The Interior Department has granted its top technology chief a limited ethics waiver to work on some issues that could affect a former employer, the rocket and technology company SpaceX, which is majority-owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
Paul McInerny was appointed Interior chief information officer in May, after prior Interior IT officials left the agency due to a dispute with members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency downsizing team. McInerny weeks later disclosed his ongoing financial stake in SpaceX to Interior ethics officials, according to the waiver.
Interior holds numerous contracts with SpaceX, including for internet and satellite services in remote areas and maritime equipment, according to the ethics waiver.
SpaceX, and its founder Musk, have also been embroiled in conflict over the environmental effects of its rocket testing, including a now abandoned plan to test cargo-carrying rockets in the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge off the coast of Hawaii. Musk’s SpaceX rocket launches in Texas have run afoul of EPA and been accused by environmental groups of polluting nearby wildlife refuges.
