SpaceX starship project approved: environmental protection work blocked, residents overwhelmed

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腾讯科技讯9月30日，美国太空探索技术公司SpaceX正准备发射太空史上最大的火箭。如果得到联邦监管机构的批准，它将从德克萨斯州南端的海岸设施起飞。然而，当地居民和研究人员强烈批评该项目的许可程序，称特斯拉藐视法律，以牺牲环境和社区利益为代价。

Tencent technology news on September 30, US space exploration technology company SpaceX is preparing to launch the largest rocket in space history. If approved by federal regulators, it will take off from a coastal facility at the southern tip of Texas. However, local residents and researchers are fiercely criticizing the licensing process of the project, saying Tesla is flouting the law and at the expense of the environment and community interests.

SpaceX在未经监管部门批准的情况下为星际飞船建造了发射塔，并在没有实际发射许可证的情况下开始组装火箭

SpaceX has built a launch tower for the Starship without regulatory approval and has begun assembling rockets without an actual launch license

通往SpaceX设施的唯一途径是德克萨斯州4号公路。这条路与格兰德河平行，从布朗斯维尔到博卡奇卡海滩。40分钟的车程将带领游客穿过茂密多刺的灌木丛，这是濒危豹猫的首选栖息地。在多刺的植被后面是平坦的海岸、沙丘和宁静的海滩，是濒危海龟和独特候鸟的家园。

The only way to the SpaceX facility is Texas Highway 4. The road runs parallel to the Rio Grande from Brownsville to Boca Chica beach. A 40 minute drive takes visitors through dense thorny bushes, which is the preferred habitat for the endangered leopard cat. Behind the thorny vegetation is the flat coast, sand dunes and quiet beaches, home to endangered turtles and unique migratory birds.

环保调查受阻

Environmental protection investigation is hindered

今年9月初，卡梅伦县的警车关闭了道路。一名警官告诉非营利研究和保护组织滨海湾和河口项目主任大卫·纽斯特德："高速公路已经关闭，直到另行通知。"但事实上，警官犯了一个错误，道路封闭是"临时和间歇的封闭令"。

In early September this year, police cars in Cameron County closed the road. A police officer told David Newstead, director of the coastal bend bays & Estuary Program, a non-profit research and protection organization: "the highway has been closed until further notice." but in fact, the police officer made a mistake and the road closure is a "temporary and intermittent closure order".

卡梅伦县警察与戴维·纽斯特德就4号公路的关闭进行了沟通

Cameron County police officers communicated with David Newstead about the closure of Highway 4

最后，经过反复沟通，这位警官将警车开走，让纽斯泰德通过。但其他人不知道，封路实际上是应一家私营公司的要求进行的。在被告知高速公路关闭后，这些人不得不返回布朗斯维尔。SpaceX每年只允许完全关闭博卡奇卡海滩300小时。Newstead解释说："这意味着他们将发射火箭、测试火箭或类似的东西。"

Finally, after repeated communication, the police officer removed his police car and let Newstead pass. But others did not know that the road closure was actually carried out at the request of a private company. After being told that the highway was closed, these people had to return to Brownsville. SpaceX is only allowed to completely close boccachica beach for 300 hours a year. "That means they will launch rockets, test them or something like that," Newstead explained

然而，在卡梅隆县的许可下，SpaceX可以关闭4号公路，并保持海滩开放，这是那里唯一的通道。即使人们不能进入或离开海滩，每年300小时的限制也不包括此类封闭。Newstead估计SpaceX实际上每年关闭海滩超过1000小时。

However, with the permission of Cameron County, SpaceX can close highway 4 and keep the beach open, which is the only access there. This type of closure is not included in the 300 hour limit per year, even if people cannot enter or leave the beach. Newstead estimates that SpaceX actually closes the beach for more than 1000 hours a year.

这条将近13公里长的狭长地带从南帕德雷岛的底部延伸到格兰德河流入墨西哥湾的地方。它在布朗斯维尔以拉丁裔为主的工人阶级中非常流行。频繁关闭应用程序使Newstead进行的研究复杂化，这通常需要每周进行多次调查。"自去年以来，这基本上是不可能的，"他说

This nearly 13 kilometer long strip extends from the bottom of South Padre Island to the place where the Rio Grande flows into the Gulf of Mexico. It is very popular among the Latino dominated working class in Brownsville. The frequent closure of applications complicates the research undertaken by Newstead, which usually requires multiple surveys per week. "Since last year, this is basically impossible," he said

斯蒂芬妮·比洛多（Stephanie Bilodeau）是纽斯特德领导的海岸鸟类项目的保护生物学家，也是试图进行这些调查的研究人员之一。她说："过去，我们在发射台附近发现了12个雪巢和威尔逊巢，但随着时间的推移，数量正在缓慢减少。今年，我们在该地区只发现了一个鸟巢。"。

Stephanie Bilodeau, a conservation biologist at the coastal bird project led by Newstead, was one of the researchers trying to conduct these investigations. "In the past, we found 12 snow nests and Wilson nests in the season near the launch pad, but the number is slowly decreasing over time. This year, we found only one bird's nest in that area," she said.

海鸟们在博卡奇卡海滩休息，SpaceX的发射设施站在背景中

The seabirds rest on boccachica beach, with SpaceX's launch facility standing in the background

SpaceX进入boccachka之前，联邦航空管理局（FAA）发布了一份"环境影响声明"，这是联邦法律要求的深入审查。从那时起，联邦航空局允许该公司将其活动扩展到最初计划的水平之外。neusted说："他们几乎批准SpaceX想要做的任何事情。到目前为止，他们已经进行了五次书面重新评估，现在该项目与最初的计划没有任何相似之处。"

Before SpaceX entered boccachka, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an "environmental impact statement", which is an in-depth review required by federal law. Since then, the FAA has allowed the company to expand its activities beyond the level originally planned. "They almost approve whatever SpaceX wants to do. So far, they have conducted five written reassessments, and now the project has no resemblance to the original plan," neusted said

美国联邦航空局没有就SpaceX日益大规模的试验和发射发布新的环境影响声明，但进行了一系列"重新评估"。该机构表示，SpaceX不断扩大的业务规模不足以证明需要进行更多审查，尽管这种情况可能很快就会改变。联邦航空局目前正在重新评估星舰项目发射可能产生的影响。如果允许的话，这将是有史以来发射的最大的火箭。

FAA did not give a new environmental impact statement for SpaceX's increasingly large-scale test and launch, but conducted a series of "reassessments". The agency said that the scale of SpaceX's expanding business is not large enough to prove the need for more review, although this situation may change soon. The FAA is currently reassessing the possible impact of the launch of the Starship project. If allowed, it would be the largest rocket ever launched.

在与发射相关的重新评估中，联邦航空局写道："任何潜在危险品的意外释放都将按照SpaceX的危险品应急计划进行处理。因此，联邦航空局环境影响报告书中包含的数据和分析基本上仍然有效，拟议行动不会对危险品、固体废物和污染预防产生重大影响。简而言之：SpaceX对任何事故都有响应计划，因此即使发生事故，也不会产生重大影响。

In its launch related reassessment, the FAA wrote: "any accidental release of potential hazardous materials will be handled in accordance with SpaceX's hazardous materials emergency plan. Therefore, the data and analysis contained in the FAA environmental impact statement are basically still valid, and the proposed action will not have a significant impact on hazardous materials, solid waste and pollution prevention." In short: SpaceX has a response plan for any accident, so even if an accident occurs, it will not have a significant impact.

Boccachica成为SpaceX的"后花园"

Boccachica became SpaceX's "back garden"

今年3月底，SpaceX公司在通过了美国联邦航空局不太严格的重新评估程序后，测试了星际飞船的原型。然而，原型机发生爆炸，火箭部件涌入德克萨斯州公园和野生动物部（tpwd）监督的受保护栖息地。Tpwd的研究人员无法进入该地区，SpaceX派出重型机械取回散落在这片敏感土地上数公里的碎片。

In late March this year, SpaceX tested the prototype of the starship, after the company had passed the less rigorous reassessment process of the FAA. However, the prototype exploded and rocket parts poured into protected habitats supervised by the Texas Department of parks and wildlife (tpwd). Tpwd researchers were unable to enter the area, and SpaceX dispatched heavy machinery to retrieve the debris scattered for several kilometers on this sensitive land.

tpwd的一位生物学家在推特上写道："这是SpaceX的地盘。我需要将实地工作重新安排到明年，因为我不能在州际公路或州际海滩上开车。虽然这是公共土地和重要的受保护栖息地，但SpaceX刚刚安装了火箭部件。"

A biologist at tpwd wrote on Twitter: "this is SpaceX's territory. I need to reschedule the field work to next year because I can't drive on the interstate highway or interstate beach. Although this is public land and a key protected habitat, SpaceX has just been sprinkled with rocket parts"

在一次内部沟通中，tpwd的一位负责人回信给生物学家："我们进入自己的房产应该不会这么困难。我的印象是，他们不知道自己在四天内在做什么，想保留所有选择是完全不可接受的。"生物学家说，他被要求删除推特，并表示纳税人要承担频繁关闭的成本。

In an internal communication, a person in charge of tpwd wrote back to the biologist: "it should never be so difficult for us to enter our own property. My impression is that they don't know what they are doing in four days, and it's totally unacceptable to want to keep all their options." the biologist said that he was asked to delete tweets, And said taxpayers bear the cost of frequent closures.

美国鱼类和野生动物管理局（U.S.Fish and wildlife service）也提出了类似的担忧，该局在该地区设有国家野生动物保护区。该机构获得了大量描述"未经授权侵入保护区"的文件，许多照片显示"SpaceX员工将保护区土地用作停车场，甚至用作排水沟"。SpaceX拒绝置评，也没有回答书面问题。

Similar concerns arise from the U.S. Fish and wildlife service, which operates a national wildlife refuge in the region. The agency obtained a number of documents describing "unauthorized intrusion into the reserve", and many photos showed that "SpaceX employees use the reserve land as a parking lot and even as a drainage ditch". SpaceX declined to comment and did not respond to written questions.

tpwd州立公园区域总监里根·福特在一份书面声明中说："Tpwd和SpaceX正在就一系列共同感兴趣的问题进行谈判。我们邻近的土地和各自的任务有时需要更密切的合作，因此我们正在继续努力改进措施，以减轻对该地区国家公园和户外娱乐的影响。Tpwd致力于实施减少或抵消长期影响的战略。我们共同关心的是，重点是我们各自的实体如何能够更好地作为相邻所有者运营。"

In a written statement, Reagan faught, regional director of tpwd State Park, said: "Tpwd and SpaceX are negotiating on a range of issues of mutual interest. Our adjacent land and respective missions sometimes require closer cooperation, so we are continuing to strive to improve measures to mitigate the impact on state parks and outdoor entertainment in the region. Tpwd is committed to implementing strategies to reduce or offset long-term impacts. What we are concerned about together The focus is on how our respective entities can better operate and operate as adjacent owners. "

当地居民只能卖掉房子离开

Local residents can only sell their houses and leave

现在，4号公路挤满了SpaceX设备、员工、承包商和爱好者。交通流量的增加导致更多的致命事故和对驾驶员的更多危险。SpaceX因今年早些时候35岁的卡洛斯·维尼加斯（Carlos Venegas）的死亡而面临2000万美元的诉讼。维尼加斯家族聘请的一名律师说，凌晨4点，维尼加斯带着妻子和孩子从海滩开车回来，但撞上了一辆停在路边的18轮卡车。

Now, highway 4 is crowded with SpaceX equipment, employees, contractors and enthusiasts. The increase in traffic flow leads to more fatal accidents and more dangers to drivers. SpaceX faces a $20 million lawsuit for the death of Carlos Venegas, a 35 year old man earlier this year. A lawyer hired by Venegas's family said that at 4 a.m., Venegas drove back from the beach with his wife and children, but hit a stalled 18 wheel truck blocking the road.

随着SpaceX相关交通量的增加，研究人员注意到德克萨斯州4号公路上的车祸数量增加。该地区生活着许多山猫和豹等濒危物种

As SpaceX related traffic increased, the researchers noted an increase in the number of crashes on Texas Highway 4. There are many Bobcats and endangered species such as leopard cats living in the area

在4号公路成为SpaceX制造设施和发射场之间的大动脉之前，这条公路很安静，只为公共土地和退休社区服务。

Before highway 4 became the artery between SpaceX manufacturing facilities and the launch site, the road was quiet and served only public land and retirement communities.

在伊莎贝尔港附近，远眺布朗斯维尔海峡、南湾和SpaceX设施，玛丽亚·波普尔在"两章"中描述了她的生活。她温柔地笑着说："我们现在正进入玛丽亚生命的第二章。我们在荒野中度过的美好生活很难找到。"此前，波因特在4号公路尽头的博卡奇卡海滩附近拥有自己的房子。"我们以为没有人会在路的尽头找到我们，"她说。然而，随着SpaceX的到来，这一切都改变了。

Near port Isabel, overlooking the Brownsville channel, South Bay and SpaceX facilities in the distance, Maria pointer described her life in "two chapters". She smiled softly and said, "we are now entering the second chapter of Maria's life. The good life we spent in the wilderness is hard to find." before, point had his own house near boccachka beach, near the end of Highway 4. "We thought no one would find us at the end of the road," she said. However, with the arrival of SpaceX, all this changed.

在其最初的环境影响声明中，联邦航空局表示，除了偶尔发射火箭外，该地区的居民，如point，晚上不会受到干扰。声明说："预计拟议的日常运营不会对社区的噪音水平产生重大影响。但是，在猎鹰9号火箭和猎鹰重型火箭夜间发射期间，博卡奇卡村35户家庭的噪音影响将被视为严重。"

In its initial environmental impact statement, the FAA said that except for the occasional launch of rockets, the residents of the area, like point, would not be disturbed at night. "It is not expected that the proposed daily operation will have a significant impact on the noise level of the community. However, during the night launch of Falcon 9 rocket and Falcon heavy rocket, the noise impact on 35 families in bokachika village will be considered serious," the statement said

随着SpaceX的业务后来开始增长，波因特和她的丈夫饱受全天候噪音之苦。"这给我们带来了很大的压力，因为我们都有健康问题，所以我们都很痛苦，"她说。points最终将房子卖给了SpaceX。

As SpaceX's business later began to grow, pointe and her husband suffered from all-weather noise. "It's putting a lot of pressure on us because we both have health problems, so we're in pain," she said. The points finally sold the house to SpaceX.

她回忆说："人们说，'天哪，玛丽亚，你在支持SpaceX。他们要拿走你的房子。你是个白痴但他们可能不明白，除了被剥夺睡眠之外，空气中还有灯光、噪音、令人窒息的灰尘、沙子和污垢。你可以听到他们在风中敲打你的房子。你周围的树木和植物甚至都死了。你不能理解你不能在那种情况下正常生活，你不能与亿万富翁抗争。"

She recalled: "People are saying, 'my God, Maria, you're supporting SpaceX. They're going to take your house. You're an idiot!' but they may not understand that in addition to being deprived of sleep, there are lights, noise, choking dust, sand and dirt in the air. You can hear them beating your house in the wind. The trees and plants around you are even dead. You can't understand You can't live normally in that situation, and you can't fight billionaires. "

现在，第二章开始。博恩特夫妇在海湾对面买了一栋新房子，可以看到SpaceX发射场的景色。她经营自己的YouTube频道"星舰博卡奇卡"，专门播放SpaceX相关内容。该频道拥有16000多名订户和数百万的浏览量。尽管痛苦，波因特还是对麝香在火星殖民的宏伟愿景感到兴奋。

Now, the second chapter begins. The boynts bought a new house across the Bay and can see the scenery of the SpaceX launch site. She runs her own YouTube channel "starship Boca Chica", which specializes in broadcasting SpaceX related content. The channel has more than 16000 subscribers and millions of views. Despite the pain, pointe was excited about Musk's grand vision of colonizing Mars.

当然，不是每个人都有相同的感觉。谢丽尔·史蒂文斯将出租的房子卖给了SpaceX。这曾经是她的主要收入来源，她计划在那里退休。史蒂文斯说："我不明白为什么人们认为马斯克是个天才。在我看来，他是个反社会的人。"

Of course, not everyone feels the same. Cheryl Stevens sold her rental house to SpaceX. This used to be her main source of income, where she plans to retire. "I don't understand why people think musk is a genius. In my opinion, he is an antisocial person," Stevens said

在2019年的一封信中，SpaceX告诉Stevens等bokaqika居民，公司最初预计他们的生活不会受到干扰。然而，该公司表示，他们需要遵守联邦航空局的规定，继续扩大业务，这将使他们无法维持最初的承诺。史蒂文斯说："为了让事情按SpaceX希望的方式发展，他们会说任何他们需要说的话。事实上，这是事实，就像经典的诱饵销售方法一样。"

In a letter in 2019, SpaceX told bokaqika residents such as Stevens that the company initially expected little interference to their lives. However, the company said that they need to comply with FAA regulations and continue to expand their business, which will make it impossible for them to maintain their initial commitment. "In order for things to go the way SpaceX wants them to, they will say anything they need to say. In fact, that's the truth, just like the classic bait selling method," Stevens said

此外，在布朗斯维尔，由于马斯克鼓励外来者入住，房价飙升。当地倡导组织Fuera SpaceX组织了抗议者，并批评了为SpaceX铺平道路的地方民选官员。这些官员经常提到SpaceX等公司将在表面上带来的经济利益和就业机会。

Further on, in Brownsville, house prices soared as musk encouraged outsiders to move in. The local advocacy group Fuera SpaceX organized protesters and criticized local elected officials who helped pave the way for SpaceX. These officials often mention the economic benefits and employment opportunities that companies like SpaceX will bring on the surface.

抗议组织者xandra Trevi o说："马斯克一直在邀请来自美国乃至世界各地的人才到SpaceX工作。这里的人收入很低，但不包括他们。他们从来不想卷入这件事，而贫富差距只会越来越大。"

Protest organizer xandra Trevi o said: "musk is always inviting talents from all over the United States and even around the world to work in SpaceX. The people here have a low income, but they are not included. They never want to get involved in this matter, and this wealth gap will only grow."

对于SpaceX而言，通往火星的道路已经暂时关闭，因为美国联邦航空局正在评估历史上最大的火箭发射对环境的影响。该机构正在就星际飞船项目寻求公众意见，马斯克呼吁他的6000万推特粉丝提供支持。"人类在月球、火星和其他星球的未来取决于星际飞船，"他写道

For SpaceX, the road to Mars has been temporarily closed because the FAA is assessing the environmental impact of the largest rocket launch in history. The agency is seeking public opinion on the Starship project, and musk calls on his 60 million twitter fans to provide support. "Man's future on the moon, Mars and beyond depends on starships," he wrote

SpaceX似乎有信心获得FAA的批准。该公司未经监管部门批准建造了发射塔，并在没有实际发射许可证的情况下开始组装火箭。（腾讯科技/金鹿审核）

SpaceX seems confident of obtaining FAA approval. The company has built a launch tower without regulatory approval and started assembling rockets without an actual launch license. (reviewed by Tencent technology / Jinlu)

Link：https://new.qq.com/omn/20210930/20210930A067K700.html

update time：2021-09-30 14:40:26