Residents of rural Bastrop, Texas, are raising concerns over Elon Musk’s companies’ expansion into their area. The Boring Co. and SpaceX have taken over 200 acres of unincorporated land along the Colorado River, constructing massive buildings and digging tunnels. Musk’s vision for the area includes a company town, which he has described as a Texas utopia.
But some locals are worried that their farmland is being transformed into an industrial site. At a recent public meeting, residents expressed alarm over the companies’ plan to build their own wastewater plant and spray the treated water on fields or discharge it into the river. They pointed to environmental violations already racked up by the companies as cause for more evaluation.
Musk’s Bastrop County facilities are expected to grow so large that he is planning a 110-home subdivision for employees, with The Boring Co. executives discussing the possibility of incorporating it as a town. This has left some residents feeling uneasy about how little they know about Musk’s long-term plans.
Musk’s companies are not new to industrial expansion in rural areas, having already developed new outposts in Nevada, California and elsewhere. But this rapid expansion has come at a cost, with some rural landscapes being transformed without locals fully understanding the implications. As one resident put it, “Things keep changing, evolving … I think there’s a trust issue, to some degree.”
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The controversy surrounding Musk's Snailbrook project has not gone unnoticed by the media. Some have praised Musk's vision for creating a sustainable community, while others have criticized him for potentially causing environmental damage and ignoring local concerns. The Snailbrook project's environmental impact statement, which is required by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, has not yet been made public, and the commission is still reviewing The Boring Co.'s application for a wastewater discharge permit.
Despite the opposition and controversy, Musk's Snailbrook project is moving forward. He reportedly plans to offer rental houses to workers well below the local market value, with one ad allegedly advertising a two- or three-bedroom home for just $800 per month, compared to the $2,200 per month in nearby Bastrop, Texas. Musk also has talked about holding an election for the town's mayor at a Boring all-hands-on-deck meeting last year, further demonstrating his desire for control over the town's operations.
Whether Musk's Snailbrook project will be a success or a failure remains to be seen. Musk has a track record of pushing boundaries and defying expectations, and his vision for a sustainable community may be just what Texas needs. But the environmental concerns raised by locals cannot be ignored, and Musk must address them if he hopes to win their support.
Regardless of the outcome, Musk's Snailbrook project has reignited the age-old debate about the role of businesses in shaping communities and the responsibilities they have to the people who live in them.
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