[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 69 (Monday, April 12, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17635-17636]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8977]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Air Force
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV)
Program
This notifies the public that the Department of the Air Force,
through Space and Missile Systems Center's Evolved Expendable Launch
Vehicle (EELV) System Program Office (SMC/MV), intends to supplement
the EELV Final Environment Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of
Decision (ROD) dated June 8, 1998. The Air Force supplement will be
prepared to further the purposes of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) by inviting public involvement in the evaluation of a new,
supplemental proposal to the action analyzed in the original NEPA
document.
The FEIS documented the impact of implementing the EELV program. At
that time, two baseline vehicle configurations were evaluated: (1) A
liquid-oxygen/liquid-hydrogen core booster (with the option of small,
strap-on solid rocket motors), and (2) a liquid-oxygen/kerosene core
booster. The Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) will
evaluate the proposed use of some EELV vehicle variants using large,
strap-on solid rocket motors to reduce launch costs, increase mission
launch options, protect launch schedules, and improve mission
responsiveness. These launches would take place at Cape Canaveral Air
Station (CCAS) in Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in
California.
In 1994, a multi-agency Space Launch Modernization Plan was
developed to evaluate national space launch systems and to improve
United States launch capability. The current EELV program objectives
evolved from the resulting study. The purpose of the development and
deployment of the EELV is to meet the U.S. Government National Mission
Model, both medium and heavy-lift, at a lower cost of launch to the
nation than the present expendable launch systems (which consist
primarily of Delta II, Atlas II, Titan II, and Titan IV). EELV is
intended to launch national security, civil, and commercial payloads.
No crew-rated or cargo-return missions are planned.
On October 16, 1998, the EELV System Program Office awarded
Development Agreements and Initial Launch Services contracts to two
contractors, McDonnell Douglas Corporation (a wholly-owned subsidiary
of the Boeing Company) and Lockheed Martin Astronautics. Furthermore,
the Air Force is preparing to enter into real property agreements with
both contractors to permit the use of Air Force facilities for
deployment of EELV systems. These decisions were supported by the June
8, 1998 ROD as premised upon in the EELV FEIS. Full descriptions of the
previously analyzed EELV systems are available in the FEIS at the
following Internet address: http://ax.laafb.af.mil/axf/EELV.htm.
In accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations
implementing NEPA, specifically 40 CFR 1502.9(c), ``an agency shall
prepare supplements to either draft or final environmental impact
statements when substantial changes in the proposed action are made
relevant to environmental concerns.'' The proposed action to consider
permitting the use of EELV vehicles using larger strap-on solid rocket
motors may be considered a substantial change to the action
[[Page 17636]]
previously analyzed in the FEIS and would present different potential
environmental impacts due to the use of different propellants. The size
and number of solid rocket motors to be used on each launch vehicle
will be proposed by the launch vehicle contractors, Lockheed Martin and
the Boeing Company. The solid propellant to be used in the strap-on
motors will most likely consist of ammonium perchlorate, aluminum, and
organic binder. Details regarding propellant composition, propellant
masses, and emissions impacts will be included in the SEIS. Because of
the projected differences in the environmental impacts between the
systems previously examined and the new alternative, the Department of
the Air Force will prepare a supplement to the EELV FEIS.
The SEIS will analyze the potential environmental impacts resulting
from the use of solid rocket motors on EELV vehicles. Both government
and commercial launches will be analyzed to assess cumulative effects.
The total EELV launch rate including launches using solid rocket motors
are not expected to exceed those addressed in the FEIS. The first
launch of a solid rocket motor variant is anticipated in 2001 at CCAS
and 2002 at VAFB. EELV launches using solid rocket motors are not
expected to exceed 7 to 12 per year from VAFB and 14 to 21 launches per
year from CCAS.
The no-action alternative to the proposed action is to limit EELV
launches from Air Force facilities to those launch vehicle variants
previously analyzed in the FEIS. That is, the Government could choose
not to permit the use of strap-on solid rocket motors. This would
result in the use of only the systems considered in the June 1998 ROD.
Environmental issues to be analyzed in the SEIS include, but are
not limited to: air quality, hazardous materials processing, hazardous
waste, stratospheric impacts, health and safety, launch debris, launch
noise, sonic boom impacts, construction modifications due to program
changes from FEIS, and effects of new launch variants on biological
species, ground waters, and all other natural and cultural resources.
The Air Force is soliciting public input and comments concerning
the environmental aspects to be addressed in the SEIS. To ensure that
the Air Force has sufficient time to fully consider public response,
written comments need to be received no later than April 26, 1999.
Comments should be mailed to: SMC/AXFV, Attn: Ted Krawczyk,
Environmental Engineer, 2420 Vela Way, Suite 1467, El Segundo, CA
90245-4659. Comments may also be sent via fax (310) 363-1503, and e-
mail: Theodore.K[email protected].
The SEIS is expected to be available for public review in Summer
1999. A notice of availability will be published in the Federal
Register announcing issuance of the draft SEIS.
Carolyn A. Lunsford,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-8977 Filed 4-9-99; 8:45 am]
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