Nurturing a symbiotic relationship between commercial space and our National Treasures
The North Indian River Lagoon National Estuary including Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore comprise the largest undeveloped coastal zone remaining on Florida’s East Coast.
NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), the estuary’s largest shareholder, is quickly transforming into Cape Canaveral Spaceport, a state-run launch facility serving the commercial space industry.
● Should the same 1969 National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Categorical Exclusions (CATEX) provided to NASA in the name of national security, be inherited by a state agency operating a commercial space port?
● KSC has identified 8,400 acres of “developable property” it will offer to the commercial space industry. A national estuary, wildlife refuge, seashore, and numerous archaeological sites are in jeopardy.
KSC’s transformation from a classified federal installation, to a public spaceport, presents a unique opportunity for environmentalists to foster a new relationship with the space center.
- Preserve the National Estuary, Refuge and Seashore properties, and their inhabitants.
- Ensure future public access to the natural resources.
- Limit wetland mitigation to the IRL National Estuary watershed.
- Allow FDEP to monitor the estuary’s air and water quality
- Install real-time monitoring systems with publicly shared data.
- Update modifications in order to restore the water’s flow and natural filters.
The commercial space industry can coexist with our unique natural areas, but change is happening quickly and nature is not well represented in the decision making process.
Elected officials and government agencies will not broach the subject for fear of political retribution, organizations are hesitant to take on causes outside their realm, and individual citizens have no voice. Yet, we all stand to lose our national treasures forever.
Indian River Lagoon citizen environmentalists must form a unified consensus in order to speak with a strong voice that financially motivated politicians, government agencies, and space industry executives can hear.
References
KSC Environmental Impact Statement 2016 Shiloh – FWS Environmental Statement Letter