Elon Musk seeks to tighten his grip on a remote stretch of coastline near the Texas-Mexico border where the billionaire wants to control access to Boca Chica beach.
Musk's SpaceX has already transformed the area, with its sprawling Starbase complex serving as the launch site for the towering Starship rocket. Now, Musk wants the power to close a public beach whenever SpaceX needs to launch, Kut News reported.
Texas law currently gives Cameron County the authority to close Boca Chica Beach during rocket tests and launches. A new bill backed by Republican lawmakers would shift that power to the soon-to-be-incorporated city of Starbase, a municipality expected to be formed and led by SpaceX-connected candidates.
Environmentalists, local leaders, and some lawmakers object to the proposal, arguing it amounts to giving public land to a private company. Critics point to the Texas Constitution's strong protections for public beach access and warn this move sets a dangerous precedent.
"You're talking about changing the current authority of Cameron County and handing it over to a city that, at this moment, is nonexistent," said Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, who is typically supportive of Musk's influence in the county but opposed to this bill.
Supporters argue the change is minor and necessary for progress. Opponents call it a power grab.
"Why is it that we are singling out this particular city, this particular company town, for more control while all other municipalities across the state, we are curtailing their authority?" Democratic Sen. Sarah Eckhardt asked as the Texas Senate briefly debated the bill last week. "If you don't like the way the commissioners court is voting, then you could just start your own city, right?"
The bill passed the Texas Senate along party lines and now awaits a vote in the House. If approved, it would give the city of Starbase the ability to close Boca Chica Beach Monday through Friday at noon. Weekends would remain under county control.
Meanwhile, local grassroots groups are still fighting a 2013 law that allowed limited beach closures for SpaceX, arguing it violates the state's constitutional right to beach access. That case is now before the Texas Supreme Court.
As SpaceX looks to ramp up its annual launches from five to 25, the battle for Boca Chica — once a tranquil beach for locals — is becoming a defining showdown over land, power, and the reach of Elon Musk in Texas.
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