[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 76 (Friday, April 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23629-23630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09161]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Availability
and Request for Comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
the SpaceX Texas Launch Site
AGENCY: DOT, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), lead Federal
agency; and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National
Park Service, U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, cooperating agencies.
ACTION: Notice of Availability, Notice of Public Comment Period, Notice
of Public Hearing, and Request for Comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA; 42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321 et seq.),
Council on Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations (40 Code
of Federal Regulations parts 1500 to 1508), and FAA Order 1050.1E,
Change 1, the FAA, Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) is
announcing the availability of and requesting comments on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site (Draft
EIS). This Draft EIS is also submitted for review pursuant to the
following public law requirements: Section 4(f) of the Department of
Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. Section 303); Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470); Executive Order 11988,
Floodplain Management; DOT Order 5650.2, Floodplain Management and
Protection; Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands; and DOT
Order 5660.1A, Preservation of the Nation's Wetlands.
An electronic version of the Draft EIS is available on the FAA/AST
Web site: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/spacex_texas_launch_site_environmental_impact_statement/. In addition, copies of
the Draft EIS were sent to persons and agencies on the distribution
list (found in Chapter 11 of the Draft EIS). A paper copy and an
electronic version of the Draft EIS may be reviewed during regular
business hours at the following Brownsville locations:
Brownsville Public Library Main Branch, 2600 Central Blvd.
Southmost Branch Library, 4320 Southmost Blvd.
University of Texas at Brownsville, Oliveira Library, 80
Fort Brown St.
The FAA will hold a public hearing to solicit comments from the
public concerning the scope and content of the Draft EIS.
May 7, 2013, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the International
Technology, Education, and Commerce (ITEC) Center, located at 301
Mexico Boulevard, Suite G-1, Brownsville, TX 78520.
The public hearing will include a poster information session from
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., FAA presentation from 6:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.,
followed by a public statement period in which members of the public
may provide up to a 3-minute statement. The FAA will transcribe all
oral comments. All comments received during the comment period will be
given equal weight and be taken into consideration in the preparation
of the Final EIS.
DATES: The public comment period for the Draft EIS begins with the
issuance of this Notice of Availability and last 45 days. The FAA
encourages interested agencies, organizations, Native American tribes,
and members of the public to submit comments concerning the scope and
content of the Draft EIS by June 3, 2013. Comments on the Draft EIS
should be as specific as possible and address the analysis of potential
environmental impacts and the adequacy of the Proposed Action or merits
of alternatives and the mitigation being considered. Reviewers should
organize their participation so that it is meaningful and makes the
agency aware of the reviewer's interests and concerns using quotations
and other specific references to the text of the Draft EIS and related
documents. Matters that could have been raised with specificity during
the comment period on the Draft EIS may not be considered if they are
raised for the first time later in the decision process. This
commenting procedure is intended to ensure that substantive comments
and concerns are made available to the FAA in a timely manner so that
the FAA has an opportunity to address them.
ADDRESSES: Please submit comments or questions regarding the Draft EIS
to Ms. Stacey M. Zee, FAA Environmental Specialist, SpaceX EIS c/o
Cardno TEC Inc., 275 West Street, Suite 110, Annapolis, MD 21401.
Comments may also be submitted via email to [email protected]
or by fax to (410) 990-0455.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stacey M. Zee, Environmental
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue
SW., Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; email [email protected]; or
phone (202) 267-9305.
Additional Information
The Proposed Action is for the FAA to issue launch licenses and/or
experimental permits to SpaceX that would allow SpaceX to launch the
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch vehicles and a
variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles from a launch site on
privately-owned property in Cameron County, Texas. As part of the
Proposed Action, SpaceX plans to construct facilities, structures, and
utility connections in order to support the launch of the Falcon 9 and
Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. The facilities would be located in two
areas:
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vertical launch area and control center area. The proposed vertical
launch area site is currently undeveloped and is located directly
adjacent to the eastern terminus of Texas State Highway 4 (Boca Chica
Boulevard) and approximately 3 miles north of the Mexican border on the
Gulf Coast. It is located approximately 5 miles south of Port Isabel
and South Padre Island. At the vertical launch area, the new facilities
required would include an integration and processing hangar, a launch
pad and stand with its associated flame duct, a water tower, a
retention basic for deluge water, propellant storage and handling
areas, a workshop and office area, and a warehouse for parts storage.
The command and control functions for a launch are required to be
conducted at a safe separation distance from the actual launch pad. The
control center area would be located inland, approximately 2 miles west
of the vertical launch area and would include control center buildings,
payload processing facilities, a launch vehicle processing hangar,
generators and diesel storage facilities, and a satellite fuels storage
facility. All facilities would be constructed through private funding,
on currently undeveloped private property that would be purchased or
leased by SpaceX. In addition, new underground power lines would be
installed in the State Highway 4 Right-of-Way from the control center
area to the vertical launch area.
Operations would consist of up to 12 launches per year with a
maximum of two Falcon Heavy launches. All Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
launches would be expected to have commercial payloads, including
satellites or experimental payloads. In addition to standard payloads,
the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy may also carry a capsule, such as the
SpaceX Dragon capsule. All launch trajectories would be to the east
over the Gulf of Mexico.
Alternatives under consideration include the Proposed Action and
the No Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the FAA
would not issue a license or experimental permit to SpaceX. The Draft
EIS evaluates the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental
impacts of the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative on several
environmental impact categories, including compatible land use
(including farmlands and coastal resources); Section 4(f) properties;
noise; visual resources and light emissions; historical, architectural,
archaeological, and cultural resources; air quality; water resources
(including wetlands, floodplains, surface waters, groundwater, and wild
and scenic rivers); biological resources (including fish, wildlife, and
plants); hazardous materials, pollution prevention, and solid waste;
socioeconomics, environmental justice, and children's environmental
health risks and safety risks; energy supply and natural resources; and
secondary (induced) impacts. Additional resources were also considered
including airspace, health and safety, and ground traffic and
transportation. The Proposed Action would include a significant
encroachment on floodplains per DOT Order 5650.2, Floodplain Management
Protection.
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2013.
Daniel Murray,
Deputy Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-09161 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
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