[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 173 (Monday, September 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47222-47223]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-23654]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice 97-131]
National Environmental Policy Act; Expansion of Launch Range
Operations at Wallops Flight Facility
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment
(EA)
[[Page 47223]]
for the expansion of launch range operations at Goddard Space Flight
Center's Wallops Flight Facility (WFF).
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of
NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR
Part 1216, Subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared a Draft EA for the
proposed expansion of launch range operations at Goddard Space Flight
Center's WFF, Wallops Island, Virginia. NASA proposes to enhance
national launch capabilities through improvements to infrastructure and
the expansion of its launch range operations at WFF. The major actions
proposed include: (1) establishment of a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) licensed commercial launch site to operate from
WFF under a Use Agreement with NASA; (2) improvements to real property
necessary to support the expansion of launch operations; (3) expansion
of operations at WFF to accommodate twelve orbital launches per year;
and (4) restoration of the historical level and nature of operations on
the WFF range. The improvements to infrastructure and the establishment
of a licensed commercial launch site at WFF would increase the national
capacity for the launching of commercial satellites and provide
additional capacity for all launch operations from Wallops Island. If a
decision were to be made to proceed with the proposed action,
implementation would begin during the latter part of calendar year
1997.
DATES: Comments on the Draft EA must be in writing and received by NASA
on or before October 8, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Mr. Keith Koehler,
Public Affairs Office, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight
Facility, Wallops Island, Virginia 23337. The Draft EA may be reviewed
at the following locations:
(a) NASA Headquarters, Library, Room 1J20, 300 E Street, SW,
Washington, DC 20546 (202-358-0167).
(b) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Wallops Flight Facility,
Public Affairs Office, Wallops Island, Virginia, 757-824-1579.
(c) Eastern Shore Public Library, PO Box 360, Accomac, Virginia,
23301 (757-787-3400).
(d) Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Visitors Lobby, Building 249, 4800
Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (818-354-5179).
(e) Spaceport U.S.A., Room 2001, John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL
32899. Please call Lisa Fowler Beforehand at 407-867-2497 so that
arrangements can be made.
In addition, the Draft EA may be reviewed at the following NASA
locations by contacting the pertinent Freedom of Information Act
Office.
(f) NASA, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (415-604-
4190).
(g) NASA, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA 93523 (805-
258-3448).
(h) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (301-
286-0730).
(i) NASA, Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058 (281-483-8612).
(j) NASA, Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23665 (757-864-
2497).
(k) NASA, Lewis Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland,
OH 44135 (216-433-2222).
(l) NASA, Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812 (205-544-0031).
(m) NASA, Stennis Space Center, MS 39529 (601-688-2164).
A limited number of copies of the Draft EA are available, on a
first request basis, by contacting the Wallops Flight Facility Public
Affairs Office at the address or telephone number indicated herein.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT: The Wallops Flight Facility, Public
Affairs Office, Wallops Island, VA (757-824-1579).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the proposed action is to
enhance national launch capabilities through improvements to
infrastructure and the expansion of launch range operations at WFF. An
FAA licensed commercial launch site at WFF would be established to
promote this expansion of launch capabilities. The licensed commercial
launch site is necessary to further encourage, facilitate, and promote
a competitive United States commercial launch site industry.
This Draft EA identifies potential impacts that may occur during
implementation of the proposed action. The Draft EA addresses
environmental impacts associated both with construction of launch
support facilities and launch operations. The expansion of launch
operations is proposed to include up to 12 orbital launches per year,
in addition to the historical level of launches conducted at the WFF
launch range. The minimum proposed improvements to WFF's real property
and infrastructure necessary to accomplish the proposed expansion
include: (1) modifications to existing launch pad 0-A; (2)
modifications to existing buildings for payload processing facilities;
and (3) the construction of a new launch pad designated as pad 0-B.
WFF's proposed launch range expansion would accommodate various solid
and liquid (liquid oxygen-hydrogen, liquid oxygen-kerosene) rocket
motor configurations.
The following alternative locations are considered alternative
sites to the proposed action: (1) Spaceport Florida, located adjacent
to Cape Canaveral Air Station on the east coast of Florida; (2)
California Spaceport, located at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California;
(3) Kodiak Launch Complex, Kodiak, Alaska; (4) no action.
Impacts to the human environment associated with the proposed
action--proposed expansion of launch range operations at WFF--can be
divided into short-term (construction phase) and long-term (operational
phase) impacts. The construction phase would last approximately 12-15
months. The Draft EA evaluates the environmental consequences
including, but not limited to, air and water quality, noise, flora and
fauna, threatened and endangered species, health and safety, solid and
hazardous waste management, socioeconomics, land use, and wetlands and
floodplain management. The proposed action would occur in a 100-year
floodplain and result in the conversion of 1,280 square meters (about
\1/3\ acre) of wetlands.
After receipt and consideration of comments on the Draft EA, NASA
will prepare and issue a Final EA for the proposed expansion of launch
range operations at WFF. The Final EA will be used to determine whether
a finding of no significant impact will be appropriate or whether there
is a need to prepare an environmental impact statement.
Benita A. Cooper,
Associate Administrator for Management Systems and Facilities.
[FR Doc. 97-23654 Filed 9-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-01-M
