Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement Experimental Permits COMSTAC Stacey M. Zee October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 1 1 Outline National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Programmatic Analyses Development of PEIS Input into scope of PEIS How to submit comments

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 2 2 How Does NEPA apply to AST? Issuing licenses and permits are considered major Federal actions with the potential to significantly impact the quality of the human environment All such major Federal actions are subject to NEPA 40 CFR Parts 1500 to 1508 FAA Order E

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 3 3 Levels of NEPA Review Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) – action that does not, individually or cumulatively, have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment Environmental Assessment (EA) - analysis of proposed action and reasonable alternatives that could result in preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement or Finding of No Significant Impact Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) - detailed analysis of environmental consequences of proposed action and alternatives, cumulative impacts, and mitigation actions

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 4 4 FAA Order E: Issues Requiring Analysis Air Quality Coastal Resources Compatible Land Use Construction Impacts Department of Transportation Section 4(f) Resources Farmlands Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Floodplains Hazardous Materials, Pollution Prevention, and Solid Waste Historical, Architectural, Archeological, and Cultural Resources Natural Resources, Energy Supply, and Sustainable Design Noise Secondary (Induced) Impacts Socioeconomics, Environmental Justice, and Children’s Health and Safety Visual Impacts Water Quality Wetlands Wild and Scenic Rivers

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 5 5 Sample Laws and Regulations Endangered Species Act Executive Order (EO) – Floodplain Management Federal Coastal Zone Management Act Marine Mammal Protection Act EO – Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions EO – Coral Reef Protection Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act EO – Floodplain Management Clean Air Act Clean Water Act Safe Drinking Water Act Wild and Scenic Rivers Act Oil Pollution Act National Historic Preservation Act American Indian Religious Freedom Act Native American Graves Protection Act EO – Indian Sacred Sites Farmland Protection Policy Act EO – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low- Income Populations

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 6 6 Programmatic Analyses Provide analyses and documentation from which subsequent NEPA documents can be tiered Evaluate cumulative impacts Address mitigation parameters at broad level

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 7 7 Existing AST PEISs 2001 – PEIS for Licensing Launches Analyzed environmental impacts of licensed launches of vertical expendable and reusable launch vehicles 2005 – PEIS for Horizontal Launch and Reentries Analyzed environmental impacts of licensed suborbital and orbital launches of horizontal vehicles and reentry of reentry vehicles

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 8 8 PEIS for Experimental Permits Facilitate tiering of subsequent environmental assessments and environmental impact statements Allow the environmental analysis of an individual permit applicant to focus on the environmental effects specific to their permit application Develop future guidance to aid the permitting process Improve efficiency of acting on individual permit applications

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 9 9 Data Needs – Rocket Activities Types of propellants and propulsion systems Estimate of operations – Number of launch and reentry events, or Duration of tests Types of launch and reentry events – tethered, static firings, hover Pre-flight and post-flight activities Locations for launch and reentry operations

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 10 Analysis of Sites Licensed Launch Sites California Spaceport, CA Florida Spaceport, FL Kodiak Launch Complex, AK Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, VA Mojave Airport, CA Oklahoma Spaceport, OK Proposed Launch Site Spaceport America, NM Cecil Field, FL

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 11 Schedule Notice of Intent – March 2006 Scoping – March - October 2006 Release draft PEIS to public – Spring/Summer 2007 Public review and comment period – Spring/Summer 2007 Release final PEIS to public – Summer 2007 Sign Record of Decision – Fall 2007

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 12 How to Submit Comments Provide written comments today Submit comments via or fax Fax: Mail: Stacey M. Zee FAA Environmental Specialist PEIS – Experimental Permits c/o ICF International 9300 Lee Highway Fairfax, VA 22031

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement - Experimental Permits October 25, 2006 Federal Aviation Administration 13 To ensure that all comments are addressed in the Final PEIS, the FAA requests that comments are received no later than October 31, 2006 Questions - contact Stacey M. Zee: