SpaceX Sues Texas Officials Over Terafab Records

SpaceX is suing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Grimes County to block the release of records concerning its planned Terafab semiconductor facility. The records requests, filed by Grimes County residents on behalf of a local citizens group, seek SpaceX’s tax-abatement application and communications with county officials about the project’s incentives and approval. Paxton’s office ruled in July that some attorney-client communications could remain confidential but that most other records should be released. SpaceX argues that disclosure would expose confidential costs, technical details, land-acquisition information, and negotiating strategies to competitors and other jurisdictions. Terafab, a proposed facility spanning more than 100 million square feet, has an announced first-phase investment of $16.8 billion and could ultimately involve up to $119 billion; local opponents have also raised concerns about its effects on rural life, property values, infrastructure, and the environment.