SpaceX has spent years reshaping the Texas coast near the Mexican border into a company town called "Starbase" — which has closed public beaches and damaged nearby wildlife refuges.
Now that story is moving into Louisiana marsh that's long served as a de facto commons for hunting, fishing, and trapping. An eighteen-mile stretch of Louisiana coast — 130,000 acres known as Pecan Island, once Exxon land — is set to become a spaceport, and the state is planning to waive a whole suite of environmental laws.
What has SpaceX actually built in Texas? What's planned for Louisiana? And what does it mean for the Gulf's ecology and its recreational economy?
Join us live this Friday, 11:30 CST / 12:30 EST, for a discussion — open to everyone — with three reporters who've been covering different pieces of this story:
- Dean Boudreaux (The Current) — based in Lafayette, close to the proposed site, reporting on how the deal is landing locally.
- Joseph Bullington (independent / In These Times) — has reported closely on Starbase, Texas, and what SpaceX's presence there has meant for the coast
- Alex Lubben (Times-Picayune) — broke the news of the Pecan Island deal in Louisiana
Moderated by Southlands founding editor Boyce Upholt. 45 minutes, with live Q&A.
RSVP here.
The recording will be available afterward exclusively for Southlands subscribers. Subscribe here!