Posted on September 11, 2026
VERMILION PARISH, La. (Acadiana News First) – Conversations between SpaceX and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority began in March.
CPRA Executive Director Michael Hare said one of SpaceX’s first questions was how it could develop the property without harming ongoing coastal restoration work.
“Their first immediate issue was they wanted to make sure that they weren’t causing any harm to the work we were doing and to really better understand how they could become a partner with us, understanding what those dynamic landscapes would look like, what the challenges are,” Hare said.
He said part of that challenge is the rapid loss of Vermilion Parish’s coastline, which is eroding by about 20 to 25 feet a year.
“Certainly, we have other areas as you get further inland that are very impounded, meaning the waterways are now cut off from their natural drainage, and that’s really starving the marsh, and so looking at both a shoreline protection to stop that erosion, as well as looking at projects across their acreage, as well as other areas across Vermilion Parish, Iberia and possibly Cameron Parish to improve hydrology,” Hare said.
Before SpaceX can officially start building, the company must file permits, Hare said. He said that will require restoration to wetlands impacted by the construction.
“They are a large landowner, and what do they want to do to try to manage this now 125,000 acres that they’re going to own, and I could see them doing maybe smaller projects, working with NGOs and local community groups with the parish and others to think about maybe smaller projects that they do across that entire landscape over the next 10, 20 years,” he said.
