[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 76 (Friday, April 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23629-23630]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09161]


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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 Environmental Impact Statement for 
the SpaceX Texas Launch Site

AGENCY: DOT, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), lead Federal 
agency; and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National 
Park Service, U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, cooperating agencies.

ACTION: Notice of Availability, Notice of Public Comment Period, Notice 
of Public Hearing, and Request for Comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA; 42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321 et seq.), 
Council on Environmental Quality NEPA implementing regulations (40 Code 
of Federal Regulations parts 1500 to 1508), and FAA Order 1050.1E, 
Change 1, the FAA, Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) is 
announcing the availability of and requesting comments on the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site (Draft 
EIS). This Draft EIS is also submitted for review pursuant to the 
following public law requirements: Section 4(f) of the Department of 
Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. Section 303); Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470); Executive Order 11988, 
Floodplain Management; DOT Order 5650.2, Floodplain Management and 
Protection; Executive Order 11990, Protection of Wetlands; and DOT 
Order 5660.1A, Preservation of the Nation's Wetlands.
    An electronic version of the Draft EIS is available on the FAA/AST 
Web site: http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/spacex_texas_launch_site_environmental_impact_statement/. In addition, copies of 
the Draft EIS were sent to persons and agencies on the distribution 
list (found in Chapter 11 of the Draft EIS). A paper copy and an 
electronic version of the Draft EIS may be reviewed during regular 
business hours at the following Brownsville locations:
     Brownsville Public Library Main Branch, 2600 Central Blvd.
     Southmost Branch Library, 4320 Southmost Blvd.
     University of Texas at Brownsville, Oliveira Library, 80 
Fort Brown St.
    The FAA will hold a public hearing to solicit comments from the 
public concerning the scope and content of the Draft EIS.
     May 7, 2013, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the International 
Technology, Education, and Commerce (ITEC) Center, located at 301 
Mexico Boulevard, Suite G-1, Brownsville, TX 78520.
    The public hearing will include a poster information session from 
5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., FAA presentation from 6:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., 
followed by a public statement period in which members of the public 
may provide up to a 3-minute statement. The FAA will transcribe all 
oral comments. All comments received during the comment period will be 
given equal weight and be taken into consideration in the preparation 
of the Final EIS.

DATES: The public comment period for the Draft EIS begins with the 
issuance of this Notice of Availability and last 45 days. The FAA 
encourages interested agencies, organizations, Native American tribes, 
and members of the public to submit comments concerning the scope and 
content of the Draft EIS by June 3, 2013. Comments on the Draft EIS 
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 participation so that it is meaningful and makes the 
agency aware of the reviewer's interests and concerns using quotations 
and other specific references to the text of the Draft EIS and related 
documents. Matters that could have been raised with specificity during 
the comment period on the Draft EIS 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 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 or questions regarding the Draft EIS 
to Ms. Stacey M. Zee, FAA Environmental Specialist, SpaceX EIS c/o 
Cardno TEC Inc., 275 West Street, Suite 110, Annapolis, MD 21401. 
Comments may also be submitted via email to [email protected] 
or by fax to (410) 990-0455.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stacey M. Zee, Environmental 
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue 
SW., Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; email [email protected]; or 
phone (202) 267-9305.

Additional Information

    The Proposed Action is for the FAA to issue launch licenses and/or 
experimental permits to SpaceX that would allow SpaceX to launch the 
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch vehicles and a 
variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles from a launch site on 
privately-owned property in Cameron County, Texas. As part of the 
Proposed Action, SpaceX plans to construct facilities, structures, and 
utility connections in order to support the launch of the Falcon 9 and 
Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. The facilities would be located in two 
areas:

[[Page 23630]]

vertical launch area and control center area. The proposed vertical 
launch area site is currently undeveloped and is located directly 
adjacent to the eastern terminus of Texas State Highway 4 (Boca Chica 
Boulevard) and approximately 3 miles north of the Mexican border on the 
Gulf Coast. It is located approximately 5 miles south of Port Isabel 
and South Padre Island. At the vertical launch area, the new facilities 
required would include an integration and processing hangar, a launch 
pad and stand with its associated flame duct, a water tower, a 
retention basic for deluge water, propellant storage and handling 
areas, a workshop and office area, and a warehouse for parts storage.
    The command and control functions for a launch are required to be 
conducted at a safe separation distance from the actual launch pad. The 
control center area would be located inland, approximately 2 miles west 
of the vertical launch area and would include control center buildings, 
payload processing facilities, a launch vehicle processing hangar, 
generators and diesel storage facilities, and a satellite fuels storage 
facility. All facilities would be constructed through private funding, 
on currently undeveloped private property that would be purchased or 
leased by SpaceX. In addition, new underground power lines would be 
installed in the State Highway 4 Right-of-Way from the control center 
area to the vertical launch area.
    Operations would consist of up to 12 launches per year with a 
maximum of two Falcon Heavy launches. All Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy 
launches would be expected to have commercial payloads, including 
satellites or experimental payloads. In addition to standard payloads, 
the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy may also carry a capsule, such as the 
SpaceX Dragon capsule. All launch trajectories would be to the east 
over the Gulf of Mexico.
    Alternatives under consideration include the Proposed Action and 
the No Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the FAA 
would not issue a license or experimental permit to SpaceX. The Draft 
EIS evaluates the direct, indirect, and cumulative environmental 
impacts of the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative on several 
environmental impact categories, including compatible land use 
(including farmlands and coastal resources); Section 4(f) properties; 
noise; visual resources and light emissions; historical, architectural, 
archaeological, and cultural resources; air quality; water resources 
(including wetlands, floodplains, surface waters, groundwater, and wild 
and scenic rivers); biological resources (including fish, wildlife, and 
plants); hazardous materials, pollution prevention, and solid waste; 
socioeconomics, environmental justice, and children's environmental 
health risks and safety risks; energy supply and natural resources; and 
secondary (induced) impacts. Additional resources were also considered 
including airspace, health and safety, and ground traffic and 
transportation. The Proposed Action would include a significant 
encroachment on floodplains per DOT Order 5650.2, Floodplain Management 
Protection.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2013.
Daniel Murray,
Deputy Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-09161 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
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