The Trump administration is considering giving nearly 800 acres of land in a federal wildlife refuge in Texas to SpaceX, the rocket and satellite maker run by Elon Musk, according to documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The company would use the land to expand its rocket launch and production site in Cameron County, Texas. In exchange, SpaceX would give the government hundreds of acres of its own property, some of which is about 32km from the refuge, the documents show.

The proposed exchange, which has not previously been reported, has alarmed some conservationists and archaeologists. They worry that SpaceX could degrade tracts that are home to numerous endangered species as well as artifacts from a Civil War-era battlefield.

SpaceX’s operations in Texas have already harmed the ecologically sensitive area along the Gulf Coast, according to a Times investigation. A rocket launch last year sent debris flying across fragile habitat for migratory birds, crushing nests and doing other damage, the investigation found.

Under the proposed deal, the US Fish and Wildlife Service would give SpaceX 775 acres of land that is currently part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, according to the documents. The refuge is a vital sanctuary for endangered species like the ocelot and the jaguarundi.

The parcels include portions of the Palmito Ranch Battlefield, the site of the last land battle of the Civil War, the documents show. They are near an area known as the Massey site, where the company tests components of its Starship rocket.

In return, SpaceX would give the government around 692 acres of property it has purchased elsewhere in Cameron County, according to the documents. Some of these tracts would be added to the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, about 32km up the coast.

New York Times News Service