National Environmental Policy Act; Wallops Flight Facility; Site-Wide, 20910-20912 [2019-09763]

Agencies

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 92 (Monday, May 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20910-20912]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09763]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (19-029)]


National Environmental Policy Act; Wallops Flight Facility; Site-
Wide

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Final Site-wide Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for improvement of infrastructure 
and

[[Page 20911]]

services at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Accomack County, Virginia.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as 
amended, the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, and NASA's NEPA policy 
and procedures, NASA has prepared a Final PEIS for the improvement of 
infrastructure and services at WFF. The Federal Aviation 
Administration's Air Traffic Organization and the Office of Commercial 
Space Transportation; the Federal Highway Administration; the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Environmental 
Satellite, Data, and Information Service; the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers; the U.S. Coast Guard; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 
the U.S. Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command; the U.S. Navy, Naval Air 
Systems Command; U.S. Navy, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the U.S. Air Force Space 
Command/Space and Missile Systems Center; and Virginia Commercial Space 
Flight Authority have served as Cooperating Agencies in preparing the 
Final PEIS as they either have permanent facilities or missions at WFF 
or possess regulatory authority or specialized expertise pertaining to 
the Proposed Action.
    The purpose of this notice is to apprise interested agencies, 
organizations, tribal governments, and individuals of the availability 
of the Final PEIS.

DATES: NASA will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) based on the Final 
PEIS no sooner than 30 days from the date of publication in the Federal 
Register of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of 
Availability of the Final PEIS.

ADDRESSES: The Final PEIS may be viewed at the following locations:

(a) Chincoteague Island Library, Chincoteague, Virginia, 23336 (757) 
336-3460
(b) NASA Wallops Visitor Center, Wallops Island, Virginia, 23337 (757) 
824-1344
(c) Eastern Shore Public Library, Accomac, Virginia, 23301 (757) 787-
3400
(d) Northampton Free Library, Nassawadox, Virginia, 23413 (757) 414-
0010

    A limited number of hard copies of the Final PEIS are available, on 
a first request basis, by contacting the NASA point of contact listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. The Final PEIS is available on 
the internet in Adobe[supreg] portable document format at https://code200-external.gsfc.nasa.gov/250-wff/site-wide_eis. NASA's ROD will 
be made available, once issued, on the same website as above and by 
request to the contact provided above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shari Miller, Site-wide PEIS, NASA 
Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, Mailstop: 250.W, 
Wallops Island, Virginia 23337; telephone (757) 824-2327; email: 
[email protected]. A toll-free telephone number, (800) 521-3415, 
is also available for persons outside the local calling area. When 
using the toll-free number, please follow the menu options and enter 
the ``pound sign (#)'' followed by extension number ``2327.'' 
Additional information about NASA's WFF may be found on the internet at 
https://www.nasa.gov/centers/wallops/home/. Information 
regarding the NEPA process for this proposal and supporting documents 
(as available) are located at https://code200-external.gsfc .nasa.gov/
250-wff/site-wide_eis.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WFF is a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 
field installation located in northern Accomack County on the Eastern 
Shore of Virginia. The facility consists of three distinct landmasses--
the Main Base, Wallops Mainland, and Wallops Island. WFF operates the 
oldest active launch range in the continental U.S. and the only range 
completely under NASA management. For over 70 years, WFF has flown 
thousands of research vehicles in the quest for information on the 
characteristics of airplanes, rockets, and spacecraft, and to increase 
the knowledge of the Earth's upper atmosphere and the near space 
environment. The flight programs and projects conducted by WFF range 
from small sounding and suborbital rockets, unmanned scientific 
balloons, unmanned aerial systems, manned aircraft, and orbital 
spacecraft to next-generation launch vehicles and small- and medium-
classed launch vehicles.
    In keeping with the principles, goals, and guidelines of the 2010 
U.S. National Space Policy, as updated by the 2013 U.S. National Space 
Transportation Policy and the 2017 Presidential Memorandum on 
Reinvigorating America's Human Space Exploration Program, NASA is 
proposing to improve its service capability at WFF to support a growing 
mission base in the areas of civil, defense, and academic aerospace. 
One guiding principle of the National Space Policy is for Federal 
agencies to facilitate the commercial space industry. The Mid-Atlantic 
Regional Spaceport, a commercial launch site on Wallops Island, is a 
real-world example of WFF's commitment to making commercial access to 
space a reality. Accordingly, it is expected that a commercial presence 
at WFF will continue to expand in the coming years.
    The National Space Policy also instructs Federal agencies to 
improve their partnerships through cooperation, collaboration, 
information sharing, and/or alignment of common pursuits with each 
other. WFF supports aeronautical research, and science, technology, 
engineering, and math (STEM) education programs by providing other NASA 
centers and other U.S. government agencies access to resources such as 
special use (i.e., controlled/restricted) airspace, runways, and launch 
pads. WFF regularly facilitates a wide array of U.S. Department of 
Defense (DoD) research, development, testing, and evaluation; training 
missions, including target and missile launches; and aircraft pilot 
training. Similar to its forecasted commercial growth at WFF, NASA also 
expects an increase in DoD presence at WFF in the foreseeable future.
    Finally, the National Space Policy directs NASA to fulfill various 
key civil space roles regarding space science, exploration, and 
discovery; a number of which have been priorities at WFF for decades. 
NASA's need to ensure continued growth while preserving the ability to 
safely conduct its historical baseline of services is a key component 
of facilitating future projects and new missions at WFF.

Related Environmental Documents

    In January 2005, NASA issued a Final Site-Wide Environmental 
Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for its 
operations and institutional support at WFF. Since then, substantial 
growth has occurred and NASA, and its Cooperating Agencies, have 
prepared multiple supplemental NEPA documents including the 2008 EA/
FONSI for the Wallops Research Park; the 2009 EA/FONSI for the 
Expansion of the Wallops Flight Facility Launch Range; the 2010 PEIS/
Record of Decision for the Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure 
Protection Program; the 2011 EA/FONSI for the Alternative Energy 
Project; the 2011 EA/FONSI for the Main Entrance Reconfiguration; the 
2011 NOAA EA/FONSI for Electrical and Operational Upgrade, Space 
Addition, and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 
Installation; the 2012 EA/FONSI for the North Wallops Island Unmanned 
Aerial Systems Airstrip Project; the U.S. Fleet Force

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Command's 2013 EA/FONSI for E-2/C-2 Field Carrier Landing Practice at 
WFF; the Navy's 2014 EA/FONSI for the Testing of Hypervelocity 
Projectiles and an Electromagnetic Railgun; the 2015 Supplemental EA/
FONSI for Antares 200 Configuration Expendable Launch Vehicle at WFF; 
the 2016 EA/FONSI for Establishment of Restricted Area Airspace R-6604 
C/D/E; the Navy's 2017 EA/FONSI for and the Installation and Operation 
of Air and Missile Defense Radar AN/SPY-6; the 2017 U.S. Air Force's 
EA/FONSI for the Instrumentation Tower on Wallops Island; and the 
Navy's 2018 EIS/Overseas EIS/ROD for Atlantic Fleet Training and 
Testing.

Need for Preparing a PEIS

    Since the 2005 WFF Site-wide EA, NASA, NOAA, and the Navy have 
updated their Master Plans for Wallops Island; which propose new 
facilities and numerous infrastructure improvements to enable a growing 
mission base. Additionally, during reviews of the post-2005 Site-wide 
EA NEPA documents, resource agencies have expressed concerns regarding 
cumulative environmental effects and a desire for NASA to consider all 
reasonably foreseeable future projects at WFF in a consolidated NEPA 
document. NASA determined that preparing a single Site-wide PEIS not 
only would assist in its decision-making process for future mission 
growth at WFF but also address concerns regarding cumulative 
environmental effects. Therefore, the Site-wide PEIS considers all 
reasonably foreseeable future actions at WFF; those proposed by NASA 
along with those proposed by its tenants and partners.

Cooperating Agency Actions

    The Site-wide PEIS will serve as a decision-making tool not only 
for NASA but also for its Cooperating Agencies. Given the potential for 
their undertaking actions related to NASA's actions, each of these 
agencies has been involved closely in NASA's NEPA process.

Alternatives

    The PEIS evaluates the environmental consequences of a range of 
reasonable alternatives that meet NASA's need to ensure continued 
growth at WFF while also preserving the ability to safely conduct its 
historical baseline of services. The planning horizon for actions in 
the PEIS is 20 years.
    The PEIS considers a Proposed Action and a No Action alternative. 
The Proposed Action, NASA's preferred alternative, would support a 
number of facility projects ranging from new construction, demolition, 
and renovation; the replacement of the Wallops causeway bridge; 
maintenance dredging between the boat docks at the Main Base and 
Wallops Island; development of a deep-water port and operations area on 
North Wallops Island; construction and operation of an additional 
medium to heavy class launch site; the introduction of new NASA and DoD 
programs at WFF; the expansion of the launch vehicle services with 
liquid-fueled intermediate class and solid fueled heavy class launch 
vehicles; and the consideration of commercial human spaceflight 
missions and the return of launch vehicles to the launch site. Under 
the No Action Alternative, WFF and its partners would continue the 
existing operations and programs previously discussed in the 2005 Site-
Wide EA and the subsequent NEPA documents identified under Related 
Environmental Documents.

Review of the Draft PEIS

    NASA sought public comments on the analysis and findings presented 
in the Draft Site-wide PEIS during the 45-day public comment period 
which ran from May 4 through June 18, 2018. An NOA was placed in the 
Federal Register on May 4, 2018, and public notices were published in 
the Eastern Shore News, Chincoteague Beacon, Eastern Shore Post, and 
The Daily Times.
    A public meeting was held at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility 
Visitor Center on May 23, 2018, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A total of nine 
comment letters were received. Appendix I of the Final PEIS provides 
the public notices, meeting materials, and comment letters received 
during the public review period.
    In accordance with 15 CFR 930.2, the Virginia Department of 
Environmental Quality (VDEQ) invited the public to participate in the 
review of the Federal Consistency Determination submitted for NASA's 
proposed action. A public notice was published in the VDEQ's Office of 
Environmental Impact Review Program Newsletter and on the VDEQ website 
from May 11 through June 21, 2018. No public comments were received in 
response to the notice. In accordance with 40 CFR 1506.9, EPA published 
an NOA of the Draft PEIS in the Federal Register on May 4, 2018. No 
public comments were received in response to the notice.
    In summary, notice of the availability of the Final PEIS is hereby 
given.

Cheryl E. Parker,
Federal Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-09763 Filed 5-10-19; 8:45 am]
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