Judge OKs Controversial US Land Swap With SpaceX

SpaceX just logged a win in its push to expand into a federal wildlife refuge near the Texas-Mexico border. A federal judge on Monday refused to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from handing Elon Musk's company roughly 715 acres of land forming part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in a contested swap, reports the Guardian. US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled that environmental and tribal groups hadn't shown the exchange would significantly harm the refuge while the lawsuit proceeds, calling their evidence "relatively weak."

SpaceX aims to trade 683 acres it owns in Cameron County for the refuge land, which is closer to its launchpad. The US Fish and Wildlife Service has said the deal, which it approved in June, brings a "net conservation benefit," as transferred land would be added to another federal wildlife refuge about 20 miles away. Opponents dispute that conclusion, arguing the move effectively allows bulldozers to clear a portion of the site of the last land battle of the Civil War and habitat for endangered species, per the New York Times. They've vowed to keep fighting in court as the Trump administration considers another controversial land swap in which a portion of Yosemite National Park would be transferred to a developer.