Notice2023-11156
National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Sample Return Campaign
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 25, 2023
Issuing agencies
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Abstract
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA); Executive Order 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions; the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA implementing regulations, NASA's procedures for implementing NEPA, and Department of the Air Force (DAF) procedures for implementing NEPA, NASA announces the availability of the MSR Campaign Final PEIS. The Final PEIS provides information and analysis related to the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed action to retrieve a scientifically selected set of samples from Mars and transport them to Earth for scientific analysis and research. Cooperating agencies for this effort include the DAF for Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; the Department of the Army for Dugway Proving Ground; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services--Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33919-33920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11156]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[NOTICE: (22-XXX)]
National Environmental Policy Act; Mars Sample Return Campaign
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
ACTION: Notice of availability of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Campaign
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS).
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended (NEPA); Executive Order 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of
Major Federal Actions; the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA
implementing regulations, NASA's procedures for implementing NEPA, and
Department of the Air Force (DAF) procedures for implementing NEPA,
NASA announces the availability of the MSR Campaign Final PEIS. The
Final PEIS provides information and analysis related to the potential
environmental impacts associated with the proposed action to retrieve a
scientifically selected set of samples from Mars and transport them to
Earth for scientific analysis and research. Cooperating agencies for
this effort include the DAF for Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and Cape
Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida; the Department of the Army for
Dugway Proving Ground; the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services--Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention.
DATES: NASA will document its decision regarding alternative
implementation in a Record of Decision (ROD), which would be signed no
sooner than June 26, 2023, after the 30-day mandatory Final PEIS
waiting period is complete as required by 40 CFR 1506.11(b)(2).
ADDRESSES: The Final PEIS and other informational materials are
available at <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nepa-mars-sample-return-campaign">https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nepa-mars-sample-return-campaign</a>. All comments received on the Draft EIS are available in their
entirety on the MSR Campaign Docket at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/document/NASA-2022-0002-0175">https://www.regulations.gov/document/NASA-2022-0002-0175</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steve Slaten, NASA Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, by electronic mail at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6924081b1a441a080419050c441b0c1d1c1b0744070c19082905001a1d1a4707081a08470e061f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9ed3ffecedb3edfff3eef2fbb3ecfbeaebecf0b3f0fbeeffdef2f7edeaedb0f0ffedffb0f9f1e8">[email protected]</span></a> or by telephone at 202-358-0016. For questions
regarding viewing the Docket, please call Docket Operations, telephone:
202-366-9317 or 202-366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NASA, in coordination with the European
Space Agency, proposes to conduct a campaign to retrieve samples from
Mars and transport them to Earth. A scientifically selected set of
samples (i.e., Martian rocks, regolith, and atmosphere), acquired and
cached on the surface of Mars by the Perseverance rover, would be
returned to Earth for scientific analysis and research. The proposed
sample landing location is the DAF- managed Utah Test and Training
Range, with additional activities potentially occurring on the U.S.
Army's Dugway Proving Ground. The Final PEIS provides information and
analysis related to the potential environmental impacts associated with
this proposed action.
The proposed action and a no action alternative were evaluated in
the Final PEIS. Under the no action alternative, the MSR Campaign would
not be undertaken and investigation of Mars as a planetary system would
be severely constrained due to the cost and complexity of sending into
space (and operating) science instruments capable of conducting the
appropriate level of sample analysis in space or on Mars where in situ
analyses could be performed. The environmental resource areas analyzed
in the Final PEIS include health and safety, cultural resources,
hazardous materials and waste, soils and geology, biological resources,
water resources, air quality and climate, land use, socioeconomics,
environmental justice/protection of children, noise, and
infrastructure. No significant adverse impacts were identified in the
Final PEIS.
Comments and stakeholder input received within the Draft PEIS
comment period were considered during the development of the Final
PEIS. NASA released the Draft PEIS for comment from November 4, 2022,
through December 19, 2022. During the 45-day review and comment period,
NASA held two virtual and two in-person
[[Page 33920]]
public meetings (one in Wendover, UT and the other in Salt Lake City,
UT). The Final PEIS provides details on substantive comments received
during the comment period and the public meetings, as well as NASA
responses to those comments.
NASA provided press releases to local newspapers and distributed
letters to stakeholders, Native American tribes, and other interested
parties. In addition to availability on the website (<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nepa-mars-sample-return-campaign">https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nepa-mars-sample-return-campaign</a>), hard copies of
the Final PEIS will be made available at the following public
libraries.
<bullet> Cocoa Beach Public Library, 550 N Brevard Avenue, Cocoa
Beach, FL 32931
<bullet> Central Brevard Library and Reference Center, 308 Forrest
Avenue, Cocoa, FL 32922
<bullet> Cape Canaveral Public Library, 201 Polk Avenue, Cape
Canaveral, FL 32920
<bullet> Titusville Public Library, 2121 S Hopkins Avenue,
Titusville, FL 32780
<bullet> Melbourne Library, 540 E Fee Avenue, Melbourne, FL 32901
<bullet> Merritt Island Public Library, 1195 N Courtenay Parkway,
Merritt Island, FL 32953
<bullet> NASA Headquarters Library, 300 E Street SW #1120,
Washington DC 20024
<bullet> Tooele City Public Library, 128 West Vine Street, Tooele,
UT 84074
<bullet> Grantsville Library, 42 Bowery Street, Grantsville, UT
84029
<bullet> Brigham City Public Library, 26 E Forest Street, Brigham
City, UT 84302
<bullet> Tremonton Municipal Library, 210 N Tremont Street,
Tremont, UT 84337
<bullet> West Wendover Branch Library, 590 Camper Drive, West
Wendover, NV 89883
<bullet> Garland Public Library, 86 W Factory Street, Garland, UT
84312
Joel Carney,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Strategic Infrastructure.
[FR Doc. 2023-11156 Filed 5-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-13-P
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