FAA final report says Boca Chica environment safe with rocket launches

May 30--BROWNSVILLE -- A little more than a year after the Federal Aviation Administration released a draft of its environmental impact survey concerning Boca Chica Beach and a proposed SpaceX launch pad, the federal agency on Thursday made available its final version of the report.

The FAA report, titled the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the SpaceX Texas Launch Site, aims to quantify the impact that the construction and operation of a commercial launch pad would have on the local ecosystem.

More than 1,500 pages, the report will be one of four factors in the agency's record of decision, which the FAA must file within 30 days of the report's publication on the national register.

That publication is expected sometime within the next week.

The report doesn't offer a definitive rating of the site and proposal. But its final sentence, which concerns irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources, suggested the preparers did not note the high chance of any disastrous environmental impacts.

"The proposed action would not result in the destruction of environmental resources such that the range of potential uses of the environment would be limited, nor impact the biodiversity of the region," the report reads.

The FAA will also consider safety, insurance and national security as part of making its decision, which completes the agency's requirement under the National Environmental Protection Act.

Although the final version of the report bears a close resemblance to the draft from April 2013, it is more comprehensive and contains statements from the public and the transcript from a May 2013 public hearing, as well as specific examples of suggested mitigation factors for SpaceX to consider ahead of submitting a license application.

The EIS and associated deliberation leading up to the FAA's record of decision is considered part of the pre-application process.

After the decision, SpaceX is free to apply for launch licenses and experimental permits, although there is no required timeframe for the company to file its applications.

After filing, the FAA has 180 days to either approve or deny the requests.

The report examines the impacts launch pad construction and operation would have on the area near the proposed launch site and the three parcels of land near Boca Chica Village that would house the control centers and other facilities associated with SpaceX operations.

The report found the project would not significantly affect surrounding farmland, other properties, air quality or natural and water resources, but did find reason to believe the construction at the proposed sites, all within the 100-year floodplain, would result in a significant floodplain encroachment by U.S. Department of Transportation standards.

To mitigate those concerns, SpaceX would need to implement flood control measures in the event of storm or heavy rain events, but most of the mitigation items concerned animals in and around the area, some of which are endangered in the United States.

The direct or indirect loss of nearly 23 acres of wildlife habitat was noted in the report, as well as the potential for construction and operations to affect piping plover, red knot, northern aplomado falcon, jaguarundi, ocelot and sea turtle populations in the area.

To mitigate those impacts, the report suggests SpaceX adopt the two miles of state Highway 4 nearest the launch pad location and the three miles of beach nearest the terminus of that road.

The report also encourages SpaceX to work with the Texas Department of Transportation to install road signs to warn motorists to look out for ocelots and jaguarundis, and would create "strict internal repercussions" for SpaceX employees who exceed the 25-mile speed limit on the highway.

In all, 29 mitigation items were listed concerning wildlife conservation, which emerged as one of the top criticisms of the project during the public input process.

Another issue raised at the hearing concerned increased noise and traffic near Boca Chica Village. The report suggested the impact on residents there would be minimal.

Noise pollution overall, which could affect the usually tranquil Palmito Ranch Battlefield nearby, was deemed to be an insignificant concern because loud noises would peak only during launches.

If SpaceX applies for FAA licenses, it still will not have a green light to launch rockets, as a handful of other permits and licenses are required to begin construction.

The report notes that SpaceX would then require permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas General Land Office, TxDOT and Cameron County.

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