Judge allows SpaceX land swap for more than 700 wildlife-refuge acres in Texas

The land being transferred to SpaceX is part of the 103,000-acre Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. A federal judge has refused to block a land swap that would give SpaceX more than 700 acres of a wildlife refuge in Texas. The decision allows the Trump administration to move ahead with the exchange while environmental groups and tribal groups continue their legal challenge.US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr on Monday rejected a request from the groups for a preliminary injunction to stop the exchange. According to news agency Associated Press, the plaintiffs had argued that the deal could increase ecological risks in the Gulf Coast region, which has already been affected by the expansion of SpaceX’s rocket operations.The land being transferred to SpaceX is part of the 103,000-acre Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge stretches across four counties along the Texas border and contains animal habitats as well as historical landmarks. The land SpaceX would receive is closer to its launchpad near the US-Mexico border.The US Fish and Wildlife Service approved the land exchange in June. Under the deal, SpaceX would give the federal government 68...