New NRO Eastern Processing Facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station- Cape Canaveral, Brevard County, Florida
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Final Environmental Assessment New NRO Eastern Processing Facility Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Florida 31 August 2005 Form Approved Report Documentation Page OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 2. REPORT TYPE 31 AUG 2005 00-00-2005 to 00-00-2005 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Final Environmental Assessment New NRO Eastern Processing Facility 5b. GRANT NUMBER at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Florida 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION SRS Technologies,Mission Services Division,105 North H REPORT NUMBER Street,Lompoc,CA,93436 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 218 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT NRO Eastern Processing Facility Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida Pursuant to provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S. Code 4321 et seq., implementing Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations, 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1500-1508, and 32 CFR Part 989, Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP), the U.S. Air Force (Air Force) conducted an assessment of the potential environmental consequences associated with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) proposal to construct a new Eastern Processing Facility (EPF) on Cape Canaveral Air force Station (AFS) in Brevard County, Florida. The primary missions of the U.S. Air Force at Cape Canaveral AFS are to launch and track satellites in space, test and evaluate America's intercontinental ballistic missile systems, and support aircraft operations in the Eastern Range. As a non military facet of operations, Cape Canaveral AFS is also committed to promoting commercial space launch ventures. Cape Canaveral AFS occupies 15,804 acres of the barrier island located along the east-central coast of Florida. The installation is bounded on the north by the John F. Kennedy Space Center, a national Aeronautics and Space Administration installation, on the west by the Banana River, on the south by Port Canaveral, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The Environmental Assessment (EA) (incorporated as an attachment to this finding) considered all potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives, both as a solitary action and potentially in conjunction with other similar projects. The EA summarizes the results of the evaluations of the proposed action and alternatives. It analyzes activities that have the potential to affect both the natural and human environment. This analysis summarizes the options evaluated and provides information explaining the need for the Proposed Action and its effect on human and natural resources. PROPOSED ACTION The NRO is proposing to construct and operate a new EPF that can support processing of satellites that use multiple launch vehicles, and that provides operational flexibility by allowing the various programs to support their launch complex activities simultaneously. The proposed EPF is needed to meet all criteria for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) processing and is required to protect the future ability of the NRO to respond to all launch processing requirements of their customers. The site selected under the Proposed Action for construction of the EPF is a 45- acre area located on the northeast corner of Saw.uel C. Phillips Parkway and Lighthouse Road . The proposed facility would be constructed over a two-year period between 2006 and 2007, and operation of the new facility would commence in 2008. Construction and operation of the facility would entail the development of approximately 810,000 square feet that would include a payload processing building, propellant spill containment tanks, back-up generators and fuel tanks, storm water retention area, parking area, access roads to the facility and associated infrastructure installation and modifications. Implementation of the No-Action Alternative would require extensive modifications to existing payload processing facilities, resulting in a severe impact for NRO and Department of Defense programs, as they would be impeded from processing satellite vehicles during this facility modification period. A decision to not construct the proposed new EPF would cause the NRO program to miss critical milestones and program objectives and may impact national security. All other sites considered for location of the proposed NRO PPF were eliminated from further analysis due to conflicts with launch hazard zones, and airfield clearance requirements. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS The analyses of the affected environment and environmental consequences of implementing the Proposed Action and the No-Action Alternative presented in the EA concluded that no significant adverse impacts should result on Cultural Resources (Section 4.3), Earth Resources (Section 4.4), Environmental Justice (Section 4.5) , Hazardous Materials and Waste Management (Section 4.6), Land Use (Section 4.7), Noise (Section 4.8), Socioeconomics (Section 4.9), Traffic and Transportation (Section 4 .1 0), Utilities (Section 4.11 ), and Water Resources (Section 4.12). All measures described in the EA will be implemented to ensure adverse impacts are precluded. Because the project would disturb an area greater than one acre, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit would be required to protect water resources. The NPDES Permit requires the development and implementation of a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan that includes preventative maintenance measures for constructicn equipment, spill prevention and response measures, sediment and soil erosion control measures, and identifies measures for management of runoff. Minor environmental effects on Air Quality have the potential to occur during construction activities (Section 4.1 ). Mobile source emissions would temporarily increase during construction, but would not exceed regulatory standards. No significant impacts are anticipated (see EA Sections 3.1 and 4.1 ). All measures described in the EA will be implemented to further decrease emissions during construction . Because Cape Canaveral AFS is located in an area that is in attainment for all criteria air pollutants, an Air Conformity Determination is not required. The Proposed Action would result in adverse effects on Biological Resources (Section 4.2) as described below. a) Construction of the proposed EPF would necessitate the permanent removal of approximately 45 acres of oak scrub vegetation , with no opportunity for restoration . Thirty-eight (38) acres of this vegetation were cut and subsequently mulched in March 2005. However, seven acres of oak scrub remain undisturbed . Although this plant community is not considered sensitive and no special status plant species occur in this area, the federally and Florida threatened Florida scrub-jay (Aphelocoma caerulescens) inhabits this site, which is considered prime habitat for the species. The 45-acre site, and remaining eight acres of undisturbed scrub, is within an area previously restored for the scrub-jay. Formal Section 7 consultation under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was completed on August 1, 2005, to address the adverse effects of the Proposed Action on the Florida scrub-jay and two other federally threatened species (eastern indigo snake [Drymarchon corais couperi] and southeastern beach mouse [Peromyscus polionotus niveiventris]) that have potential to occur. All terms and conditions contained in the result:ng Biological Opinion will be implemented to minimize adverse effects on these species: • If clearing of habitat occupied by Florida scrub-jays is to occur within scrub jay nesting season (March 1 through June 30), the area would be surveyed prior to clearing to determine if there are any active scrub-jay nests located within the vegetation . If an active scrub-jay nest is located, to the maximum extent practicable, clearing activities cannot take place within 150 feet of the nest site until nestlings have fledged or until it has been determined that the nest has failed. • The 45 SW will develop an eastern indigo snake protection/education plan to be followed by all construction personnel.