[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 128 (Monday, July 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38504-38505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16464]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Availability
of the Final Environmental Assessment (Final EA), Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI), and Record of Decision (ROD) for the
Houston Spaceport, City of Houston, Harris County, Texas
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final EA and FONSI/ROD.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the 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 Final EA and FONSI/ROD for the Houston
Spaceport.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Czelusniak, Office of
Commercial Space Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Ave. SW., Suite 325, Washington DC 20591; phone (202) 267-
5924; or email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final EA was prepared to analyze the
potential environmental impacts of Houston Airport System's (HAS's)
proposal to establish and operate a commercial space launch site at the
Ellington Airport (EFD), in Houston, Texas and offer the site to
prospective commercial space launch operators for the operation of
horizontal take-off and horizontal landing Concept X and Concept Z
reusable launch vehicles (RLVs). To operate a commercial space launch
site, HAS must obtain a commercial space launch site operator license
from the FAA. Under the Proposed Action addressed in the Final EA, the
FAA would: (1) Issue a launch site operator license to HAS for the
operation of a commercial space launch site at EFD; (2) issue launch
licenses to prospective commercial space launch operators that would
allow them to conduct launches of horizontal take-off and horizontal
landing Concept X and Concept Z RLVs from EFD, and (3) provide
unconditional approval to the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) modifications
that reflect the designation of a spaceport boundary and construction
of planned spaceport facilities and infrastructure. Proposed launch
operations would begin in 2015 and continue through 2019 in accordance
with the terms of the launch site operator license. HAS proposes to
provide RLV operators the ability to conduct up to 50 launches and
landings (or 100 operations) per year, with approximately five percent
of the operations expected to occur during night-time hours.
The Final EA addresses the potential environmental impacts of
implementing the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. Under
the No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue a launch site
operator license to HAS, and thus no launch licenses would be issued to
individual commercial space launch vehicle operators to operate at EFD.
Also, there would be no need to update the EFD ALP, and thus there
would be no FAA approval of a revised ALP. Existing operations would
continue at EFD, which is currently classified as a general aviation
reliever airport.
The environmental impact categories considered in the Final EA
include air quality; climate; coastal resources; compatible land use;
Department of Transportation Act: Section 4(f); fish, wildlife, and
plants; floodplains; hazardous materials, pollution prevention, and
solid waste; historical, architectural, archaeological, and cultural
resources; light emissions and visual impacts; natural resources and
energy supply; noise; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and
children's environmental health and safety risks; water quality; and
wetlands. The Final EA also considers the potential secondary (induced)
impacts and cumulative impacts.
The FAA has posted the Final EA and FONSI/ROD on the FAA Office of
Commercial Space Transportation Web site: http://www.faa.gov/about/
[[Page 38505]]
office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/
operator/.
The FAA published a Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EA in
the Federal Register on December 31, 2014. The NOA was also published
in the Houston Chronicle on January 7, 2015, and in the Bay Area
Citizen, Pasadena Citizen, Friendswood Journal, and Pearl Journal on
January 8, 2015. An electronic version of the Draft EA was also made
available on the FAA Web site. In addition, the FAA printed and mailed
a copy of the Draft EA to the following libraries: Clear Lake City-
County Freeman Branch Library, Friendswood Public Library, Alvin
Library, Hitchcock Public Library, and Reagan County Library. The FAA
held an open house public meeting on January 22, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. to
8:30 p.m. at the Space Center Houston, Silvermoon Conference Room. The
public comment period ended on January 31, 2015. Public comments on the
Draft EA resulted in minor changes to the EA.
Issued in Washington, DC on June 24, 2015.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-16464 Filed 7-2-15; 8:45 am]
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