Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Open a Public Scoping Period, and Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting., 78467-78469 [2013-30823]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 248 / Thursday, December 26, 2013 / Notices
Dated: December 19, 2013.
Joseph J. Hoagland,
Vice President, Stakeholder Relations,
Tennessee Valley Authority.
[FR Doc. 2013–30855 Filed 12–24–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Connected Vehicle Research Program
Public Meeting; Notice of Public
Meeting
ITS Joint Program Office,
Research and Innovative Technology
Administration, U.S. Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
18:06 Dec 24, 2013
Jkt 232001
Issued in Washington, DC, on the 19th day
of December 2013.
John Augustine,
Managing Director, ITS Joint Program Office.
[FR Doc. 2013–30733 Filed 12–24–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–HY–P
The U.S. Department of
Transportation (USDOT) Intelligent
Transportation System Joint Program
Office (ITS JPO) will host a public
meeting seeking stakeholder input and
public sector guidance to the Federal
Highway Administration (FHWA) and
Research and Innovative Technology
Administration (RITA) Connected
Vehicle Systems. The meeting will take
place Thursday, January 16, 2014, from
1:00 p.m. (EST) to 4:00 p.m. (EST) in the
Hampton Room at the Omni Shoreham
Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street, NW in
Washington, DC. Remote participation
will be available via webinar. Persons
planning to attend the meeting or
participate in the webinar should
register online at www.itsa.org/
policy2014.
The USDOT would like input from
transportation infrastructure owner/
operators on their needs for guidelines,
tools, resources, and policies that will
support the successful implementation
and operations of connected vehicle
technologies. The primary target
audience for the meeting is State and
local Departments of Transportation,
transit operators, other operating
agencies, and infrastructure owners who
are starting to plan for the deployment
and use of connected vehicle
technologies in their area. While the
meeting is specifically focused for an
audience that has followed connected
vehicle research and is formulating
plans for implementation, it is open to
other stakeholders in the connected
vehicle community, including national
associations and the general public.
Attendees will be asked to discuss
their needs for guidelines, tools, and
resources to best support their decisions
and deployments. Attendees will also be
asked to identify anticipated
institutional challenges. The results of
the meeting will be used as input for
FHWA’s development of Connected
VerDate Mar<15>2010
Vehicle guidance that is expected in
2015 and will also inform the Federal
Transit Administration.
For more information, please contact
Robert Arnold, FHWA, Director, Office
of Transportation Management at
robert.arnold@dot.gov or by telephone
at 202–366–1285. Agenda items for the
meeting are subject to change. Meeting
information will be posted to the Web
site https://www.its.dot.gov/.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space
Transportation; Notice of Intent to
Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS), Open a Public
Scoping Period, and Conduct a Public
Scoping Meeting.
The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) is the lead
Federal agency. The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, and National Park
Service are cooperating agencies.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an
EIS, Open a Public Scoping Period, and
Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting
AGENCY:
This Notice provides
information to Federal, State, and local
agencies, Native American tribes, and
other interested persons regarding the
FAA’s intent to prepare an EIS that will
evaluate the potential environmental
impacts associated with the issuance of
a Launch Site Operator License to Space
Florida. Space Florida, an independent
special district and a subdivision of the
State of Florida, proposes to construct
and operate a commercial space launch
site (the ‘‘Shiloh Launch Complex’’) and
two off-site operations support areas.
The Shiloh Launch Complex would
include two vertical launch facilities
that would accommodate up to 24
launches per year (12 launches per
vertical launch facility), as well as up to
24 static fire engine tests or wet dress
rehearsals per year (12 static fire engine
tests or wet dress rehearsals per vertical
launch facility). The launch vehicles
would include liquid fueled, mediumto heavy-lift class orbital and suborbital
vehicles. In addition to the 24 launches
per year, the first stage of the launch
vehicle could return to and land at the
SUMMARY:
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78467
Shiloh Launch Complex. The proposed
commercial space launch site is located
on the west side of Kennedy Parkway
North (State Road [SR] 3), which
straddles Brevard and Volusia counties,
Florida. Space Florida would be
required to apply for a Launch Site
Operator License to be issued by the
FAA. The FAA will prepare the EIS in
accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA; 42 United States Code [U.S.C.]
4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality 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, as part of its licensing
process. Concurrent with the NEPA
process, the FAA is initiating National
Historic Preservation Act Section 106
Consultation to determine the potential
effects of the Proposed Action on
historic properties. The FAA will also
consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) under Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act regarding
potential impacts to federally-listed
threatened and endangered species.
Pursuant to the U.S. Department of
Transportation Act of 1966, this EIS will
comply with the requirements of
Section 4(f).
The FAA invites interested
agencies, organizations, Native
American tribes, and members of the
public to submit comments or
suggestions to assist in identifying
significant environmental issues and in
determining the appropriate scope of
the EIS. The public scoping period starts
with the publication of this notice in the
Federal Register. To ensure sufficient
time to consider issues identified during
the public scoping period, comments
should be submitted to Ms. Stacey M.
Zee, FAA Environmental Specialist, by
one of the methods listed below no later
than February 21, 2014. All comments
will receive the same attention and
consideration in the preparation of the
EIS.
DATES:
Comments, statements, or
questions concerning scoping issues or
the EIS process should be mailed to: Ms.
Stacey M. Zee, FAA Environmental
Specialist, Shiloh EIS c/o Cardno TEC
Inc., 2496 Old Ivy Road, Suite 300,
Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Comments can also be sent by email
to faashiloheis@cardnotec.com or by fax
to (434) 295–5535.
ADDRESSES:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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78468
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 248 / Thursday, December 26, 2013 / Notices
Background
The FAA is preparing an EIS to
analyze the potential environmental
impacts of the issuance of a Launch Site
Operator License to Space Florida.
Space Florida proposes to construct and
operate a commercial space launch site,
called the ‘‘Shiloh Launch Complex,’’
that would allow Space Florida to offer
the commercial space launch site to
commercial launch providers to conduct
launch operations of liquid fueled,
medium- to heavy-lift class orbital and
suborbital vertical launch vehicles. The
EIS will consider the potential
environmental impacts of the Proposed
Action and reasonable alternatives,
including the No Action Alternative.
The successful completion of the
environmental review process does not
guarantee that the FAA would issue a
Launch Site Operator License to Space
Florida. The project must also meet all
FAA safety, risk, and indemnification
requirements.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Proposed Action
The Proposed Action is for the FAA
to issue a Launch Site Operator License
to Space Florida that would allow Space
Florida to offer the commercial space
launch site (the ‘‘Shiloh Launch
Complex’’) to commercial launch
providers to conduct launch operations
of liquid fueled, medium- to heavy-lift
class orbital and suborbital vertical
launch vehicles. Under the Proposed
Action, Space Florida would construct
and operate two vertical launch
facilities and two off-site operations
support areas. The Shiloh Launch
Complex would accommodate up to 24
launches per year (12 launches per
vertical launch facility), as well as up to
24 static fire engine tests or wet dress
rehearsals per year (12 static fire engine
tests or wet dress rehearsals per vertical
launch facility).
The proposed Shiloh Launch
Complex is located on the west side of
Kennedy Parkway North (SR 3), which
straddles Brevard and Volusia counties
in Florida. The proposed site is part of
the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA) Kennedy
Space Center (KSC) in an area of the
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
that is managed by the USFWS. The
proposed Shiloh Launch Complex
would be constructed on approximately
200 acres of undeveloped land in the
vicinity of a former citrus community
known as Shiloh. Of the 200 acres, each
vertical launch facility would require
approximately 30 acres of fenced land.
Each vertical launch facility would
include a launch pad and stand with its
associated flame duct, propellant
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:06 Dec 24, 2013
Jkt 232001
storage and handling areas, vehicle and
payload integration facility, storage
tanks, lightning protection systems,
deluge water systems, and other launchrelated facilities and systems.
In addition, as part of the Proposed
Action, commercial launch operators
using the Shiloh Launch Complex
would construct and operate two off-site
operations support areas in separate
locations from the Shiloh Launch
Complex. Each off-site operations
support area would include a launch
vehicle pre-integration processing
facility, a payload processing facility,
and a control center building. There are
two proposed off-site operations support
areas that are close to the Shiloh Launch
Complex: the Oak Hill site and the
South Volusia County site, both in
Volusia County. The Oak Hill site is
approximately 22 acres and the South
Volusia County site is approximately 51
acres. The development of access and
supporting utility infrastructure for the
vertical launch facility and the off-site
operations support areas may occur on
lands outside the Shiloh Launch
Complex.
Operations would consist of up to 24
launches per year (12 launches
occurring per vertical launch facility. In
addition to launches, other operations
could occur including up to 24 static
fire engine tests or wet dress rehearsals
per year (12 static fire engine tests or
wet dress rehearsals per vertical launch
facility). All vehicles would launch to
the east over the Atlantic Ocean. Under
the Proposed Action, the first stage of
the launch vehicle could return to and
land at the Shiloh Launch Complex or
it would land in the Atlantic Ocean.
The potential environmental impacts
of all proposed construction activities
will be analyzed in the EIS, in addition
to the impacts from operating the
facilities and launching orbital vertical
launch vehicles. The EIS will evaluate
the potential environmental effects
associated with: Air quality; noise and
compatible land use; land use,
including Section 4(f) properties and
farmlands; coastal resources; biological
resources, including threatened and
endangered species; water resources,
including surface waters and wetlands,
groundwater, floodplains, and water
quality; historical, architectural,
archaeological, and cultural resources;
light emissions and visual resources;
hazardous materials, pollution
prevention, and solid waste;
infrastructure and utilities; and
socioeconomics, environmental justice,
and children’s environmental health
and safety. This includes addressing the
potential environmental impacts
associated with reasonably foreseeable
PO 00000
Frm 00144
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
changes to land administration,
jurisdiction, and management with
regards to the lands at the proposed
Shiloh Launch Complex site currently
administered by NASA and USFWS.
The analysis will include an evaluation
of the potential direct and indirect
impacts, and will account for
cumulative impacts from other relevant
activities in the area of Brevard and
Volusia Counties, Florida.
Alternatives
Based on comments received during
the scoping period, the FAA may
analyze additional alternatives.
However, at this time, the alternatives
under consideration include the
Proposed Action and the No Action
Alternative. Under the No Action
Alternative, the FAA would not issue a
Launch Site Operator License to Space
Florida.
Scoping Meetings
Two public scoping meetings will be
held to solicit input from the public on
potential issues that may need to be
evaluated in the EIS. The first scoping
meeting will be held on February 11,
2014 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the
New Smyrna Beach High School
Gymnasium, 1015 10th Street, New
Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168. The
second scoping meeting will be held on
February 12, 2014 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00
p.m., at the Eastern Florida State
College, Titusville Campus, John Henry
Jones Gymnatorium, 1311 North U.S. 1,
Titusville, Florida 32796. The meeting
format will include an open-house
workshop from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The FAA will provide an overview of
the environmental process 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. The open-house workshop will
consist of poster stations describing the
proposed project and the NEPA process.
The FAA and cooperating agency staff
will be present during the open-house
workshop portion of the meetings to
answer general questions on the
proposed project and the NEPA process.
During each scoping meeting, one
designated area of the room will focus
on the Section 106 process and solicit
public input on the identification of
historic properties and potential effects
of the Proposed Action on historic
properties.
Information on the proposed project
and the NEPA process is available on
the following Web site: https://
www.faa.gov/about/office_org/
headquarters_offices/ast/
environmental/nepa_docs/review/
documents_progress/shiloh_launch_
statement/.
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 248 / Thursday, December 26, 2013 / Notices
Issued in Washington, DC on December 18,
2013.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development
Division.
[FR Doc. 2013–30823 Filed 12–24–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Receipt of Noise Compatibility
Program and Request for Review;
Martin County Airport/Witham Field,
Stuart, FL
Federal Aviation
Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) announces that it
is reviewing a proposed Noise
Compatibility Program that was
submitted for Martin County Airport/
Witham Field under the provisions of
49 U.S.C. 47504 et. seq (the Aviation
Safety and Noise Abatement Act
hereinafter referred to as ‘‘the Act’’) and
14 CFR Part 150 by Martin County. This
program was submitted subsequent to a
determination by FAA that the
associated Noise Exposure Maps
submitted under 14 CFR Part 150 for
Martin County Airport/Witham Field
were in compliance with applicable
requirements effective December 6,
2011, and was published in the Federal
Register on December 16, 2011. The
proposed Noise Compatibility Program
will be approved or disapproved on or
before June 16, 2014.
DATES: Effective Date: The effective date
of the start of FAA’s review of the
associated noise compatibility program
is December 18, 2013. The public
comment period ends February 16,
2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Allan Nagy, Federal Aviation
Administration, Orlando Airports
District Office, 5950 Hazelton National
Drive, Suite 400, Orlando, Florida
32822, (407) 812–6331. Comments on
the proposed noise compatibility
program should also be submitted to the
above office.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice announces that the FAA is
reviewing a proposed Noise
Compatibility Program for Martin
County Airport/Witham Field which
will be approved or disapproved on or
before June 16, 2014. This notice also
announces the availability of this
program for public review and
comment.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:06 Dec 24, 2013
Jkt 232001
An airport operator who has
submitted Noise Exposure Maps that are
found by FAA to be in compliance with
the requirements of Title 14 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 150, may
submit a Noise Compatibility Program
for FAA approval which sets forth the
measures the operator has taken or
proposes to reduce existing noncompatible uses and prevent the
introduction of additional noncompatible uses.
The FAA has formally received the
Noise Compatibility Program for Martin
County Airport/Witham Field, effective
on December 18, 2013. The airport
operator has requested that the FAA
review this material and that the noise
mitigation measures, to be implemented
jointly by the airport and surrounding
communities, be approved as a Noise
Compatibility Program under Section
47504 of the Act. Preliminary review of
the submitted material indicates that it
conforms to the requirements for the
submittal of Noise Compatibility
Programs, but that further review will be
necessary prior to approval or
disapproval of the program. The formal
review period, limited by law to a
maximum of 180 days, will be
completed on or before June 16, 2014.
The FAA’s detailed evaluation will be
conducted under the provisions of 14
CFR Part 150, Section 150.33. The
primary considerations in the
evaluation process are whether the
proposed measures may reduce the level
of aviation safety or create an undue
burden on interstate or foreign
commerce, and whether they are
reasonably consistent with obtaining the
goal of reducing existing noncompatible land uses and preventing the
introduction of additional noncompatible land uses.
Interested persons are invited to
comment on the proposed program with
specific reference to these factors. All
comments relating to these factors, other
than those properly addressed to local
land use authorities, will be considered
by the FAA to the extent practicable.
Copies of the Noise Exposure Maps, the
FAA’s evaluation of the maps, and the
proposed Noise Compatibility Program
are available for examination at the
following locations: Federal Aviation
Administration, Orlando Airports
District Office, 5950 Hazelton National
Drive, Suite 400, Orlando, Florida
32822.
Questions may be directed to the
individual named above under the
heading, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
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78469
Issued in Orlando, Florida, on December
18, 2013.
Bart Vernace,
Manager, Orlando Airports District Office.
[FR Doc. 2013–30822 Filed 12–24–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P Revision Date 12/4/00
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration
[Docket No. FMCSA –2013–0415]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Revision of a CurrentlyApproved Information Collection:
Request for Revocation of Authority
Granted
Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), FMCSA announces its plan to
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) its request to revise a
currently-approved information
collection request (ICR) entitled,
‘‘Request for Revocation of Authority
Granted,’’ covered by OMB Control
Number 2126–0018. This ICR covers a
voluntary request by a motor carrier,
freight forwarder, or property broker to
amend or revoke its FMCSA registration
of authority granted. It is being revised
due to an anticipated decrease in the
estimated annual number of filings and
costs to the respondents. FMCSA will
seek OMB’s review and approval of this
revised ICR and invites public comment
on this request.
DATES: We must receive your comments
on or before February 24, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
bearing the Department of
Transportation (DOT) Docket
Management System (DMS) Docket
Number FMCSA–2013–0415 using any
of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
• Mail: Docket Management Facility;
U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
Washington, DC 20590–0001.
• Hand Delivery: West Building
Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington
DC, 20590–0001 between 9:00 a.m. and
5:00 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays.
• Fax: 1–202–493–2251.
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 248 (Thursday, December 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78467-78469]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30823]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Commercial Space Transportation; Notice of Intent to
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Open a Public Scoping
Period, and Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting.
AGENCY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the lead Federal
agency. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Park
Service are cooperating agencies.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS, Open a Public Scoping
Period, and Conduct a Public Scoping Meeting
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This Notice provides information to Federal, State, and local
agencies, Native American tribes, and other interested persons
regarding the FAA's intent to prepare an EIS that will evaluate the
potential environmental impacts associated with the issuance of a
Launch Site Operator License to Space Florida. Space Florida, an
independent special district and a subdivision of the State of Florida,
proposes to construct and operate a commercial space launch site (the
``Shiloh Launch Complex'') and two off-site operations support areas.
The Shiloh Launch Complex would include two vertical launch facilities
that would accommodate up to 24 launches per year (12 launches per
vertical launch facility), as well as up to 24 static fire engine tests
or wet dress rehearsals per year (12 static fire engine tests or wet
dress rehearsals per vertical launch facility). The launch vehicles
would include liquid fueled, medium- to heavy-lift class orbital and
suborbital vehicles. In addition to the 24 launches per year, the first
stage of the launch vehicle could return to and land at the Shiloh
Launch Complex. The proposed commercial space launch site is located on
the west side of Kennedy Parkway North (State Road [SR] 3), which
straddles Brevard and Volusia counties, Florida. Space Florida would be
required to apply for a Launch Site Operator License to be issued by
the FAA. The FAA will prepare the EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA; 42 United States Code [U.S.C.]
4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality 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, as part of its
licensing process. Concurrent with the NEPA process, the FAA is
initiating National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Consultation
to determine the potential effects of the Proposed Action on historic
properties. The FAA will also consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act regarding
potential impacts to federally-listed threatened and endangered
species. Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966,
this EIS will comply with the requirements of Section 4(f).
DATES: The FAA invites interested agencies, organizations, Native
American tribes, and members of the public to submit comments or
suggestions to assist in identifying significant environmental issues
and in determining the appropriate scope of the EIS. The public scoping
period starts with the publication of this notice in the Federal
Register. To ensure sufficient time to consider issues identified
during the public scoping period, comments should be submitted to Ms.
Stacey M. Zee, FAA Environmental Specialist, by one of the methods
listed below no later than February 21, 2014. All comments will receive
the same attention and consideration in the preparation of the EIS.
ADDRESSES: Comments, statements, or questions concerning scoping issues
or the EIS process should be mailed to: Ms. Stacey M. Zee, FAA
Environmental Specialist, Shiloh EIS c/o Cardno TEC Inc., 2496 Old Ivy
Road, Suite 300, Charlottesville, VA 22903.
Comments can also be sent by email to faashiloheis@cardnotec.com or
by fax to (434) 295-5535.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 78468]]
Background
The FAA is preparing an EIS to analyze the potential environmental
impacts of the issuance of a Launch Site Operator License to Space
Florida. Space Florida proposes to construct and operate a commercial
space launch site, called the ``Shiloh Launch Complex,'' that would
allow Space Florida to offer the commercial space launch site to
commercial launch providers to conduct launch operations of liquid
fueled, medium- to heavy-lift class orbital and suborbital vertical
launch vehicles. The EIS will consider the potential environmental
impacts of the Proposed Action and reasonable alternatives, including
the No Action Alternative. The successful completion of the
environmental review process does not guarantee that the FAA would
issue a Launch Site Operator License to Space Florida. The project must
also meet all FAA safety, risk, and indemnification requirements.
Proposed Action
The Proposed Action is for the FAA to issue a Launch Site Operator
License to Space Florida that would allow Space Florida to offer the
commercial space launch site (the ``Shiloh Launch Complex'') to
commercial launch providers to conduct launch operations of liquid
fueled, medium- to heavy-lift class orbital and suborbital vertical
launch vehicles. Under the Proposed Action, Space Florida would
construct and operate two vertical launch facilities and two off-site
operations support areas. The Shiloh Launch Complex would accommodate
up to 24 launches per year (12 launches per vertical launch facility),
as well as up to 24 static fire engine tests or wet dress rehearsals
per year (12 static fire engine tests or wet dress rehearsals per
vertical launch facility).
The proposed Shiloh Launch Complex is located on the west side of
Kennedy Parkway North (SR 3), which straddles Brevard and Volusia
counties in Florida. The proposed site is part of the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) in an area of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge that is
managed by the USFWS. The proposed Shiloh Launch Complex would be
constructed on approximately 200 acres of undeveloped land in the
vicinity of a former citrus community known as Shiloh. Of the 200
acres, each vertical launch facility would require approximately 30
acres of fenced land. Each vertical launch facility would include a
launch pad and stand with its associated flame duct, propellant storage
and handling areas, vehicle and payload integration facility, storage
tanks, lightning protection systems, deluge water systems, and other
launch-related facilities and systems.
In addition, as part of the Proposed Action, commercial launch
operators using the Shiloh Launch Complex would construct and operate
two off-site operations support areas in separate locations from the
Shiloh Launch Complex. Each off-site operations support area would
include a launch vehicle pre-integration processing facility, a payload
processing facility, and a control center building. There are two
proposed off-site operations support areas that are close to the Shiloh
Launch Complex: the Oak Hill site and the South Volusia County site,
both in Volusia County. The Oak Hill site is approximately 22 acres and
the South Volusia County site is approximately 51 acres. The
development of access and supporting utility infrastructure for the
vertical launch facility and the off-site operations support areas may
occur on lands outside the Shiloh Launch Complex.
Operations would consist of up to 24 launches per year (12 launches
occurring per vertical launch facility. In addition to launches, other
operations could occur including up to 24 static fire engine tests or
wet dress rehearsals per year (12 static fire engine tests or wet dress
rehearsals per vertical launch facility). All vehicles would launch to
the east over the Atlantic Ocean. Under the Proposed Action, the first
stage of the launch vehicle could return to and land at the Shiloh
Launch Complex or it would land in the Atlantic Ocean.
The potential environmental impacts of all proposed construction
activities will be analyzed in the EIS, in addition to the impacts from
operating the facilities and launching orbital vertical launch
vehicles. The EIS will evaluate the potential environmental effects
associated with: Air quality; noise and compatible land use; land use,
including Section 4(f) properties and farmlands; coastal resources;
biological resources, including threatened and endangered species;
water resources, including surface waters and wetlands, groundwater,
floodplains, and water quality; historical, architectural,
archaeological, and cultural resources; light emissions and visual
resources; hazardous materials, pollution prevention, and solid waste;
infrastructure and utilities; and socioeconomics, environmental
justice, and children's environmental health and safety. This includes
addressing the potential environmental impacts associated with
reasonably foreseeable changes to land administration, jurisdiction,
and management with regards to the lands at the proposed Shiloh Launch
Complex site currently administered by NASA and USFWS. The analysis
will include an evaluation of the potential direct and indirect
impacts, and will account for cumulative impacts from other relevant
activities in the area of Brevard and Volusia Counties, Florida.
Alternatives
Based on comments received during the scoping period, the FAA may
analyze additional alternatives. However, at this time, the
alternatives under consideration include the Proposed Action and the No
Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the FAA would not
issue a Launch Site Operator License to Space Florida.
Scoping Meetings
Two public scoping meetings will be held to solicit input from the
public on potential issues that may need to be evaluated in the EIS.
The first scoping meeting will be held on February 11, 2014 from 5:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at the New Smyrna Beach High School Gymnasium, 1015
10th Street, New Smyrna Beach, Florida 32168. The second scoping
meeting will be held on February 12, 2014 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.,
at the Eastern Florida State College, Titusville Campus, John Henry
Jones Gymnatorium, 1311 North U.S. 1, Titusville, Florida 32796. The
meeting format will include an open-house workshop from 5:00 p.m. to
6:00 p.m. The FAA will provide an overview of the environmental process
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. The open-house workshop will consist of poster
stations describing the proposed project and the NEPA process. The FAA
and cooperating agency staff will be present during the open-house
workshop portion of the meetings to answer general questions on the
proposed project and the NEPA process. During each scoping meeting, one
designated area of the room will focus on the Section 106 process and
solicit public input on the identification of historic properties and
potential effects of the Proposed Action on historic properties.
Information on the proposed project and the NEPA process is
available on the following Web site: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ast/environmental/nepa_docs/review/documents_progress/shiloh_launch_statement/.
[[Page 78469]]
Issued in Washington, DC on December 18, 2013.
Daniel Murray,
Manager, Space Transportation Development Division.
[FR Doc. 2013-30823 Filed 12-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
