[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33919-33920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11156]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[NOTICE: (22-XXX)]


National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Sample Return Campaign

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign 
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 
amended (NEPA); Executive Order 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of 
Major Federal Actions; the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA 
implementing regulations, NASA's procedures for implementing NEPA, and 
Department of the Air Force (DAF) procedures for implementing NEPA, 
NASA announces the availability of the MSR Campaign Final PEIS. The 
Final PEIS provides information and analysis related to the potential 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action to retrieve a 
scientifically selected set of samples from Mars and transport them to 
Earth for scientific analysis and research. Cooperating agencies for 
this effort include the DAF for Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Cape 
Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; the Department of the Army for 
Dugway Proving Ground; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services--Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention.

DATES: NASA will document its decision regarding alternative 
implementation in a Record of Decision (ROD), which would be signed no 
sooner than June 26, 2023, after the 30-day mandatory Final PEIS 
waiting period is complete as required by 40 CFR 1506.11(b)(2).

ADDRESSES: The Final PEIS and other informational materials are 
available at https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nepa-mars-sample-return-campaign. All comments received on the Draft EIS are available in their 
entirety on the MSR Campaign Docket at https://www.regulations.gov/document/NASA-2022-0002-0175.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steve Slaten, NASA Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory, by electronic mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 202-358-0016. For questions 
regarding viewing the Docket, please call Docket Operations, telephone: 
202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA, in coordination with the European 
Space Agency, proposes to conduct a campaign to retrieve samples from 
Mars and transport them to Earth. A scientifically selected set of 
samples (i.e., Martian rocks, regolith, and atmosphere), acquired and 
cached on the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover, would be 
returned to Earth for scientific analysis and research. The proposed 
sample landing location is the DAF- managed Utah Test and Training 
Range, with additional activities potentially occurring on the U.S. 
Army's Dugway Proving Ground. The Final PEIS provides information and 
analysis related to the potential environmental impacts associated with 
this proposed action.
    The proposed action and a no action alternative were evaluated in 
the Final PEIS. Under the no action alternative, the MSR Campaign would 
not be undertaken and investigation of Mars as a planetary system would 
be severely constrained due to the cost and complexity of sending into 
space (and operating) science instruments capable of conducting the 
appropriate level of sample analysis in space or on Mars where in situ 
analyses could be performed. The environmental resource areas analyzed 
in the Final PEIS include health and safety, cultural resources, 
hazardous materials and waste, soils and geology, biological resources, 
water resources, air quality and climate, land use, socioeconomics, 
environmental justice/protection of children, noise, and 
infrastructure. No significant adverse impacts were identified in the 
Final PEIS.
    Comments and stakeholder input received within the Draft PEIS 
comment period were considered during the development of the Final 
PEIS. NASA released the Draft PEIS for comment from November 4, 2022, 
through December 19, 2022. During the 45-day review and comment period, 
NASA held two virtual and two in-person

[[Page 33920]]

public meetings (one in Wendover, UT and the other in Salt Lake City, 
UT). The Final PEIS provides details on substantive comments received 
during the comment period and the public meetings, as well as NASA 
responses to those comments.
    NASA provided press releases to local newspapers and distributed 
letters to stakeholders, Native American tribes, and other interested 
parties. In addition to availability on the website (https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nepa-mars-sample-return-campaign), hard copies of 
the Final PEIS will be made available at the following public 
libraries.
     Cocoa Beach Public Library, 550 N Brevard Avenue, Cocoa 
Beach, FL 32931
     Central Brevard Library and Reference Center, 308 Forrest 
Avenue, Cocoa, FL 32922
     Cape Canaveral Public Library, 201 Polk Avenue, Cape 
Canaveral, FL 32920
     Titusville Public Library, 2121 S Hopkins Avenue, 
Titusville, FL 32780
     Melbourne Library, 540 E Fee Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32901
     Merritt Island Public Library, 1195 N Courtenay Parkway, 
Merritt Island, FL 32953
     NASA Headquarters Library, 300 E Street SW #1120, 
Washington DC 20024
     Tooele City Public Library, 128 West Vine Street, Tooele, 
UT 84074
     Grantsville Library, 42 Bowery Street, Grantsville, UT 
84029
     Brigham City Public Library, 26 E Forest Street, Brigham 
City, UT 84302
     Tremonton Municipal Library, 210 N Tremont Street, 
Tremont, UT 84337
     West Wendover Branch Library, 590 Camper Drive, West 
Wendover, NV 89883
     Garland Public Library, 86 W Factory Street, Garland, UT 
84312

Joel Carney,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Strategic Infrastructure.
[FR Doc. 2023-11156 Filed 5-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-13-P