Groups sue FAA over environmental fallout from SpaceX rocket explosion

May 1 (UPI) -- South Texas environmental organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration over its response to the explosion of SpaceX's Starship.

The complaint against the FAA alleges the agency did not appropriately analyze the environmental effect of the Starship explosion or effectively mitigate the harm done to the local habitat from its launch on April 20.

Five co-plaintiffs are involved in the suit: the Center for Biological Diversity, American Bird Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation, Save RGV, and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas. The lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C.

SpaceX Starbase, located in Boca Chica, Texas, is located near the natural habitat of several protected species, such as the Kemp's ridley sea turtle, the smallest sea turtle in the world, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. The turtle is an endangered species.

"The area surrounding the SpaceX facility at Boca Chica is a biologically diverse and essential habitat for many species, including federally protected wildlife and animals that are considered sacred to the Carrizo/Comecrudo People, such as the critically endangered ocelot," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has found that other SpaceX rocket explosions have caused significant harm to protected wildlife and their habitat. It argues that while the FAA considers the rocket explosions to be anomalies, they have been far more frequent, with at least eight in the last five years.

"The Carrizo/Comecrudo people's sacred lands are once again being threatened by imperialist policies that treat our cultural heritage as less valuable than corporate interests," Juan Mancias, tribal chair of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, said in a statement. "Boca Chica is central to our creation story. But we have been cut off from the land our ancestors lived on for thousands of years due to SpaceX, which is using our ancestral lands as a sacrifice zone for its rockets."

Last week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service completed a survey of the fallout resulting from Starship's explosion over the Gulf of Mexico. It found that debris from the explosion has spread over at least 350 acres. It found no dead birds or wildlife.