[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 249 (Monday, December 29, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79539-79541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30845]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Approval on
a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Spaceport America Commercial Launch
Site, Sierra County, NM
AGENCY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Approval of Record of Decision.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1, the FAA is announcing the
availability of the ROD for the Spaceport America Commercial Launch
Site, Sierra County, New Mexico. The ROD provides the FAA's final
environmental determination and approval to support
[[Page 79540]]
the issuance of a Launch Site Operator License to the New Mexico
Spaceport Authority (NMSA) to operate Spaceport America, as proposed in
the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) published in November
2008.
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 Site Operator License issued to
NMSA, 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 Spaceport America
Commercial 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 Spaceport America and reasonable alternatives to the
Proposed Action. The FAA is the lead Federal agency responsible for the
preparation of the EIS and ROD for the proposed Spaceport America.
Cooperating agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, the
National Park Service, the U.S. Army's White Sands Missile Range
(WSMR), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The EIS
and ROD were prepared pursuant to the requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.),
the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing
the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), 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://ast.faa.gov. In addition, paper copies of the ROD will be sent out with
the signed Programmatic Agreement to persons and agencies on the
distribution list (found in Chapter 8 of the Final EIS). The
Programmatic Agreement addresses significant impacts to Historical,
Architectural, Archaeological, and Cultural Resources from the Proposed
Action.
Additional Information: Under the Proposed Action, and the
alternative selected by the FAA for implementation, the FAA would issue
a Launch Site Operator License to NMSA that would allow the State to
operate the proposed Spaceport America Commercial Launch Site. The EIS
analyzed launching both horizontal and vertical launch vehicle (LV)
launches. Horizontal LVs would launch and land at the proposed
Spaceport America airfield. Vertical LVs would launch from Spaceport
America and either land at Spaceport America or at WSMR. Rocket-powered
vertical landing vehicles would land on either the Spaceport America
airfield or a vertical launch/landing pad.
In addition, the Proposed Action includes construction of
facilities needed to support the licensed launch activities at the
proposed launch site. Development of Spaceport America infrastructure
would occur in two phases. The total area of land disturbed by
construction would be approximately 970 acres; the total area of the
final facilities footprint would be approximately 145 acres. The
proposed Spaceport America boundary would encompass approximately 26
square miles. This area currently contains both State and private land.
Operational activities in support of the Proposed Action would
begin as soon as the phased construction activities related to the
Proposed Action were completed. The operational activities that may
have environmental consequences and would support, either directly or
indirectly, licensed launches include:
Transport of Launch Vehicles to the Assembly or Staging
Areas
Transport and Storage of Rocket Propellants and Other
Fuels
Launch, Landing and Recovery Activities for Horizontal
Vehicles
Launch, Landing and Recovery Activities for Vertical
Vehicles
Other Activities
--Ground-Based Tests and Static Firings
--Training
--X Prize Cup Events
The FAA identified two alternatives and the No Action Alternative
to the Proposed Action, which are considered in the Final EIS. Under
Alternative 1, FAA would consider issuing a Launch Site Operator
License only for the operation of a launch site to support horizontal
launches. This is considered a feasible alternative because a
significant number of launches of horizontal LVs are projected, and
most X Prize Cup activities would be located at the airfield.
Under Alternative 2, FAA would consider issuing a Launch Site
Operator License only for the operation of a launch site to support
vertical launches. This is considered a feasible alternative because a
significant number of launches are projected to be of vertical LVs.
Under the No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue a Launch
Site Operator License to the NMSA. Subsequently, the need to support
commercial launches and host the X Prize Cup would not be met by the
State of New Mexico.
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; Section 4(f) lands and
farmlands; noise; visual resources and light emissions; historical,
architectural, archaeological, and cultural resources; air quality;
water quality, wetlands, wild and scenic rivers, coastal resources, and
floodplains; fish, wildlife, and plants; hazardous materials, pollution
prevention, and solid waste; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and
children's environmental health and safety risks; and energy supply and
natural resources. Construction impacts and secondary (induced) impacts
are also considered. Additional analyses considered in the appendices
include geology and soils; mineral resources; air space; health and
safety; and transportation.
As stated in the ROD and supported by the Final EIS, Alternatives 1
and 2 and the No Action Alternative would result in restrictive
licensing that would impede the FAA's ability to assist the commercial
space transportation industry in meeting projected demand for services
and expansion into new markets. The Preferred Alternative, the
applicant's Proposed Action, would allow the greatest development and
growth of the U.S. commercial space launch industry. In addition,
although implementation of the Preferred Alternative would result in
slightly greater environmental impacts than the overall impacts
associated with the alternatives including the No Action Alternative,
the impacts are still expected to be less than significant, in all but
one resource area. Therefore, the FAA has selected the Preferred
Alternative.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacey M. Zee (AST-100), Office of
Commercial Space Transportation, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Room 331,
Washington, DC 20591, telephone (202) 267-9305; E-mail
[email protected].
[[Page 79541]]
Issued in Washington, DC on December 18, 2008.
Michael McElligott,
Manager, Space Systems Development Division.
[FR Doc. E8-30845 Filed 12-24-08; 8:45 am]
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