19] Miseraso, your three minutes are up. Thank you for your conversation.
[21:24] We'll move on to the next person, Mr. Juan Macias. In person.
[21:38] Good afternoon. My name is Juan Macias. I am the tribal chairman for the Carriza
[21:43] Comarquero, the tribe of Texas, and the honest spokesman for the tribe. I want to greet
[21:48] in my language,
[21:52] like I was, you know, I'm a spokesperson, and my name is Stanza Loam,
[22:01] and I'm here to let you know that I appreciate the ceremony of you guys getting sworn in,
[22:07] but I don't see any tribal people or advisors on this committee.
[22:12] And I think you need to start doing that because when you're celebrating your independence
[22:19] And to me, you're still perpetuating the genocide of tribal erasure.
[22:24] And in some of these reports, I'm going to offer to you, and I'm going to send to you,
[22:30] especially the HAVOC ones, they require that there should be tribal monitoring.
[22:35] And we're the only entity in Texas right now that has been recognized by Homeland Security to do tribal monitoring.
[22:43] Along the Rio Grande, along the coast, because of what's going on.
[22:47] And I think it's important that we are able to have that representation because we are still here and we have never gone in there.
[22:55] 500 years ago when they first landed here on the river, there was clean water, clean air.
[23:03] The lomas were fine, but all this gentrification to me is terraforming so they can have a reason to occupy Mars.
[23:11] And I think that's one of the problems that we need to understand, that the air separator is not, is a problem.
[23:16] It has a lot of hazards and you need to look at those hazards and there's a lot of modifications
[23:23] they're going to have to put into these things.
[23:25] And I think there has to be a bigger investigation on what needs to be done on this.
[23:30] And you need to have that representation here to give you that information.
[23:34] Don't think just because we're native that we're not educated.
[23:38] We've learned that way.
[23:39] You just haven't learned our way.
[23:40] And that's important to understand to share those things together to be able to be to understand that those were old village village
[23:49] fishing villages of ours
[23:50] They've been taken and as a matter of fact the Monsea's family you still own all that land at one time
[23:56] And it was in my great great great aunt was
[24:00] Was conned out of it by a New York firm
[24:03] To hand it over to some of some of the plantation owners that came in there
[24:08] So I just want you to know that this is important, that we continue to talk about this and have the representation from the tribe.
[24:17] We may not be federally recognized, but Homeland Security recognizes us as tribal monitors.
[24:23] And we've been doing that for over 70 years.
[24:26] And this is important for me, that you start looking at this.
[24:30] If you really want to be representative of the body and this county wants to be representative of the body,
[24:35] They need to have the tribal representation.
[24:38] Thank you.
[24:39] Thank you, sir.
[24:46] We'll move on to the next in person.
[24:49] Ed Goti.
[24:54] I'm sorry, Edda.
[24:55] Edda Goti, I'm sorry.
[25:07] I am here to offer public comments
[25:09] regarding the construction permit that was,
[25:11] that is before you today.
[25:13] I am asking that the committee undertake
[25:14] a comprehensive and thorough review
[25:16] of the information presented in the application document
[25:20] and not recommend the permit unless it complies with the provisions of the
[25:25] Cameron County Dune Protection and Beach Access Plan. And specifically that, one,
[25:31] the proposed project does not directly or indirectly reduce the site or encroach
[25:36] on the public beach in any manner or impair or adversely affect the public
[25:41] use or access to and from the public beach. Number two, that the proposed
[25:48] Propose activity is not a prohibited activity as defined by subsection G to prohibited activities in the county plan.
[25:57] Number three, that the proposed activity will not materially weaken dune complexes or materially damaged dune vegetation.
[26:05] Four, that there is no practicable alternatives to the proposed activity and the adverse effects cannot be avoided.
[26:13] it. Five, that the application mitigation plan will adequately minimize, mitigate, and
[26:20] or compensate for the unavoidable adverse effects. Six, that a hearing has been held
[26:26] on the application since mitigation is required. And seven, that the activity complies with
[26:33] all the requirements of the Dune Protection Plan.
[26:36] The Starbase proposed zoning maps has a proposed site zoned as heavy industrial. Taking
[26:43] into account the devastating explosion of starship and subsequent destruction of the
[26:47] Massey site. I respectfully urge the committee to carefully review the permit requested
[26:53] by SpaceX for the proposed ASU along the beach front in this area. The implications
[26:59] of constructing this ASU along the roadway to the beach that will be traveled by many
[27:06] residents of this county should be thoroughly examined and fully understood by the committee
[27:11] before a recommendation is made to the court. The public safety and access to the beach
[27:16] should be just as important as supporting the effort to get to Mars. Under the Texas
[27:22] Open Beach Act and the Texas Dune Protection and the city counties and cities are required
[27:30] to protect public access to beaches and to preserve the natural coastal environment.
[27:35] These statues direct local governments to avoid approving construction that jeopardizes the stability of dunes.
[27:44] Avoid approving construction if alternatives to the project site exist.
[27:49] Avoid approving construction that does not provide an adequate mitigation plan.
[27:55] Approval of this permit would not only contradict Texas Coastal Protection Law,
[28:00] but would also expose Cameron County to liability in the event of a future accident, evacuation,
[28:07] or in that environmental catastrophe. For these reasons, the county should be... Okay, thank you.
[28:13] Thank you, Ms. Cody. Next we have online, Elliot Treyhan.
[28:25] Elliot, are you there?
[28:27] Yes, I'm here. Sorry about that. Can y'all hear me?
[28:30] Yeah, go ahead, please.
[28:32] Perfect. Thank you. My name is Elliot Treyhan. I am a resident in Brownsville, Texas.
[28:36] And I'm asking the committee to deny all permits requested by SpaceX regarding the, sorry, I'm a little tired right now, regarding the Dune permit, the construction permit, and the air separator.
[28:52] And I'm going to be honest, I have not done the impressive homework that some of my fellow commentaries have done. I haven't gotten the chance to read the documents.
[29:00] It's super thoroughly.
[29:03] I haven't even had time to read the laws
[29:05] about doom protection in Texas,
[29:07] but I honestly don't think I need to,
[29:09] I don't think any of us need to know
[29:11] that this is not good for Cameron County.
[29:13] It's not good for the land
[29:14] and that it's going to be a violation of basic humanity,
[29:20] a violation of the law
[29:21] and just everything that we should hold sacred.
[29:26] And I notice because we've seen what SpaceX has done.
[29:30] It's not like this is a new company that we don't know.
[29:33] We've seen them just like Dr. Bucklew-Dew said from 2014,
[29:36] starting with a small site and continuing to grow and grow
[29:39] and grow and take and take and take and take.
[29:42] Every time we give them something,
[29:43] they take more and more.
[29:45] And they've shown themselves to be consistently flout rules.
[29:51] They've shown themselves to see,
[29:53] sorry, I'm not super eloquent right now,
[29:55] I'm a little tired.
[29:55] They've shown themselves to disregard rules.
[30:00] To break them, to violate laws. So even if they did have all their paperwork right, which as others have pointed out, they don't. Even if this committee had given the public 30 days to review documents and schedule a time where people can actually show up to voice their concerns over this, even if all those boxes had been checked, I think just based on this company's behavior based on their history, based on the fact that they violated every degree of
[30:27] trusts or any shred of trust that they should have, we should not even be considering it.
[30:34] While others have asked for a careful review, I don't care if we carefully review this permit.
[30:37] They shouldn't be allowed to ask for anything more because they've already
[30:41] broken so many promises and trusts. Anyway, I'm not saying anything else that's
[30:45] that useful, but that's what I have to say. Please don't give them anything more.
[30:50] they've taken far too much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Next online, Jim Chapman. Please go ahead.
[31:07] Thank you. My name is Jim Chapman. I live in Westlaco, Texas. I have submitted written comments that
[31:14] are a bit longer than this, so I'm only reading part of my comments. The SpaceX plan is incomplete
[31:20] and should be returned to the applicant for more detailed resubmission. The most
[31:25] Most glaring deficiency is the complete lack of any description of the quote 20 structures
[31:31] on the site.
[31:32] What are they for?
[31:33] How large and how high are they?
[31:36] What is their footprint?
[31:37] On page 23 it states, number of proposed structures is 20 C attachment D. Attachment
[31:45] D shows 10 small white boxes.
[31:48] Are those the structures?
[31:49] If so, why are there only 10?
[31:51] Even the large air separator unit, attachment G, is shown only in cross-section.
[31:58] Where exactly will it be located? What will be its dimensions?
[32:02] What does its aerial view footprint look like? Will there be emissions, noise, lighting?
[32:09] This is a very rich, biodiverse area and these questions are important.
[32:13] For example, the project falls within the designated critical habitat area for the endangered piping plebber,
[32:20] yet there is no mention or acknowledging of that, let alone how those impacts will be mitigated.
[32:27] SpaceX proposed mitigation is not only inadequate and misguided,
[32:32] but is likely to leave the mitigated area more impacted and less ecologically whole than it is now.
[32:39] At present, the project area and the mitigation area are remarkably similar,
[32:44] as you can actually see in the plan's own photos, which I actually have attached to my written comments.
[32:49] To take sand from one site and dump it on the other and then plant two species of plants
[32:55] on it would be a travesty.
[32:57] There are likely more than 50 species of plants there now and while there are small open spaces
[33:02] these are important parts of the area's ecology as there are a number of important
[33:06] species such as the piping plover, snowy plover, and leased turn that roost and nest
[33:12] in open areas.
[33:13] The area has a multitude of micro-habitats, and that's the way it needs to stay.
[33:19] If the Commission does not reject the proposed mitigation outright, it should engage a TPWD
[33:25] wildlife biologist and botanist to evaluate the proposed mitigation site and plan before deciding
[33:32] whether to approve or not the whole proposal.
[33:36] Given the area's environmental uniqueness and value and its proximity to Boca Chica Beach itself,
[33:42] the committee should question the whole project's location.
[33:45] Why can't the ASU complex be located
[33:49] at the Port of Brownsville,
[33:50] a designated heavy industry zone?
[33:53] The inconvenience of being 17 miles away
[33:56] is offset by leaving Boca Chica dunes and back dunes
[34:00] environmentally intact as they are and have always been.
[34:05] Thank you very much.
[34:06] Thank you sir. And finally, we have one more in person, Mary Helen Flores.
[34:20] Good afternoon. Thank you for giving me a few minutes here to address you.
[34:27] And unlike the other commenters who had very substantive information on the technical and legal ramifications of this thing,
[34:37] I want to appeal to you just on principle alone.
[34:42] We need to protect the dunes that we have right now because they are irreplaceable.
[34:49] They are an integral part of Boca Chica Beach, which our families use and enjoy now.
[34:56] and we cannot afford for SpaceX to take any more to encroach any more on our
[35:07] beach on our use of our beach and you five are the sentinels are the guardians
[35:15] of our dune line and I beg you I ask you to use your mind your heart your soul
[35:22] to protect our dune line from any kind of industrial building.
[35:28] And this here is a first try, put a stop to it, put an end to it on principle alone.
[35:37] This is where our kids play.
[35:38] This is where they go to the beach.
[35:40] This is not something we should even be considering to destroy for an industrial site
[35:47] for SpaceX, which has given us nothing in our county but destruction.
[35:55] They have yet to give us a damage control plan.
[36:01] Nothing has been said about any kind of fund to help with damages to our homes and properties
[36:07] that is occurring cumulatively with the blast that they have out there.
[36:13] so please please I beg you to the five of you stand guard and do not allow any
[36:23] destruction of any of our dune line for anything and I thank you for your
[36:28] service thank you miss forest okay that brings to a closing the public
[36:35] comments part of this. Oh, I find up to make a public comment. I emailed. Sorry. Hi, my
[36:46] name is Rebecca. I emailed at before 10am this morning. Mr. Sanchez and I asked to make
[36:53] a public comment. All right, go ahead. Please go ahead. Thank you so much. Hello, my name
[36:58] is Rebecca. I'm one of the co-founders of the South Texas Environmental Justice
[37:02] network. I live in Brownsville. And I'm here to ask the Dean Protection Committee to deny
[37:11] this permit for SpaceX. I ask that you recommend that this permit be denied to the Cameron County
[37:19] Commissioners. I also ask that you all who, you know, represent Cameron County residents
[37:27] and who should, you know, listen to our concerns, your purpose in this process is to elevate
[37:35] and lift up the community concerns and speak for us.
[37:41] And the community today is telling you to deny this permit.
[37:47] We also need a 30-day notice for a public hearing, and there should be a public hearing
[37:53] on this matter.
[37:54] It's a large industrial project that's going to have a huge footprint, huge negative impact
[38:01] to the environment, to the community that holds Boca Chica Beach sacred.
[38:07] Residents have been going to Boca Chica Beach, you know, all of their lives.
[38:11] My grandpa grew up going to Boca Chica Beach.
[38:13] My mother grew up going to Boca Chica Beach.
[38:15] We don't want to see Boca Chica Beach become an industrial eyesore.
[38:19] And Spain has already caused numerous, numerous damages, has scorched the land, and is engaging
[38:27] in a hostile takeover of Boca Chica Beach.
[38:32] This permit would have huge detrimental impacts, and you all are supposed to, you know, help
[38:39] bring in public input in this process.
[38:42] Please give us a 30-day notice and a public hearing.
[38:47] consider denying this permit and, you know, please listen to the concerns you hear today
[38:53] from all of these residents. It is deeply concerning and problematic that this meeting feels rushed
[39:00] because it's happening, you know, the evening of July 3rd and a lot of people, including my
[39:05] own family members, are not available at this time because of, you know, a well-deserved
[39:10] weekend break. So please, you know, give us more time to give public input on this
[39:16] very important matter. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Ms. Hinosa. We'll move
[39:22] on to item number two, new business. I'm going to read the agenda item out and
[39:28] then give an opportunity for the board members to make comments and maybe
[39:34] answer some of those questions. But I'd also like to remind ourselves, I
[39:38] I guess that we're not really approving a permit to build here.
[39:44] We're just making a recommendation to the Cameron County Commissionist Court,
[39:48] who will make the final decision on this.
[39:51] We are responding to a beach and dune permit application to the state.
[39:56] Correct me if I'm wrong, Augustine anyway, because I think we've done a lot of these in Saapadra Island.
[40:01] When I was on the shoreline task force there, and then on this committee,
[40:05] We are going to, and we have looked at the recommendations from the state.
[40:12] And our local staff will advise us on the beach and
[40:16] dune protection plan that SpaceX has presented or will be presenting.
[40:23] And we basically make a recommendation based on that,
[40:28] on the dune protection, not necessarily approving a building permit.
[40:33] And this particular issue will have to go to several hoops.
[40:37] I think it's four altogether.
[40:38] First is the state.
[40:40] We have received a letter from the state, am I correct?
[40:42] That's correct.
[40:43] Now it's within us, amongst us, to give a recommendation to the Cameron County Commission
[40:49] Escort about the beach front construction certificate.
[40:55] And if the mitigation plan looks okay to us.
[40:59] Again, we don't make decisions on giving building permits.
[41:04] I think there is another hoop after that that goes to the City Council of Starbase that
[41:09] basically issues a building permit also.
[41:12] So there are several hoops that this project will go through before it breaks ground.
[41:16] This is strictly a Dune Protection Advisory Board of the Cameron County Commissioner
[41:22] I know I was involved in the Cameron County Dune Protection Beach Access Plan when it was built and presented to the state, approved and sent back to us.
[41:32] There was a lot of work put into that and we will adhere closely to that to make sure that we do follow all the rules on beach access and things like that.
[41:41] But beyond that, there's several things mentioned here.
[41:43] I made a list of a lot of things that really we don't, this committee,
[41:50] It's beyond the scope of this committee to answer those questions.
[41:53] So I just wanted to point that out.
[41:55] We're not saying that we're strictly adhering to the guidelines that we are given
[42:02] as a Cameron County Dune Protection Committee to give a recommendation to the commissioner's court.
[42:10] Having said that, we'll go on to the new business.
[42:12] I'll read the first one and only agenda item here.
[42:15] a discussion and possible action on a beach-run construction certificate and
[42:20] doom protection permit application for SpaceX Exploration Inc. for the construction
[42:24] of an air separator unit near Boca Chica Beach. Go ahead. Thank you Mr. Chairman.
[42:32] Yes as you mentioned this is an advisory committee. Just for for public
[42:37] information there will be a public hearing on Tuesday before the item is
[42:42] brought before commission's court to final approval
[42:45] to issue the permit.
[42:46] This permit is not a building permit.
[42:48] It's a beachfront construction certificate
[42:50] and doing protection permit only.
[42:52] And what we're looking at is only
[42:57] beach and doing protection rules
[43:00] at a state level and at an accounting level.
[43:02] But the application submitted to you by SpaceX
[43:07] has gone through the review of my department
[43:11] And then it was shared with the general land office where they conducted their own review between the county and the state.
[43:22] We make a thorough review on us to completeness and consistency with local state rules.
[43:31] It was then completed consistent.
[43:34] The letter issued by the JLO, and that is part of the packet, states that, and
[43:40] and says the conditions under this permit
[43:43] should be issued, and is there for your consideration?
[43:50] I have, we have representatives from the applicant's basics
[43:54] here in prison and online that are available
[43:58] to answer any questions that you might have.
[44:02] And myself as well.
[44:03] Thank you, Augusto.
[44:07] Yes, please.
[44:08] Yes,
[44:13] I think, can you turn on your mic, can you, okay.
[44:18] You mentioned that the general land office
[44:21] already took a look at this.
[44:22] Yes, yeah.
[44:24] And they came back with what exactly?
[44:26] The letter from the GLO that is dated back from in May
[44:34] lists states that there's no objections
[44:36] as per the state and county rules
[44:38] And list all the conditions that the applicant must follow while implementing the project.
[44:45] Each particular comment makes a reference to the state statute or the DOOM protection plan in the county.
[44:55] So, any other questions by the board members regarding the.
[45:00] I think I would want to address the letter from GLO first to make sure that we are adhering
[45:06] and SpaceX is adhering to all the conditions that are laid out in the DUNE mitigation plan
[45:12] or recommendations that the, I know the letter going out didn't have all those things, but
[45:18] the letter that came back from the GLO, are we agreed on, or if we can get a comment from
[45:23] SpaceX on the mitigation plan, and then who will be supervising the mitigation plan?
[45:30] This is the public information from our side, from when I say our side, I mean, Cameron
[45:34] County, that will be making sure that all the one-to-one land plans and all the things
[45:41] that are on that list, and I've gone through that list many times because I've done
[45:45] many mitigations like that on my own property.
[45:49] So I know what the mechanics of our they are quite complex and they do require a lot of supervision
[45:56] So Augusto who will be doing the supervision on our side on Cameron County side to make sure that SpaceX and complies is in compliance
[46:04] with beach access
[46:07] That's not been hindered in any way and number two that the Dune Protection
[46:11] information permit will make, is adhered to very closely and all the conditions on there
[46:18] are met. I think there are seven conditions that I see on the GLO list.
[46:24] Yeah. It will be the Department of Residence and Natural Resources that will supervise the
[46:32] project and make sure that it's in compliance. We'll be doing routine visits to the site
[46:39] depending on the timeline it could be as frequent as weekly or by
[46:45] weekly or monthly depending on how long the process or the construction will take place.
[46:51] I mean it will take and then once the applicant considers that the mitigation
[46:59] is complete, we will conduct a final review.
[47:02] We'll request information as to, similar to ask bill plans or another survey
[47:07] on the mitigation areas.
[47:10] With photo documentation, we'll review that information.
[47:14] We'll confirm that on the ground.
[47:16] And that particular moment that will be sent to the state
[47:20] for their review.
[47:23] Sometimes they come down and do a side visit
[47:27] to confirm that.
[47:28] Sometimes they rely on the information provided.
[47:31] And then if everything is complete,
[47:33] the mitigation has been done one to one
[47:35] as to, you know, sand volume that has been impacted and vegetation area, then the permit
[47:42] will be closed out.
[47:45] I have one more question.
[47:48] If SpaceX is not in compliance with the Dune Mitigation Plan put down by the state and
[47:54] they come down and say, well, this is not complete, can you make sure that this committee
[47:57] is made aware of that so we can have another meeting and make sure that we're making
[48:02] making sure that SpaceX is compliant with all the conditions that are, and they're met,
[48:08] if not exceeded, so that we stay, because we lose grant money if we don't keep an eye
[48:16] on that, right?
[48:16] Of course.
[48:16] For Cameron County, and we don't want that.
[48:18] Mm-hmm.
[48:19] So we want to make sure that the, you all report back to us quickly and let us know
[48:24] how it's going.
[48:25] Once it's complete and the state approves it, we need to know that also.
[48:29] So that would be good information for the committee, I think.
[48:34] Go ahead. Any other questions that you all have? Please.
[48:36] Yes,
[48:39] ma'am. Go ahead.
[48:42] So did I understand that you said that the public hearing is going to be on Tuesday before the commissioners' court meeting?
[48:48] That is correct, yes.
[48:49] And so have the adjacent property owners, I guess there's one, have they received notice already?
[48:54] And do they know that this public hearing is occurring on Tuesday?
[48:57] Yes, the applicant has provided information that the notice has been sent out with 10 days in advance.
[49:07] And it's only one property owner that is adjacent to this property.
[49:11] And how does the public know that there's a public hearing, given that this is a holiday weekend
[49:17] and this hearing is literally you're posting it, I guess it's already been posted?
[49:22] Yes, it was posted today along with the commission's court agenda.
[49:29] Okay, so what effort are we making?
[49:32] I think there's one issue here that I kind of gather from the comments,
[49:36] and that is that there needs to be more transparency and more communication with the public
[49:41] so that they feel like they've had an opportunity to weigh in on the issues.
[49:45] So what are we doing to make sure that folks feel like they have an opportunity to respond and participate in the process?
[49:52] Well, this committee adheres to the Open Meetings Act and all its rules.
[50:00] That's why the previous two meetings were considered not valid.
[50:05] And we're following the notices on a timely matter as per the Open Meetings Act.
[50:12] There is one provision in the plan that states that the adjacent property needs to be notified
[50:20] of public hearing, 10 days in advance of that public hearing, that notice and correct me
[50:28] if I'm wrong, was sent out last Friday to the property owners.
[50:33] So that makes, that fulfills that requirement of 10 days before next Tuesday, which is where
[50:42] the public hearing will be held.
[50:44] And the plan itself, for the newbies that are here, is intended to protect what?
[50:50] The plan, in a very journal idea, is intended to protect the critical dune area.
[50:58] Which is located where?
[51:00] So the critical dune area is between Minlow and High Tide.
[51:04] So roughly, if you take an aerial photo where you see the wet sand is located,
[51:11] and then 1,000 feet landward from that point.
[51:14] So anything in between that area is considered protected
[51:18] as per the Natural Resources Code.
[51:21] Okay, so if we take this project,
[51:23] where is this project located in relationship
[51:25] to that 1,000 square feet?
[51:27] It's completely within the 1,000 foot line.
[51:30] So it's within the...
[51:31] The Lume Protection Line, yes, ma'am.
[51:33] 1,000 linear feet, not square feet, so.
[51:36] Yeah.
[51:37] Linear, I apologize, linear.
[51:39] Linear feet.
[51:40] So the plan also includes a building setback line. Does it not that's correct and the setback line basically says that you should sit back
[51:49] 230 feet
[51:51] Any construction the planet self discourages construction within the building setback line
[51:58] That's correct and this project does what this project is is located
[52:04] Roughly between 280 a feet land were from the line of vegetation
[52:10] which is basically where the dune starts,
[52:13] where you see the total dune,
[52:14] where you start seeing the dune.
[52:15] Oh, it's outside of the building setback line?
[52:17] It's outside of setback line.
[52:19] There is no encroachment in that building setback line
[52:21] by this instructor.
[52:22] No appendix A, I believe is CD and E,
[52:28] show the footprint of the layout of the project
[52:32] and the location of the building setback line.
[52:37] So it is within the 1,000 feet,
[52:38] But it's outside of the building setback line correct, and it is within the property owned by SpaceX
[52:44] Correct, they own the land the county doesn't own the land that's correct
[52:48] So we have to find a way that they can use the property while protecting the public beaches
[52:53] And that's correct. That's that's basically what this committee does. Mm-hmm. I
[53:02] have another question sure
[53:03] You mentioned that the public hearing is next week right correct
[53:07] So why wouldn't we, you know, table this till after the public hearing?
[53:14] Is there certain rules that we have to have before the public hearing, this meeting?
[53:18] The public hearing needs to happen after this committee issues a recommendation for or against
[53:26] the project.
[53:27] The recommendation from this committee triggers the public hearing.
[53:32] Correct me if I'm wrong.
[53:33] But I think that's where, yeah, it's a process, exactly.
[53:40] And we want to make sure here that the, when we advise the Cameron County Commissioners
[53:49] Court that the Beachfront Construction Certificate and the Dune Protection Permits and
[53:56] any exemption petitions are all met.
[53:59] In other words, we are following and in compliance with the Cameron County Doon Protection and Beach Access Plan, which is what our undertaking is with the state of Texas.
[54:12] And that's what we are here for. Did you have a comment?
[54:16] Okay, so I think we do want to stay within the parameters of our responsibility and our task here.
[54:24] And I have many questions, some of which I learned from folks that are here.
[54:31] I have many questions about the ACU units.
[54:35] So the commissioners will be hearing a lot from me about this particular project when
[54:39] they approve it next week or not approve it.
[54:44] So, but I'm going to save those questions for the commissioner's court meeting because
[54:51] because it's beyond the scope of this committee for me to put all that front here.
[54:55] I want to make sure here that we follow the rules on what we are tasked to do here.
[55:02] And we have a jail-low approval basically based, depending on how the mitigation goes
[55:09] with SpaceX.
[55:11] If they meet all the conditions of that mitigation, we have no reason to deny a recommendation
[55:20] to the Cameron County Commissioners Court that, yes, they have met, you know, the Dune Protection
[55:28] Plan. And so please go ahead and start mitigating. And once it's all done, is when they will
[55:36] be issued a permit for construction. So if they're, you know, that's our, that's my
[55:41] concern here that the vegetation that they will be disturbing on the footprint of this
[55:46] construction and the the waters you know see page and things like that to make
[55:54] sure that we have enough permeable square footage etc is all met and if
[55:59] that's met then the conditions of this committee basically is fulfilled the
[56:05] construction part and all the other questions are for the commissioner's
[56:09] court and the city of Starbase I would think that's your you know that's
[56:14] something that you'll have to answer to your citizens.
[56:19] So this is a very complex one.
[56:23] We've never had a permit like this before.
[56:27] It's usually a home or something like that
[56:30] or some small building that the county wants to put.
[56:35] So I just want to put it in a nutshell what we are here for.
[56:40] And there is anything that SpaceX
[56:43] would like to add to that.
[56:45] Please go ahead.
[56:47] We're mainly concerned about mitigation,
[56:52] and making sure that our dune structures are protected.
[56:55] Thank you.
[56:56] Thank you for the opportunity to come up here and speak.
[56:58] My name is Carolyn Wood.
[57:00] I am an environmental regulatory engineer there at SpaceX,
[57:03] and also a Brownsville native as well.
[57:05] I do have a small presentation.
[57:07] If you all would be open to that,
[57:09] I'd love to be able to take this opportunity.
[57:11] Please go ahead.
[57:12] Thank you, I
[57:24] just want to make sure that everybody online is able to see the presentation
[57:34] Okay,
[57:54] I'm at this point now
[57:56] Okay, thank you. So I wanted to take this opportunity just to share some information that may not necessarily be included
[58:02] You know first and foremost in the application, but wanted to provide what a the view would look like from
[58:09] Highway 4 there you see the roundabout and then also the proposed construction there at the site
[58:22] Also, just to show you some other perspectives as well from Boca Chica Beach, looking westward,
[58:29] as well as the image in the top right or top left as far as the launch pad and then the
[58:35] beachfront there.
[58:40] This is pulled directly from the application itself.
[58:42] You'll see the Cameron County Praisel District, the CAD information property owners, as well
[58:50] as the location in regards to the launch pad, the shoreline, and the adjacent property
[58:56] owners.
[59:02] So the ASU development site itself, as you can see the orange area and the pink encompasses
[59:08] the entire tract of 4.2 acres.
[59:12] The development area is only the 1.66 acres.
[59:15] So it is not the entirety of the tract, it's only a portion of it, as you can see there.
[59:21] I wanted to provide some additional distances as well from the edge of the road.
[59:27] The ASU is approximately 140 feet.
[59:30] The distance of the ASU to the shoreline is approximately 515 feet,
[59:35] and then of course the dimensions itself.
[59:36] in stories or you would see that the 159 feet is approximately 14-15 stories
[59:46] which is so much smaller than the actual launch tower itself. Just for
[59:53] perspective.
[59:56] So what is an air separation plant?
[1:00:00] Air separation plants are facilities that take an ordinary air and separate it into its main components, oxygen and nitrogen.
[1:00:07] They cool these components to their gaseous or liquid states using a process that is also known as cryogenic distillation.
[1:00:14] These plants exist all over the world and are critical to producing oxygen and nitrogen for industries such as medical food production, manufacturing and energy.
[1:00:24] This process of cryogenic distillation does not use any chemical processing or produce any regulated emissions.
[1:00:34] With an on-site ASU, SpaceX will be able to eliminate hundreds of trucks per month and be globally more efficient.
[1:00:43] So why do we need one?
[1:00:44] So Starship uses liquid oxygen as a propellant and liquid nitrogen for testing and operations.
[1:00:50] We currently truck in all of these commodities, and we store them on site in tanks.
[1:00:55] For each Starship launch, we need about over 200 trucks of liquid oxygen and nitrogen to be brought in.
[1:01:03] This ASU would help reduce approximately 75% of truck traffic.
[1:01:09] When we go to five to 25 launches, this becomes really infeasible due to traffic and time limitations.
[1:01:17] Tracking in the product is also inefficient.
[1:01:20] As the product would boil off,
[1:01:22] we lose a lot of that during handling and transport.
[1:01:25] So with an onsite ASU SpaceX will eliminate the hundreds of trucks per month
[1:01:30] and again be more globally efficient.
[1:01:33] Having this ASU so close to the site will ensure product quality
[1:01:37] and reduce environmental impact from tracking or piping product over those long distances.
[1:01:45] I know there are some questions about the dune and vegetation mitigation boundary.
[1:01:49] That area has been identified and approved by GLO as well as Cameron County.
[1:01:54] As identified here, you see the 1.6 acres.
[1:01:58] We have strategically proposed the placement of these dunes as well as vegetation, working
[1:02:04] with the third party vendor to ensure that there is long-standing viability for these
[1:02:11] plants.
[1:02:11] This
[1:02:15] is also pulled from the application itself,
[1:02:17] the summary of the estimated quantities,
[1:02:19] the description of the plants themselves,
[1:02:23] which are native to that area.
[1:02:24] We don't want to introduce any sort of invasive species out there,
[1:02:30] but you can see there that the soil or dune displacement,
[1:02:34] as well as the vegetative cover,
[1:02:36] which we understand is important.
[1:02:42] Another aspect is also acoustic mitigation.
[1:02:45] Noise levels are anticipated to be directly at the plant,
[1:02:49] similar to what you would experience with a vacuum cleaner or a hairdryer.
[1:02:53] These levels drop quickly within a few hundred feet
[1:02:57] and are back down to normal conversation levels.
[1:03:00] In most cases, the natural sound of the beach, such as the wind and the waves,
[1:03:03] could be more noticeable.
[1:03:06] Also, in addition to mitigating for these types of sounds,
[1:03:12] we've actually gone ahead and we'll be enclosing the structure itself so
[1:03:17] everywhere else in the world they're open they're not enclosed here we're
[1:03:21] going to actually go ahead and enclose it so it does go ahead and muffle or
[1:03:26] mitigate for that that sound and
[1:03:31] that's it I just wanted to take that
[1:03:32] opportunity to be able to provide some additional information for you all
[1:03:37] today so I have one question yes sir beach access which is one of our
[1:03:41] per view. So you're saying how many trucks are rolling in right now?
[1:03:49] Approximately based on this past year about 200. And this unit will result in
[1:03:56] how many trucks? We'll be taking it when if you do the math it would be approximately
[1:04:00] 200 that would be removed about 75% of that. How often do you have to bring
[1:04:04] the trucks in for every launch so this wouldn't negatively impact beach access
[1:04:12] in fact it may help with the traffic correct correct construction itself
[1:04:17] there is no anticipated impact to beach access that of course all sort of
[1:04:21] construction is off of the road but then also lessening the truck traffic
[1:04:27] will allow for you know less congestion on that road yes sir the 4.2
[1:04:32] that you have beach word of this development.
[1:04:35] Will the dunes on that be impacted?
[1:04:39] Not anywhere near the,
[1:04:41] it'll be out of the building setback line.
[1:04:43] So correct.
[1:04:44] That was your second slide.
[1:04:45] Pardon me?
[1:04:45] That was your second slide?
[1:04:47] Correct.
[1:04:47] Okay.
[1:04:48] So that the dune structure in that area
[1:04:49] will not be impacted.
[1:04:51] Correct.
[1:04:52] That would be super.
[1:04:52] You won't have construction material there
[1:04:54] and rocks rolling.
[1:04:55] No, sir.
[1:04:56] That will not be touched.
[1:04:57] All right.
[1:04:58] That's all the questions I have.
[1:05:01] Yes ma'am through
[1:05:07] an underground conveyance.
[1:05:19] Yes ma'am. Correct. There shouldn't be any sort of
[1:05:22] disruption for traffic flow at that point.
[1:05:32] Correct. There should be no interruption of
[1:05:34] access to the beach.
[1:06:03] Right. So good question. So a lot of the any sort of safety consideration
[1:06:11] You know, these are built with safety inherently in mind.
[1:06:16] ASUs, they don't use any chemicals or any solvents,
[1:06:19] and they do have safety mechanisms
[1:06:22] designed to increase safety itself.
[1:06:25] So these structures have been designed to meet
[1:06:27] all of these code requirements
[1:06:29] in order to ensure that safety.
[1:06:31] I think the question was,
[1:06:33] can people still be out there enjoying the beach?
[1:06:37] Yes.
[1:06:37] I guess that's my question.
[1:06:38] Yes.
[1:06:39] Yes, ma'am.
[1:06:43] Yes, ma'am.
[1:06:55] Can't hear the questions.
[1:07:01] Is the production of the fuel, when the ASU is in production, does it create any kind of emissions that may be harmful to people?
[1:07:12] No, but I do have two of our experts that can be able to answer that question more better than I can.
[1:07:20] Sterling or Rylan?
[1:07:24] Yeah. Can you all hear me all right? Yes. Yes. Yes. So the ASU will only vent things
[1:07:35] that have been pulled out of the air already. So there are no vents that were not already
[1:07:42] constituents of the air. So it will only be oxygen or nitrogen in terms of emissions.
[1:07:52] Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
[1:07:56] Yes, sir.
[1:08:04] Methane. Pardon me? The other portion
[1:08:07] of it is binary. You have oxygen and another, is it methane? Yes, sir. Methane is the other
[1:08:14] part. Where is it going to be trucked in? Yes, sir. That is still going to be trucked
[1:08:19] in.
[1:08:24] There was mention of the 20 small foundations, concrete foundations. Are those pipe stanchions
[1:08:32] What are those 20 small pipe concrete foundations?
[1:08:38] I do have another expert here that can speak to you about that cow.
[1:08:43] Are you available?
[1:08:45] Yeah.
[1:08:45] Good afternoon everybody.
[1:08:46] Can you hear me all right?
[1:08:48] Yes.
[1:08:48] Please go ahead.
[1:08:50] Yeah.
[1:08:50] So those foundations shown in the application are basically a mass slab.
[1:08:56] So, kind of a, you know, typical concrete slab, roughly two feet thick.
[1:09:02] I didn't see them on the plot plans.
[1:09:07] That's represented by the boxes labeled as structures.
[1:09:11] I see.
[1:09:15] Cal, what's your last name?
[1:09:16] I'm sorry, everybody has to kind of state who they are.
[1:09:21] Cal Lawsland.
[1:09:26] All right.
[1:09:26] Any other questions from the committee members?
[1:09:32] Any other comments from you all?
[1:09:34] I have one more.
[1:09:35] Yes, ma'am.
[1:09:36] I'm trying to understand, so there's a thousand linear feet that you all are working within, right?
[1:09:42] Yes ma'am.
[1:09:44] They do protect you.
[1:09:44] Is that currently, are they, they're dunes in that area?
[1:09:49] From the mean high tide line through the, yes ma'am.
[1:09:52] So we're gonna, I think I wrote it down, so we're moving 290 cubic yards of sand out?
[1:10:01] Correct.
[1:10:02] That's what I think I saw on your slide.
[1:10:03] Correct.
[1:10:05] So how are we gonna like what are we gonna do to you know there's there's
[1:10:12] wildlife on there there's maybe some animals what are we doing to offset that
[1:10:20] or to mitigate right. So the the soil will be mitigated for off-site over at
[1:10:27] that dune that other portion of property on the south side of highway 4
[1:10:31] That includes, the application includes mitigation for DUNE as well as vegetation.
[1:10:42] My assumption is you would be hiring an expert to do the mitigation.
[1:10:47] Yes, sir.
[1:10:48] Yes, sir.
[1:10:48] A third-party expert on that.
[1:10:50] The accordance with the GLO recommendations, GLO specifies very strictly on what they
[1:10:57] want and then they come into some inspections to make sure it's fulfilled
[1:11:02] and normally it's beyond the scope of any person like myself or SpaceX to go
[1:11:08] ahead and do that we just hire an expert or a company that does that for us so
[1:11:14] my assumption is that you'd be hiring somebody like that that is correct yes
[1:11:17] So, the
[1:11:28] way it's done is that Cameron County is held responsible for making the inspections and reporting to the state that they are in compliance.
[1:11:38] Am I right Auguste?
[1:11:40] That is correct.
[1:11:41] Yeah.
[1:11:41] And if the state says the state will come down and do an inspection, I'm certain they'll come and do an inspection on this one.
[1:11:47] Yeah.
[1:11:49] But what do we do to make sure that the public understands that mitigation has actually occurred,
[1:11:55] because the rest of it is administrative.
[1:11:58] You have folks here that want to know how things are happening, so how do they know?
[1:12:03] Right now there's no specific mechanism for that, Ms. Martinez,
[1:12:08] but our department can make an effort to keep some sort of dashboard out there
[1:12:17] with all the permits that we have issued and what's the status of that, of that sort, that's
[1:12:23] something that, you know, the Department of Resilience and Natural Resources wants to
[1:12:26] do, wants to do, not only for beach, beach, beachfront construction permits, but for drainage
[1:12:31] restoration and the other stuff that we do.
[1:12:34] So that's, that, that would be in the plans.
[1:12:37] The public wants us to close the loop.
[1:12:39] Of course.
[1:12:40] You want to know, okay, they took action, they did this, okay, now what happened?
[1:12:43] They want to make sure there's a, they want to make sure that we're accountable.
[1:12:46] And not just the committee but the court itself.
[1:12:50] So I think it would be a good thing to do for the public to report back out.
[1:12:55] I absolutely agree and we will make sure that my department includes that into the outreach and the reporting that we do.
[1:13:08] Can I ask another?
[1:13:09] Absolutely.
[1:13:09] And I want to direct it to SpaceX, kind of related but not exactly.
[1:13:14] but how do you all ensure or understand what the impact of your footprint is to the environment out there?
[1:13:24] Do you all periodically look at how things are changing out there?
[1:13:29] Or do we know how things are impacting positively or negatively or not at all, the environment, the birds, the habitat out there?
[1:13:39] Do you all look at that periodically?
[1:13:41] Yes, I can speak directly for this particular project, but yes, there's been careful planning
[1:13:46] and consideration, not only with engineers, but also through mitigation to ensure that
[1:13:51] this plan does meet those Texas administrative code rules with General Land Office as well
[1:13:55] as the county plan to ensure that we're meeting all of that.
[1:13:59] So yes, ma'am.
[1:14:00] I'm talking more globally, the company out there, because your operation, it's just
[1:14:10] a completely different entity.
[1:14:13] So how do you keep track of that?
[1:14:16] And we're stakeholders, you know, the public,
[1:14:18] we're all stakeholders out there.
[1:14:22] So I'm asking the question more globally.
[1:14:25] How do you ensure that you're minimizing
[1:14:26] a negative impact on the environment out there?
[1:14:29] So there's a different list of that information available.
[1:14:34] I'd wanna be able to provide you the best answer possible
[1:14:37] and so I'd have to direct you to those experts on that and I can, you know, get that information
[1:14:43] or direct you to them for that.
[1:14:45] I think it would be a good thing for you guys to do that with the public, you know, to just
[1:14:49] get information out.
[1:14:50] I think the public would be very interested in understanding all of that.
[1:14:55] Thank you.
[1:14:57] I think it's part of the emotion on this.
[1:15:00] You could ask for that, that they report to us on a bi-weekly, on this process that they're doing on the den mitigation.
[1:15:08] Even something like an annual report, you know, I know that companies put out economic impact statements that are very important and, you know, so folks want to know what is the positive impact of a company like this to the, to the economy.
[1:15:22] Well, a complementary report would be, how does it impact the environment?
[1:15:28] So I would just like to suggest that.
[1:15:32] Yeah, communication is key, I guess.
[1:15:35] All right, any other comments or questions from the committee?
[1:15:42] I'd look for a motion from the committee.
[1:15:47] Anybody would like to make a motion?
[1:15:57] And then if we get a second, of course, we can have further discussion.
[1:16:04] I'm sorry. I'm looking for a motion from the committee on this particular item.
[1:16:15] Motion would permit further discussion.
[1:16:19] A second would, yeah.
[1:16:26] Can you turn that on?
[1:16:28] I motion to approve the permit for the beachfront construction certificate.
[1:16:36] I can second that, but I would just like to add that there's periodic reporting to this committee
[1:16:42] and the Commissioner's Court about the progress of the Dune Mitigation Plan.
[1:16:47] If that's okay with you, if you could change that motion to that, I can second that.
[1:16:52] Are you good with that? You can say that, and is that okay?
[1:16:56] She made a motion that we approve the Dune Protection or recommend approval to the
[1:17:06] Commissioner's Court with the condition that we get periodic reporting on this
[1:17:14] particular on the progress of the mitigation.
[1:17:17] You already said you already get that.
[1:17:23] Okay, I have motion and a second discussion.
[1:17:27] Any other questions, discussion?
[1:17:31] Please go ahead.
[1:17:33] Does the committee members have any questions?
[1:17:39] All right, hearing none, we'll take a vote.
[1:17:41] All in favor say aye.
[1:17:44] Aye.
[1:17:48] Okay, can you?
[1:17:50] Yes, does the aye.
[1:17:53] I'll need a yes or no?
[1:17:56] When you vote, can you please speak into the microphone?
[1:18:00] President, I'm President, so he's upstanding.
[1:18:05] I'm sorry, what's your name?
[1:18:07] No.
[1:18:08] Okay, we have one no, one abstention, and three, four, the motion passes.
[1:18:11] Thank you.
[1:18:13] We'll move on to the...
[1:18:14] Oh, my goodness.
[1:18:17] All right.
[1:18:17] Are you fucking kidding me, Rosemary?
[1:18:20] Can you mute that, please?
[1:18:21] Can you please mute all the participants or participants?
[1:18:26] Thank you.
[1:18:26] Thank you very much. Any other business? Move on to the next item.
[1:18:31] All right. Hearing no other business, we'll adjourn.
[1:18:34] Thank you very much. You'll have a great July 4th.
[1:18:36] Mr. Chairman, we need a motion to adjourn.
[1:18:39] Motion to adjourn. So moved.
[1:18:42] Motion second. All in favor say aye.
[1:18:44] Aye.
[1:18:44] All right. Meeting is adjourned. Thank you.