E-BRO-SION

Elon Musk’s New Texas Neighbors Don’t Want His Poop in Their River

Eager for investment but protective of their rural homeland, these Texans are not super thrilled with Musk’s environmental stewardship.

Elon Musk’s companies might bring with them a lot of cash, but they also bring one more tiny thing: rampant development. This means lots of trees coming down and billions of dollars’ worth of campuses going up. And it also means a lot of workers coming into the area, as regulators reportedly caution that Musk is, as Washington Post reporter Jeanne Whalen puts it, “moving too fast.” After moving his companies to Texas in 2021, the Post reports that Musk’s companies SpaceX and Boring have coated the hilltops with warehouses, much to the chagrin of some neighbors. Now, the companies are “seeking state permission to dump treated wastewater into the nearby Colorado River.” Local real estate agent Judah Ross summarizes the situation with impressive brevity: “I love Elon, and we need more industry here,” he tells the Post. “I just don’t want him to dump his poop in the river.” Musk and his companies did not respond to the Post’s requests for comment.