When the SpaceX Starship self-destruct system exploded it over the Gulf of Mexico in April, it's easy to imagine that Center for Biological Diversity and other predatory law groups were giddy - they had a new reason to sue someone and collect a settlement check.
That time has finally arrived, they can start counting yacht payments.
Because environmental groups have mastered 'sue and settle' agreements with prearranged outcomes, and with the Biden administration in a panic about losing the election in 2024, environmental groups know government agencies won't be allowed to alienate anyone in the tribe.
So they are suing the FAA. A perfunctory jab is to ask FAA to revoke the SpaceX license but the real goal is the usual grift; FAA may even have already negotiated the settlement amount, which SpaceX will then have to pay.(1)
“Federal officials should defend vulnerable wildlife and frontline communities, not give a pass to corporate interests that want to use treasured coastal landscapes as a dumping ground for space waste,” CBD wrote. Oh brother.
NOTE:
(1) This is done a lot by any administration, but the Obama years set a new record for it. They even had environmental groups writing policy for them. Only three years into the Biden era, he is on pace to beat it, but President Obama knew he was coasting to an easy win in 2012 - his first term he only had to blame President Bush for garbage policies like the bloated 'cash for clunkers' program and voters would call any Republican a wealthy oligarch; ignoring that former VP Al Gore had become 10X as wealthy as the Republican opponents selling greenwashing to companies.
