[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 62 (Thursday, April 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16551-16552]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7129]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Availability 
and Request for Comment on the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Assessment (Draft SEA) to the September 2008 Environmental Assessment 
for Space Florida Launch Site Operator License, Brevard County, FL

AGENCY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), lead Federal agency 
and United States Air Force, cooperating agency

ACTION: Notice of availability, notice of public comment period, and 
request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act 
regulations of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
Council on Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508), and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1, the FAA is 
announcing the availability of and requesting comments on the Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) to the September 2008 
Environmental Assessment for Space Florida Launch Site Operator 
License. The Draft SEA was prepared in response to an application for a 
Launch Site Operator License from Space Florida. Under the Proposed 
Action, the FAA would issue a Launch Site Operator License to Space 
Florida to operate a commercial space launch site at Launch Complex 36 
(LC-36) and LC-46 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in 
Brevard County, Florida. The license would allow Space Florida to 
support vertical launches of both solid and liquid propellant launch 
vehicles from LC-36 and LC-46. LC-46 is the easternmost launch complex 
at CCAFS, located at the tip of Cape Canaveral, and LC-36 is located in 
the east-central portion of CCAFS. The Draft SEA addresses the 
potential environmental impacts of issuing a Launch Site Operator 
License for the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative.
    The FAA has posted the Draft SEA on the FAA Office of Commercial 
Space Transportation Web site at http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/. In addition, copies of the Draft SEA were 
sent to persons and agencies on the distribution list (found in Chapter 
8 of the Draft SEA). A paper copy and a CD version of the Draft SEA may 
be reviewed for comment during regular business hours at the following 
locations:

Titusville Public Library, 2121 S. Hopkins Ave., Titusville, FL 32780.
Cocoa Beach Public Library, 550 North Brevard Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL 
32931.
Cape Canaveral Public Library, 201 Polk Avenue, Cape Canaveral, FL 
32920.
Merritt Island Public Library, 1195 North Courtenay Parkway, Merritt 
Island, FL 32953.

DATES: The public comment period for the Draft SEA begins with the 
issuance of this Notice of Availability. The FAA encourages all 
interested parties to provide comments concerning the scope and content 
of the Draft SEA. To ensure that all comments can be addressed in the 
Final SEA, comments on the draft must be received by the FAA no later 
than April 27, 2010. Comments should be as specific as possible and 
address the analysis of potential environmental impacts and the 
adequacy of the proposed action or merits of alternatives and the 
mitigation being considered. Reviewers should organize their comments 
to be meaningful and inform the FAA of their interests and concerns by 
quoting or providing specific references to the text of the Draft SEA. 
Matters that could have been raised with specificity during the comment 
period on the Draft SEA may not be considered if they are raised for 
the first time later in the decision process. This commenting procedure 
is intended to ensure that substantive comments and

[[Page 16552]]

concerns are made available to the FAA in a timely manner so that the 
FAA has an opportunity to address them.

ADDRESSES: Please submit comments in writing to: FAA Space Florida 
Supplemental EA, c/o ICF International, 9300 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA 
22031. Comments may also be submitted via e-mail to 
[email protected]. For questions or additional information on the 
Draft SEA, please contact Mr. Daniel Czelusniak, FAA Environmental 
Specialist, at (202) 267-5924 or [email protected].

Additional Information

    Under the Proposed Action, the FAA would issue a Launch Site 
Operator License to Space Florida to operate LC-36 and LC-46 as a 
commercial space launch site for vertical launches of both solid and 
liquid propellant launch vehicles. The proposed activities at LC-46 
remain consistent with those analyzed in the 2008 EA which analyzed the 
potential environmental impacts of the FAA issuing a Launch Site 
Operator License to Space Florida to operate a commercial space launch 
site at LC-46. The 2008 EA analyzed the operation of several types of 
vertical launch vehicles from LC-46, including Athena-1 and Athena-2, 
Minotaur, Taurus, Falcon 1, Alliant Techsystems small launch vehicles, 
and other Castor[supreg] 120-based or Minuteman-derivative booster 
vehicles. The Proposed Action also includes construction and operation 
activities to redevelop LC-36 into commercial space launch site. The 
Draft SEA expands on the analysis provided in the 2008 EA to include an 
analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the construction and 
operation activities associated with the redevelopment of LC-36 into a 
commercial space launch site. Redeveloping LC-36 into a multi-use 
commercial space launch site involves construction of facilities to 
launch a Generic Launch Vehicle (GLV), which is a conceptual (or 
``surrogate'') liquid propellant medium class launch vehicle with a 
solid propellant second stage, and a bipropellant third stage, used for 
the purposes of the environmental review. Redevelopment activities at 
LC-36 would include building access roads; erecting a security fence; 
reconstituting several existing facilities; constructing an elevated 
launch deck, associated flame ducts, water storage tank, and water 
deluge containment pool; and installing electrical, communication, and 
air systems. Redevelopment would occur in phases dictated by costs and 
schedule, and facility construction or modifications would take place 
only on previously disturbed ground. The only alternative to the 
Proposed Action is the No Action Alternative. Under this alternative 
the FAA would not issue a Launch Site Operator License to Space Florida 
for commercial launches from LC-36 and LC-46 at CCAFS.
    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 in the Draft SEA included air quality; biological 
resources (terrestrial vegetation and wildlife, marine species, and 
protected species); compatible land use (land use, light emissions, 
visual resources, and coastal resources); cultural resources and 
Section 4(f) properties; hazardous materials, solid waste, and 
pollution prevention; noise; socioeconomic resources; and water 
resources (surface water, groundwater, floodplains, and wetlands). 
Potential cumulative impacts of the Proposed Action are also addressed 
in the Draft SEA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Czelusniak, Environmental 
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Suite 331, Washington, DC 20591, by e-mail at 
[email protected], or by phone at (202) 267-5924.

    Issued in Washington, DC on: March 24, 2010.
Michael McElligott,
Manager, Space Systems Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-7129 Filed 3-31-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-13-P