FAA Requires Spaceport Camden Proponents to Restart Environmental Review

ATLANTA, Ga.—Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it will require Camden County to complete a revised Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Spaceport Camden.

FAA’s decision to require a new EIS follows Camden County’s last minute decision in December to change its license application for the proposed project—originally for medium-to-large sized rockets—to focus exclusively on small rockets.

On behalf of the National Parks Conservation Association and One Hundred Miles, the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) sent a letter to the FAA in February advising the agency that this change triggered the need for a supplemental draft environmental impact statement.

In response to today’s announcement, the following statement is from Brian Gist, SELC Senior Attorney:

“The law requires agencies to prepare a revised environmental impact statement when a project is changed substantially, and the changes have significant impacts that were not previously evaluated. When Camden County changed its application to focus on small rockets, that action effectively hit ‘restart’ on the environmental review process.

“Small rockets fail at a much higher rate than medium to large rockets, so the FAA must now consider the environmental impacts of these risky, unproven vehicles. Given the enormous risks Spaceport Camden poses to public health, private property and Cumberland Island, this is not the time for shortcuts and half-measures.”