Final Environmental Assessment for Issuing a Reentry License To
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Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Issuing a Reentry License to SpaceX for Landing the Dragon Spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico August 2018 THIS PAGE LEFT INTENTIONALLY BLANK Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Issuing a Reentry License to SpaceX for Landing the Dragon Spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico AGENCIES: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), lead Federal agency; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, cooperating agency; United States Air Force, cooperating agency. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: The FAA is evaluating Space Exploration Technologies Corp.'s (SpaceX's) proposal to conduct landings of the Dragon spacecraft (Dragon) in the Gulf of Mexico, which would require the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation to issue a reentry license. SpaceX has two versions of Dragon: Dragon-1 and Dragon-2. Dragon-1 is used for cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS), and SpaceX intends that Dragon-2 will eventually be used to transport astronauts to the ISS. Under the Proposed Action, the FAA would issue a reentry license to SpaceX, which would authorize SpaceX to conduct up to six Dragon landing operations per year in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Each landing operation would include orbital reentry, splashdown, and recovery. The Final EA evaluates the potential environmental impacts from the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative on air quality; climate; noise and noise-compatible land use; Department of Transportation Act, Section 4(f); biological resources (including aquatic plants and animals and special status species); coastal resources; water resources; natural resources and energy supply; and hazardous materials, solid waste, and pollution prevention. Potential cumulative impacts are also addressed in this EA. PUBLIC REVIEW PROCESS: In accordance with the applicable requirements, the FAA initiated a public review and comment period for the Draft EA. The 30-day public comment period began with the issuance of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register on April 5, 2018 and ended on May 4, 2018. The FAA received one public comment submission (refer to Appendix D of this Final EA). CONTACT INFORMATION: Questions regarding the Final EA can be addressed to Mr. Daniel Czelusniak, Environmental Protection Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW, Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; email [email protected]. This environmental assessment becomes a federal document when evaluated, signed, and dated by the responsible FAA official. Responsible FAA Official: Date: Kelvin Coleman Acting Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation Finding of No Significant Impact for Issuing a Reentry License to SpaceX for Landing the Dragon Spacecraft in the Gulf of Mexico Summary The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prepared the attached Final Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the potential environmental impacts of issuing a reentry license to Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) to conduct landings of the Dragon spacecraft (Dragon) in the Gulf of Mexico. The EA was prepared 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 [CFR] parts 1500 to 1508); and FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures. After reviewing and analyzing available data and information on existing conditions and potential impacts, the FAA has determined the Proposed Action would not significantly affect the quality of the human environment. Therefore, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required, and the FAA is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FAA has made this determination in accordance with applicable environmental laws and FAA regulations. The Final EA is incorporated by reference into this FONSI. For any questions or to request a copy of the EA, contact the following FAA Environmental Protection Specialist. A copy of the EA may also be obtained from the FAA’s website: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/lau nch/. Daniel Czelusniak Environmental Protection Specialist Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Ave., SW, Suite 325 Washington DC 20591 [email protected] (202) 267-5924 Purpose and Need The purpose of FAA’s Proposed Action is to fulfill the FAA’s responsibilities as authorized by Executive Order 12465, Commercial Expendable Launch Vehicle Activities (49 FR 7099, 3 CFR, 1984 Comp., p. 163) and the Commercial Space Launch Act (51 U.S.C. Subtitle V, ch. 509, §§ 50901-50923) for oversight of commercial space launch activities, including licensing and regulating launch and reentry activities. The need for FAA’s Proposed Action results from the statutory direction from Congress under the Commercial Space Launch Act, 51 U.S.C 50901(b) to, in part, “protect the public health and safety, safety of property, and national security and foreign policy interests of the United States” while “strengthening and [expanding] the United States space transportation infrastructure, including the enhancement of United States launch sites and launch-site support facilities, and development of reentry sites, with Government, State, and private sector involvement, to support the full range of United States space-related activities.” Proposed Action The FAA’s Proposed Action is to issue a reentry license to SpaceX that would authorize SpaceX to conduct up to six Dragon landing operations per year in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX is currently authorized to conduct Dragon landing operations in the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean. The Gulf of Mexico would act as a contingency landing site in the event of hazardous conditions in either the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic Ocean. Each landing operation would include orbital reentry, splashdown, and recovery. After completing its mission in space, Dragon would complete a deorbit burn, reenter the atmosphere, and be tracked to a splashdown zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Following splashdown, a recovery vessel would transport Dragon to a port on the Gulf Coast or the Port of Cape Canaveral. Crew and/or cargo would be transported via helicopter from the splashdown location to the nearest airport. Alternatives Alternatives analyzed in the EA include (1) the Proposed Action and (2) the No Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue a reentry license to SpaceX for Dragon reentry and splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. SpaceX would conduct Dragon landing operations in the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic Ocean, as authorized by an FAA reentry license. The No Action Alternative provides the basis for comparing the environmental consequences of the Proposed Action. The No Action Alternative would not satisfy the purpose of and need for the Proposed Action. Public Involvement On April 5, 2018, the FAA published a Notice of Availability of the Draft EA in the Federal Register. The public comment period ended on May 4, 2018. The FAA received one comment submission (see Appendix D of the Final EA for the comment and FAA’s response). No substantive changes to the EA were made as a result of the comment. Environmental Impacts The potential environmental impacts from the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative were evaluated in the attached Final EA for each environmental impact category identified in FAA Order 1050.1F. Chapter 3 of the Final EA describes the affected environment and regulatory setting. In addition, Chapter 3 identifies those environmental impact categories that are not analyzed in detail, explaining why the Proposed Action would have no potential effect on those impact categories. Those impact categories include biological resources (aquatic vegetation, and terrestrial vegetation and wildlife); farmlands; historical, architectural, archaeological and cultural resources; land use; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and children’s environmental health and safety risks; visual effects; and water resources (wetlands, floodplains, inland surface waters, groundwater, and wild and scenic rivers). Chapter 4 of the Final EA provides evaluations of the potential environmental consequences of each alternative for each of the environmental impact categories analyzed in detail, and documents the finding that no significant environmental impacts would result from the Proposed Action. In addition, Chapter 4 addresses the requirements of applicable special purpose laws, regulations, and executive orders. A summary of the documented findings for each impact category analyzed in detail, including requisite findings with respect to relevant special purpose laws, regulations, and executive orders, is presented below. Air Quality, Final EA Section 4.1. Air pollutant emissions under the Proposed Action would not result in violations of Federal or State air quality standards because they would represent a negligible percentage of regional emissions and would not cause an exceedance of any National Ambient Air Quality Standards. As shown in Table 4.1-2 of the EA, estimated emissions from the Proposed Action are well below the General Conformity Rule de minimis thresholds