[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41349-41350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16615]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Approval on
a Record of Decision (ROD) for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, Cameron
County, Texas
AGENCY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of approval of Record of Decision.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,
as amended (NEPA; 42 United States Code 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,
Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, the FAA is announcing
the availability of the ROD for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, Cameron
County, Texas. The ROD provides the FAA's final environmental
determination and approval to support the issuance of launch licenses
and/or experimental permits that would allow Space Exploration
Technologies Corp. (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 proposed in the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) published in May 2014.
The ROD provides a description of the applicant's Proposed Action
and reasonable alternatives, and identifies the FAA's preferred and the
environmentally preferred alternative. It includes a discussion of
environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action in each
resource area, as analyzed in the Final EIS. The ROD summarizes the
mitigation and enforcement actions that would be made the subject of
the terms and conditions of the launch licenses and/or experimental
permits issued to SpaceX, as well as other conservation and enhancement
measures described in the Final EIS and presented for consideration.
The Final EIS, prepared by the FAA for the SpaceX Texas Launch
Site, serves as the primary reference and basis for preparation of the
ROD. The Final EIS documents the analysis of environmental consequences
associated with the construction and operation of the SpaceX Texas
Launch Site and the No Action Alternative. The FAA is the lead Federal
agency responsible for preparation of the EIS and ROD. Cooperating
agencies include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration,
National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, and
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The EIS and ROD were prepared
pursuant to the requirements of NEPA, the CEQ Regulations for
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, and FAA Order 1050.1E,
Change 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures.
The FAA has posted the ROD on the FAA Web site at http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/spacex_texas_launch_site_environmental_impact_statement/.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacey M. Zee, Environmental
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW.,
Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; email [email protected]; or phone
(202) 267-9305.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Proposed Action, which is the
FAA's preferred alternative, the FAA would issue launch licenses and/or
experimental permits to SpaceX that would allow SpaceX to conduct
launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch
vehicles, and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles, from an
exclusive-use launch site on privately owned property in Cameron
County, Texas. The site (including the control center area and vertical
launch area) consists of up to four parcels totaling 68.9 acres of land
near the terminus of State Highway 4 (Boca Chica Boulevard), adjacent
to the village of Boca Chica. The site is in a sparsely populated
coastal area on the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 3 miles north of the
U.S./Mexico border, 17 miles east-northeast of the Brownsville/South
Padre Island International Airport, and 5 miles south of South Padre
Island.
Proposed launch operations would consist of up to 12 commercial
launch operations per year, including launches of the Falcon 9, a
maximum of two Falcon Heavy launches, and/or associated mission
rehearsals and static fire engine tests, through 2025.
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches would have commercial payloads,
including satellites or experimental payloads, and may carry a capsule,
such as the SpaceX Dragon capsule. The Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy use
liquid fuels including liquid oxygen and rocket propellant-1. Within
the 12 launch operations per year, SpaceX may elect to have permitted
launches of smaller reusable suborbital launch vehicles from this
proposed site. A reusable suborbital launch vehicle could consist of a
Falcon 9 Stage 1 tank. All launch trajectories would be to the east
over the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of launches would be conducted
between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. However, there could be
one nighttime launch per year.
In addition, the Proposed Action includes construction of
facilities needed to support launch activities at the proposed launch
site. SpaceX would construct a vertical launch area and a control
center area. The control center area would be approximately 2 miles
west of the vertical launch area and could consist of up to three
parcels. All facilities would be constructed through private funding,
on currently undeveloped, privately-owned property
[[Page 41350]]
that would be purchased or leased by SpaceX. In addition, a new
underground utility line would be installed in the right-of-way of
State Highway 4 from the control center area to the vertical launch
area.
The FAA identified a range of reasonable alternatives; however, the
alternatives identified that did not meet the purpose and need as well
as those that were not technically, operationally, or economically
prudent or feasible were excluded from detailed consideration in the
Final EIS. The Final EIS provides a detailed evaluation of the Proposed
Action (Preferred Alternative) and the No Action Alternative. Under the
No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue launch licenses and/or
experimental permits to SpaceX for launch operations from the private
site in Cameron County, Texas. Thus, SpaceX would not construct the
proposed control center and vertical launch areas.
Resource areas were considered to provide a context for
understanding and assessing the potential environmental effects of the
Proposed Action, with attention focused on key issues. The resource
areas considered included Compatible Land Use (including Farmlands and
Coastal Resources); Section 4(f) Properties; Noise; Light Emissions and
Visual Impacts; Historical, Architectural, Archaeological, and Cultural
resources; Air Quality; Water Resources (including Surface Waters,
Groundwater, Wetlands, Floodplains, and Wild and Scenic Rivers);
Biological Resources (Fish, Wildlife, and Plants); Hazardous Materials,
Pollution Prevention, and Solid Waste; Socioeconomics, Environmental
Justice, and Children's Environmental Health and Safety Risks; and
Natural Resources and Energy Supply.
As stated in the ROD and supported by the Final EIS, the No Action
Alternative is not consistent with the purpose and need for action,
including the FAA's statutory direction from Congress under the
Commercial Space Launch Act to encourage, facilitate, and promote
commercial space launch and reentry activities by the private sector in
order to strengthen and expand U.S. space transportation
infrastructure. The Preferred Alternative, the applicant's Proposed
Action, would allow the greatest development and growth of the U.S.
commercial space launch industry. Adoption of this alternative will
result in the construction and operation of a private launch site that
is consistent with the purpose and need for the Proposed Action, while
at the same time avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating the harm to the
environment. Therefore, the FAA has selected the Preferred Alternative.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2014.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-16615 Filed 7-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P