Republish SpaceX says the new plant will mean fewer trucks on the roads delivering the liquid gas it needs for its rockets. Credit: SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. The county approved the permit with several stipulations. Chief among them is restoration. SpaceX must either restore or replace each dune that is destroyed, leaving the affected coastal area as good or better than it was before. If SpaceX is found to have failed in those efforts, the Texas General Land Office could take enforcement action in the form of civil penalties. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The county will be tasked with monitoring whether the company has met the requirements. However, several residents and SpaceX critics were unsatisfied with the information provided by SpaceX about the project and how the company would mitigate damage to the vegetation. Additionally, some were frustrated by the window of time allotted for public input and urged the commissioners to table the item and provide 30 days of notice for a public hearing. The commissioners pushed ahead, noting they had already tabled the item during a previous meeting. Augusto Sanchez, the Cameron County director of natural resources, said the residents’ concerns were valid but reiterated that efforts would be made to mitigate disturbances to the environment. He added that his department worked with the company to shift construction westward. The project was initially proposed to be built 230 feet from the line of vegetation but that has since been moved another 50 feet inland. Bill Berg, a member of Save RGV, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group that has continually opposed SpaceX’s expanded footprint in the area, lamented that residents’ comments during the meeting didn’t seem to make a difference. “I think that it’s clearly true today how the government of Cameron County is kind of falling over to please SpaceX,” Berg said. Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc. Disclosure: Texas General Land Office has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Shape the future of Texas at the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin! We bring together Texas’ most inspiring thinkers, leaders and innovators to discuss the issues that matter to you. Get tickets now and join us this November. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase. Texans need truth. Help us report it. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount? Support independent Texas news