[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 200 (Thursday, October 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 59676]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26090]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Extension of Scoping

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of extension of scoping for the Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement for Licensing Launches of Horizontally 
Launched Vehicles and Reentries of Reentry Vehicles.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (PEIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on Environmental Quality 
implementing regulations and is requesting comments in preparation of 
the PEIS. The FAA has extended public scoping for the PEIS to ensure 
that all interested government and private organizations, and the 
general public have an opportunity to express their concerns and 
identify topics that should be addressed in the PEIS. Scoping comments 
will be accepted until October 31, 2003. This PEIS will assess 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, reasonable 
alternatives including those identified during scoping, the no action 
alternative, and cumulative impacts. This PEIS will support decisions 
made to meet the FAA's responsibility to license commercial launch and 
reentry operations and the operation of launch and reentry sites 
consistent with public health and safety, safety of property, and the 
national security and foreign policy interests of the United States. 
Issuing a launch or reentry license is a Federal action and is 
therefore subject to NEPA review.
    Proposed Action and Possible Alternatives: The proposed action for 
this PEIS is to license the launch and landing of horizontally launched 
vehicles and the reentry of reentry vehicles. A reentry vehicle is 
defined in 14 CFR 401.5 as ``a vehicle designed to return from Earth 
orbit or outer space to Earth substantially intact. A reusable launch 
vehicle (RLV) that is designed to return from Earth orbit or outer 
space to Earth substantially intact is a reentry vehicle.'' Launch, as 
defined in 14 CFR 401.5, means ``to place or try to place a launch 
vehicle or reentry vehicle and any payload from Earth in a suborbital 
trajectory, in Earth orbit in outer space, or otherwise in outer space, 
and includes activities involved in the preparation of a launch vehicle 
for flight, when those activities take place at a launch site in the 
United States. The term launch includes the flight of a launch vehicle 
and pre-flight ground operations beginning with the arrival of a launch 
vehicle or payload at a U.S. launch site. For purposes of an expendable 
launch vehicle launch, flight ends after the licensee's last exercise 
of control over its launch vehicle. For purposes of an orbital RLV 
launch, flight ends after deployment of a payload for an RLV having 
payload deployment as a mission objective. For other orbital RLVs, 
flight ends upon completion of the first sustained, steady-state orbit 
of an RLV at its intended location.''
    Alternatives to the proposed action may include activities such as 
not licensing horizontal launches, not licensing vertical reentries, 
not licensing horizontal reentries, not licensing powered reentries, 
and not licensing unpowered reentries.
    FAA exercises licensing authority in accordance with the Commercial 
Space Launch Act and Commercial Space Transportation Licensing 
Regulations, 14 CFR Ch.III, which authorize the FAA to license the 
launch of a launch vehicle when conducted within the U.S. and those 
operated by U.S. citizens abroad. The scope of the PEIS would include 
launches on both orbital and suborbital trajectories.
    In May 1992, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the Final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Commercial Reentry 
Vehicles that assessed the environmental impacts of licensing the 
unpowered reentry of reentry vehicles from space to Earth. This 1992 
PEIS relied in part on the analysis in the Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment of Commercial Expendable Launch Vehicle Programs, February 
1986.
    In May 2001, the FAA issued the Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for Licensing Launches, which assessed the environmental 
impacts of licensing commercial launches. This 2001 PEIS updated and 
replaced the 1986 Programmatic Environmental Assessment (EA).
    The PEIS for Licensing Launches of Horizontally Launched Vehicles 
and Reentries of Reentry Vehicles will update and replace the 1992 PEIS 
and address the launch of horizontally launched vehicles and the 
reentry of all reentry vehicles.
    Scoping: Public scoping will be conducted as part of the PEIS 
development process to ensure that all interested government and 
private organizations, and the general public have an opportunity to 
express their concerns and identify topics that should be addressed in 
the PEIS. The FAA has developed a public participation Web site (http://ast.faa.gov/), which provides information on the development of this 
PEIS and provides the public an opportunity to submit comments 
electronically. Materials on the web site include information about 
licensing and the NEPA process; frequently asked questions, a fact 
sheet on the PEIS; a comparison of the analysis of the previous 
programmatic documents; and public comment forms. Scoping meetings may 
be requested by organizations or individuals that feel their concerns 
cannot be met through the online opportunity to comment. Information 
regarding the development of the PEIS is available on the public 
participation web site at http://ast.faa.gov/, under the ``What's new 
on the AST Web site `` Announcements'' section.
    To Submit Comments: Written comments, statements, and/or questions 
regarding scoping issues or the PEIS process should be addressed to Ms. 
Michon Washington, FAA Environmental Specialist, FAA PEIS, c/o ICF 
Consulting, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia 22031; phone (703) 934-
3950; fax (703) 934-3951; e-mail at [email protected]; or by 
Web site http://ast.faa.gov/. Comments should clearly identify and 
describe the specific issue(s) or topics to be included in the PEIS. To 
ensure sufficient time to consider issues identified during public 
scoping, comments should be submitted no later than October 31, 2003.

Charles Larsen,
(Acting) Manager, Space Systems Development Division.
[FR Doc. 03-26090 Filed 10-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P