Final Environmental Impact Statement SpaceX Texas Launch Site Volume I, Executive Summary and Chapters 1-14 May 2014 HQ-0092-K2 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT SPACEX TEXAS LAUNCH SITE VOLUME I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CHAPTERS 1 – 14 MAY 2014 Prepared by: Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION ABSTRACT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CHAPTER 1 Introduction CHAPTER 2 Proposed Action and Alternatives CHAPTER 3 Affected Environment CHAPTER 4 Environmental Consequences CHAPTER 5 Cumulative Impacts CHAPTER 6 Mitigation and Special Conservation Measures CHAPTER 7 VOLUME I Unavoidable Adverse Impacts CHAPTER 8 Relationship Between Local Short-term Uses of the Environment and Enhancement of Long- term Productivity CHAPTER 9 Irreversible and Irretrievable Commitment of Resources CHAPTER 10 List of Preparers and Contributors CHAPTER 11 List of Agencies, Organizations, and Persons Whom Copies of This EIS Were Sent CHAPTER 12 References CHAPTER 13 Glossary of Terms CHAPTER 14 Index APPENDICES A – Public Involvement F – Jurisdictional Wetland Determination B – Federal Consistency Review: Texas G – USFWS and NMFS Correspondence Coastal Management Program H – EDR Reports C – Section 106 and Section 4(f) I – Airspace VOLUME II Consultation J – Health and Safety D – Launch Noise Modeling Report K – Ground Traffic and Transportation E – Air Emissions Calculations and L – Climate Assumptions M – SpaceX Wetland Mitigation Plan I I COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT EIS Agencies Non-governmental Organizations Elected Officials Public VOLUME II TITLE: Final Environmental Impact Statement for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, Cameron County, Texas AGENCIES: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST), lead agency; National Aeronautics and Space Administration, cooperating agency; National Park Service, cooperating agency; U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range, cooperating agency; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, cooperating agency This Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is submitted pursuant to the following public law requirements: Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (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); Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. §303); Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. §470); FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1; 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. This Final EIS includes the FAA’s determination of de minimis impacts to Section 4(f) property under 49 U.S.C. §303(d). DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, ABSTRACT: The Final EIS for the Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) Texas Launch Site evaluates the potential environmental impacts that may result from the FAA Proposed Action of issuing launch licenses and/or experimental permits 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 SpaceX-proposed launch site on privately owned property in Cameron County, Texas. Under the Proposed Action, SpaceX would construct a vertical launch area and a control center area to support up to 12 commercial launch operations per year. Launch operations include not only launches, but also pre-flight activities such as mission rehearsals and static fire engine tests. SpaceX is required to apply to the FAA for the appropriate launch licenses and/or experimental permits. Alternatives under consideration include the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. The Proposed Action, which is the Preferred Alternative, is for the FAA to 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 the proposed launch site. Under the No Action Alternative, the FAA would not issue licenses and/or experimental permits to SpaceX, and Space X would not construct the proposed control center and vertical launch areas. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For questions regarding the Final EIS, please contact Ms. Stacey M. Zee, Environmental Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave., SW, Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; phone 202-267-9305; or email [email protected]. After careful and thorough consideration of the facts contained herein and following consideration of the views of those Federal agencies having jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to the environmental impacts described, the undersigned finds that the Proposed Action is consistent with existing national environmental policies and objectives as set forth in Section 101(a) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Responsible FAA Official: ____________________________________ _________________________ Dr. George C. Nield Date Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation 800 Independence Ave., SW, Suite 331, Washington, DC 20591 202-267-7793 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Final Environmental Impact Statement SpaceX Texas Launch Site EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) has prepared this Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts that may result from the FAA Proposed Action of issuing 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 (Exhibit ES-1). SpaceX has proposed to construct and operate a private launch site in order to accommodate the number of launches that the company has on its launch manifest. The proposed private launch site is needed to provide SpaceX with an exclusive launch facility that would allow the company to accommodate these launches, which have tight launch windows. SpaceX intends to apply to the FAA for launch licenses and/or experimental permits to conduct launches of the Falcon Program launch vehicles and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles from the proposed launch site. Issuing launch licenses and experimental permits is considered a major Federal action subject to environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as amended (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] §4321 et seq.). The FAA prepared this EIS in accordance with NEPA, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), and FAA Order 1050.1E, Change 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, and all other applicable environmental legislation and regulation. Cooperating agencies include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Army White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). ES.1 PURPOSE AND NEED ES.1.1 SpaceX Purpose and Need SpaceX has proposed to construct and operate a private launch site in order to accommodate the number of launches that the company has on its launch manifest. The proposed private launch site is needed to provide SpaceX with an exclusive launch site that would allow the company to accommodate its launch manifest and meet tight launch windows. The launch site must meet the locational, technical, and operational criteria of the Falcon launch vehicle program. SpaceX intends to apply to the FAA for launch licenses and/or experimental permits to conduct launches of the Falcon Program vehicles and a variety of reusable suborbital launch vehicles from the proposed launch site on privately owned property in Cameron County, Texas. The FAA would likely issue launch specific licenses for the first few years of operation of the exclusive launch site. SpaceX may then apply for a launch operator license, which lasts for five years and covers the same family of vehicles. ES.1.2 FAA Purpose and Need The purpose of the FAA’s Proposed Action of issuing launch licenses and/or experimental permits to SpaceX to conduct launches from the exclusive use launch site in Cameron County, Texas is to fulfill the Executive Summary ES-1 May 2014 Final Environmental Impact Statement SpaceX Texas Launch Site Exhibit ES-1. Regional Location of Proposed Launch Site Executive Summary ES-2 May 2014 Final Environmental Impact Statement SpaceX Texas Launch Site FAA’s responsibilities as authorized by Executive Order (EO) 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 issuing launch licenses and experimental permits to operate reusable orbital and suborbital launch vehicles. The need for the Proposed Action results from the statutory direction from Congress under the Commercial Space Launch Act to encourage,