83 FR 17586 - Office of Commercial Space Transportation: Notice of Availability, Notice of Public Comment Period, Notice of Public Meeting, and Request for Comment on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Front Range Airport Launch Site Operator License, Spaceport Colorado

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 77 (April 20, 2018)

The FAA is announcing the availability of and requesting comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Front Range Airport Launch Site Operator License, Spaceport Colorado. The FAA has prepared the Draft PEA to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of issuing a Launch Site Operator License to the Board of County Commissioners (the BOCC) of Adams County, Colorado to operate a commercial space launch site, called ``Spaceport Colorado,'' at the Front Range Airport (FTG), in Watkins, Colorado. The Launch Site Operator License would allow the BOCC to offer Spaceport Colorado to commercial launch providers to conduct launch operations of horizontal take-off and horizontal landing reusable launch vehicles (RLVs).

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 77 (Friday, April 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17586-17587]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08345]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Office of Commercial Space Transportation: Notice of 
Availability, Notice of Public Comment Period, Notice of Public 
Meeting, and Request for Comment on the Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment for Front Range Airport Launch Site Operator 
License, Spaceport Colorado

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability, notice of public comment period, notice 
of public meeting, and request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is announcing the availability of and requesting 
comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for 
the Front Range Airport Launch Site Operator License, Spaceport 
Colorado. The FAA has prepared the Draft PEA to evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts of issuing a Launch Site Operator License to the 
Board of County Commissioners (the BOCC) of Adams County, Colorado to 
operate a commercial space launch site, called ``Spaceport Colorado,'' 
at the Front Range Airport (FTG), in Watkins, Colorado. The Launch Site 
Operator License would allow the BOCC to offer Spaceport Colorado to 
commercial launch providers to conduct launch operations of horizontal 
take-off and horizontal landing reusable launch vehicles (RLVs).

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 25, 2018.
    The FAA will hold a public meeting to solicit comments from the 
public concerning the content and analysis in the Draft PEA. The public 
meeting will be held on May 17, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The 
public meeting will include an open house workshop from 5:00 p.m. to 
6:00 p.m., an FAA presentation from 6:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., followed by 
a public comment period from 6:15 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., during which 
members of the public may provide up to a 3-minute statement. The FAA 
will transcribe oral comments. All comments received during the meeting 
and comment period, whether provided in writing or verbally, will be 
given equal weight and will be taken into consideration in the 
preparation of the Final PEA.

ADDRESSES: The FAA will hold the public meeting at the following 
location: Front Range Airport, Cafeteria, 5200 Front Range Parkway, 
Watkins, CO 80137.
    Please submit comments or questions regarding the Draft PEA to 
Stacey Zee, Environmental Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 
c/o ICF, 9300 Lee Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22031. Comments may also be 
submitted by email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Stacey M. Zee, Environmental 
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Ave. SW, 
Suite 325, Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-9305; email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has prepared the Draft PEA in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 
United States Code 4321 et seq.), the 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 
1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, as part of its 
licensing process. Concurrent with the NEPA process, the FAA has 
initiated National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Consultation 
to determine the potential effects of the Proposed Action on historic 
properties. The FAA has also consulted with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act regarding 
potential impacts on federally listed threatened and endangered 
species. Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966, 
this Draft PEA will comply with the requirements of section 4(f) of the 
Act.
    An electronic version of the Draft PEA is available on the FAA 
Office of Commercial Space Transportation website at: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/front_range/.
    The FAA encourages all interested agencies, organizations, Native 
American tribes, and members of the public to submit comments 
concerning the analysis presented in the Draft PEA by May 25, 2018. 
Comments should be as specific as possible and address the analysis of 
potential environmental impacts. Reviewers should organize their 
participation so that it is meaningful and makes the agency aware of 
the viewer's interests and concerns using quotations and other specific 
references to the text of the Draft PEA and related documents. Matters 
that could have been raised with specificity during the comment period 
on the Draft PEA may not be considered if they are raised for the first 
time later in the

[[Page 17587]]

decision process. This commenting procedure is intended to ensure that 
substantive comments and concerns are made available to the FAA in a 
timely manner so that the FAA has an opportunity to address them.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that 
your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--
may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in 
your comment to withhold from the public review your personal 
identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do 
so.
    The FAA has prepared the Draft PEA to evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts of issuing a Launch Site Operator License to the 
BOCC of Adams County, Colorado to operate a commercial space launch 
site, called ``Spaceport Colorado,'' at FTG, in Watkins, Colorado. The 
successful completion of the environmental review process does not 
guarantee that the FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation would 
issue a Launch Site Operator License to the BOCC. The project must also 
meet all FAA requirements of a Launch Site Operator License. Individual 
launch operators proposing to launch from the site would be required to 
obtain a separate launch operator license.
    The CEQ Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of 
NEPA allow for federal agencies to prepare programmatic NEPA documents 
for broad federal actions (40 CFR 1502.4). Given that FTG does not have 
a commitment from a launch operator at this time, the analysis in this 
PEA uses a conceptual RLV and is based on broad assumptions regarding 
the location of related facilities and the surface movement of RLVs 
associated with operation of a horizontal RLV at FTG. The purpose of 
including these assumptions is to conservatively assess the potential 
environmental impacts of launch vehicle operations at FTG. This 
information does not necessarily reflect the exact launch vehicle(s) 
that would operate at FTG. Instead, it defines the scope (or bounds) of 
the analysis. If a prospective launch operator applies for a license to 
operate a launch vehicle at FTG, a separate environmental document, 
tiering off of this PEA, would be required to support the issuance of 
that Launch Operator License.
    The Draft PEA considers the potential environmental impacts of the 
Proposed Action and No Action Alternative. The Proposed Action is for 
the FAA to issue a Launch Site Operator License to the BOCC that would 
allow the BOCC to offer the commercial space launch site, Spaceport 
Colorado, to commercial launch providers to conduct launch operations 
of horizontal take-off and horizontal landing reusable launch vehicles. 
The FAA would also conditionally approve the modified Airport Layout 
Plan showing the launch site boundary. Under the No Action Alternative, 
the FAA would not issue a Launch Site Operator License to the BOCC.
    The Draft PEA evaluates the potential environmental impacts from 
the Proposed Action and No Action Alternative on air quality; 
biological resources (including fish, wildlife, and plants); climate; 
coastal resources; Department of Transportation Act, section 4(f); 
farmlands; hazardous materials, solid waste, and pollution prevention; 
historical, architectural, archaeological, and cultural resources; land 
use; natural resources and energy supply; noise and noise-compatible 
land use; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and children's 
environmental health and safety risks; visual effects (including light 
emissions); and water resources (including wetlands, floodplains, 
surface waters, groundwater, and wild and scenic rivers). Potential 
cumulative impacts are also addressed in the Draft PEA.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 11, 2018.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2018-08345 Filed 4-19-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P