[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 22, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72218-72220]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30155]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (11-115)]


National Environmental Policy Act; NASA Routine Payloads on 
Expendable Launch Vehicles

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), 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 parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and 
procedures (14 CFR part 1216 subpart 1216.3), NASA has made a Finding 
of No Significant Impact (FONSI) with respect to the proposed launch of 
NASA Routine Payloads on expendable launch vehicles. The proposed 
launches would occur from existing launch facilities at Cape Canaveral 
Air Force Station (CCAFS), Florida, Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), 
California, the United States Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site 
(USAKA/RTS) in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), NASA's 
Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Virginia, and the Kodiak Launch Complex 
(KLC), Alaska.
    This FONSI summarizes NASA's consideration of environmental impacts 
for routine payloads being launched at facilities addressed in the 
draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for NASA Routine Payloads on 
Expendable Launch Vehicles dated August 2011. The final EA updates the 
Final Environmental Assessment for Launch of NASA Routine Payloads on 
Expendable Launch Vehicles from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station 
Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base California published in June 2002 
(2002 NRP EA). The final EA and FONSI incorporate by reference the 2002 
NRP EA. For completeness, much of the June 2002 NRP EA is restated in 
this final EA.
    The Cooperating Agencies on this final EA include the Federal 
Aviation Administration, the Air Force Space and Missile System Center, 
the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command, and the National Oceanic 
and Atmosphere Administration.

DATES: Effective date is November 22, 2011.

ADDRESSES: The final Environmental Assessment (EA) that serves as the 
basis for this FONSI may be viewed at http://www.nasa.gov/green/nepa/routinepayloadea.html or at the following locations:
    (a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20546 ((202) 358-0167).
    (b) Central Brevard Library and Reference Center, 308 Forrest 
Avenue, Cocoa, FL 32922 ((321) 633-1792).
    (c) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800 
Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 ((818) 354-5179).
    (d) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Visitor's Center, 8463 Greenbelt 
Road, Greenbelt, MD 20771 ((301) 286-8981).
    (e) Lompoc Public Library, 501 E. North Avenue, Lompoc, CA 93436 
((850) 875-8775).
    (f) Santa Maria Public Library, 420 South Broadway, Santa Maria, CA 
93454-5199 ((805) 925-0994).
    (g) Government Information Center, Davidson Library, University of 
California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010 ((805) 893-
8803).
    (h) Vandenberg Air Force Base Library, 100 Community Loop, Building 
10343A, Vandenberg AFB, CA 93437 ((805) 606-6414).
    (i) Chincoteague Island Library, 4077 Main Street, Chincoteague, VA 
23336 ((757) 336-3460).
    (j) NASA WFF Technical Library, Building E-105, Wallops Island, VA 
23337 ((757) 824-1065).
    (k) Eastern Shore Public Library, 23610 Front Street, Accomac, VA 
23301 ((757) 787-3400).
    (l) Kodiak Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615 
((907) 486-8680).
    (m) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 ((650) 604-
3273).
    (n) Grace Sherwood and Roi-Namur Libraries, P.O. Box 23, Kwajalein, 
Marshall Islands APO, A.P. 96555 ((805) 355-2015).
    (o) Alele Public Library, P.O. Box 629, Majuro, Republic of the 
Marshall Islands 96960. ((692) 625-3372).
    (p) Hampton Library, 4207 Victoria Blvd., Hampton, VA 23669 ((757) 
727-1154).

[[Page 72219]]

A limited number of copies of the final EA are available by contacting 
Mr. George Tahu at the address below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Tahu, NASA Program Executive, 
Science Mission Directorate/Planetary Science Division, Mail Stop 3V71, 
NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20546 via telephone 
at (202) 358-0000 or electronic mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Involvement

    NASA solicited public and agency review and comment on the 
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action through:
    1. Publishing notices of availability of the Draft EA in local 
newspapers and the Federal Register;
    2. Making the Draft EA available for review at local public 
libraries;
    3. Publishing the Draft EA on the NASA Web site; and
    4. Consulting with Federal, state, and local agencies.
Comments received were considered in the final EA. Comments and 
responses to comments are provided in Appendix G of the final EA.

Proposed Action

    NASA proposes to carry out a variety of missions involving the 
launch of routine payloads over the next several decades.
    By collecting a range of unique scientific and engineering data 
from space and transmitting the data to Earth, NRP spacecraft would 
support NASA's strategic goals:
    (a) To extend and sustain human activities across the solar system;
    (b) To expand scientific understanding of the Earth and the 
universe in which we live; and
    (c) To create the innovative new space technologies for our 
exploration, science, and economic future.
The proposed action includes preparing, launching and decommissioning 
missions identified as routine payload missions. Routine payload 
spacecraft would be placed into Earth orbit or into Earth-escape 
trajectories (i.e., solar orbit) using one of a group of expendable 
launch vehicles (ELVs) routinely launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force 
Station (CCAFS), Florida; Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), California; 
Reagan Test Site at the U. S. Army Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of 
the Marshall Islands (USAKA/RTS); NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), 
Virginia; and, Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), Alaska. The launch vehicles 
include: Athena I and II, the Atlas V family, the Delta family, the 
Taurus family, the Falcon family, the Pegasus XL, and the Minotaur 
family.

Alternatives

    Alternatives to the proposed action that were evaluated include: 
(1) Utilizing a foreign launch vehicle or, (2) NASA would not launch 
spacecraft missions defined as routine payloads (the ``no action'' 
alternative). U.S. launch vehicles are proposed for launch of NASA 
routine payloads. The nature of environmental impacts, payload 
processing, launch sites, and other related information for foreign 
launch systems are generally not as well known or as well documented as 
for launches from the U.S. In addition, use of non-U.S. launch vehicles 
requires individual consideration, review, and additional 
documentation. Therefore, foreign launch vehicles were not considered 
to be reasonable alternatives for the purpose of this routine payload 
spacecraft EA. The no action alternative would not meet the purpose and 
need for the action.

Environmental Impacts

    Maximum potential impacts to the human environment associated with 
the proposed action arise from the normal launch of the Atlas V 
(largest solids from CCAFS), the Delta IV (largest solids from VAFB), 
and the Delta II 2925 (largest hypergolic propellant load from CCAFS 
and VAFB). Launch accident scenarios have also been addressed and 
indicate no potential for substantial environmental impact to the human 
environment. Air emissions from the exhaust produced by the solid 
propellant and first stage primarily include carbon monoxide, 
hydrochloric acid, aluminum oxide in soluble and insoluble forms, 
carbon dioxide, and deluge water mixed with propellant by-products. The 
primary emission products from the liquid engines include carbon 
dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapor, oxides of nitrogen, and carbon 
particulates. Air impacts will be short-term and not substantial. 
Short-term water quality and noise impacts, as well as short-term 
effects on wetlands, plants, and animals, would occur in the vicinity 
of the launch complex. These short-term impacts are of a nature to be 
self-correcting, and none of these effects would be substantial. There 
would be no impact on threatened or endangered species or critical 
habitat, cultural resources, or floodplains.
    NASA routine payloads would follow the NASA guidelines regarding 
orbital debris and minimizing the risk of human casualty for 
uncontrolled reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. None of the NASA 
routine payload missions covered under the EA would have radioactive 
materials aboard the spacecraft, except for the possibility of very 
small quantities on certain missions for instrumentation purposes. 
Consequently, no potential substantial adverse impacts from radioactive 
substances are anticipated. No other individual or cumulative impacts 
of environmental concern have been identified.
    The level and scope of environmental impacts associated with the 
launch of NASA routine payload are well within the envelope of impacts 
that have been addressed in previous EAs/FONSIs concerning other launch 
vehicles and spacecraft. NASA routine payloads would not increase 
launch rates nor utilize launch systems beyond the scope of approved 
programs at the identified launch sites. No specific NASA routine 
payload processing or launch activities have been identified that would 
require new permits and/or mitigation measures beyond those currently 
in place or in coordination. No significant new circumstances or 
information relevant to environmental concerns associated with the 
launch vehicles have been identified which would affect the earlier 
findings. NASA is formally adopting the existing launch vehicle/launch 
site NEPA documentation referenced in Appendix A of the final EA.
    As specific spacecraft missions are sufficiently defined, they will 
be reviewed to determine whether or not the proposed mission falls 
within the scope of the final EA. If a proposed mission is found to be 
inconsistent with the routine payload categorization, additional 
environmental review will be conducted and documented, as appropriate.
    NASA has reviewed the final EA prepared for the launch of Routine 
Payloads on expendable launch vehicles and has concluded that the final 
EA represents an accurate and adequate analysis of the scope and level 
of associated environmental impacts. NASA hereby incorporates the final 
EA by reference in this FONSI. On the basis of the final EA, NASA has 
determined that the environmental impacts associated with the proposed 
action would not individually or cumulatively have an impact on the 
quality of the human environment. Therefore, an

[[Page 72220]]

environmental impact statement is not required.

Charles J. Gay,
Acting Associate Administrator for Science Mission Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2011-30155 Filed 11-21-11; 8:45 am]
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