[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41349-41350]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16615]


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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 SpaceX Texas Launch Site, Cameron 
County, Texas

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

ACTION: Notice of approval of Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 
as amended (NEPA; 42 United States Code 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, 
Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, the FAA is announcing 
the availability of the ROD for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, Cameron 
County, Texas. The ROD provides the FAA's final environmental 
determination and approval to support the issuance of launch licenses 
and/or experimental permits that would allow Space Exploration 
Technologies Corp. (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 proposed in the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) published in May 2014.
    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 licenses and/or experimental 
permits issued to SpaceX, 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 SpaceX Texas 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 the SpaceX Texas 
Launch Site and the No Action Alternative. The FAA is the lead Federal 
agency responsible for preparation of the EIS and ROD. Cooperating 
agencies include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 
National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, and 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The EIS and ROD were prepared 
pursuant to the requirements of NEPA, the CEQ Regulations for 
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, 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://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/spacex_texas_launch_site_environmental_impact_statement/.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Proposed Action, which is the 
FAA's preferred alternative, the FAA would issue launch licenses and/or 
experimental permits to SpaceX that would allow SpaceX to conduct 
launches of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy orbital vertical launch 
vehicles, and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles, from an 
exclusive-use launch site on privately owned property in Cameron 
County, Texas. The site (including the control center area and vertical 
launch area) consists of up to four parcels totaling 68.9 acres of land 
near the terminus of State Highway 4 (Boca Chica Boulevard), adjacent 
to the village of Boca Chica. The site is in a sparsely populated 
coastal area on the Gulf of Mexico, approximately 3 miles north of the 
U.S./Mexico border, 17 miles east-northeast of the Brownsville/South 
Padre Island International Airport, and 5 miles south of South Padre 
Island.
    Proposed launch operations would consist of up to 12 commercial 
launch operations per year, including launches of the Falcon 9, a 
maximum of two Falcon Heavy launches, and/or associated mission 
rehearsals and static fire engine tests, through 2025.
    Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches would have commercial payloads, 
including satellites or experimental payloads, and may carry a capsule, 
such as the SpaceX Dragon capsule. The Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy use 
liquid fuels including liquid oxygen and rocket propellant-1. Within 
the 12 launch operations per year, SpaceX may elect to have permitted 
launches of smaller reusable suborbital launch vehicles from this 
proposed site. A reusable suborbital launch vehicle could consist of a 
Falcon 9 Stage 1 tank. All launch trajectories would be to the east 
over the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of launches would be conducted 
between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. However, there could be 
one nighttime launch per year.
    In addition, the Proposed Action includes construction of 
facilities needed to support launch activities at the proposed launch 
site. SpaceX would construct a vertical launch area and a control 
center area. The control center area would be approximately 2 miles 
west of the vertical launch area and could consist of up to three 
parcels. All facilities would be constructed through private funding, 
on currently undeveloped, privately-owned property

[[Page 41350]]

that would be purchased or leased by SpaceX. In addition, a new 
underground utility line would be installed in the right-of-way of 
State Highway 4 from the control center area to the vertical launch 
area.
    The FAA identified a range of reasonable alternatives; however, the 
alternatives identified that did not meet the purpose and need as well 
as those that were not technically, operationally, or economically 
prudent or feasible were excluded from detailed consideration in the 
Final EIS. The Final EIS provides a detailed evaluation of the Proposed 
Action (Preferred Alternative) and the No Action Alternative. Under the 
No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue launch licenses and/or 
experimental permits to SpaceX for launch operations from the private 
site in Cameron County, Texas. Thus, SpaceX would not construct the 
proposed control center and vertical launch areas.
    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 (including Farmlands and 
Coastal Resources); Section 4(f) Properties; Noise; Light Emissions and 
Visual Impacts; Historical, Architectural, Archaeological, and Cultural 
resources; Air Quality; Water Resources (including Surface Waters, 
Groundwater, Wetlands, Floodplains, and Wild and Scenic Rivers); 
Biological Resources (Fish, Wildlife, and Plants); Hazardous Materials, 
Pollution Prevention, and Solid Waste; Socioeconomics, Environmental 
Justice, and Children's Environmental Health and Safety Risks; and 
Natural Resources and Energy Supply.
    As stated in the ROD and supported by the Final EIS, the No Action 
Alternative is not consistent with the purpose and need for action, 
including the FAA's statutory direction from Congress under the 
Commercial Space Launch Act to encourage, facilitate, and promote 
commercial space launch and reentry activities by the private sector in 
order to strengthen and expand U.S. space transportation 
infrastructure. The Preferred Alternative, the applicant's Proposed 
Action, would allow the greatest development and growth of the U.S. 
commercial space launch industry. Adoption of this alternative will 
result in the construction and operation of a private launch site that 
is consistent with the purpose and need for the Proposed Action, while 
at the same time avoiding, minimizing, and mitigating the harm to the 
environment. Therefore, the FAA has selected the Preferred Alternative.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 9, 2014.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2014-16615 Filed 7-14-14; 8:45 am]
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