The federal district court for the District of Columbia found that a programmatic environmental assessment and associated mitigated finding of no significant impact approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for SpaceX’s license to test its reusable launch vehicle at its base in Boca Chica, Texas, satisfied National Environmental Policy Act requirements. The court rejected the argument that the FAA unlawfully delegated its authority to SpaceX and that comments from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department necessitated preparation of an environmental impact statement. The court also rejected the plaintiffs’ contentions that the FAA failed to satisfy its obligation to take a hard look at the four issues on which plaintiffs focused: lighting, noise, anomalies (i.e., “unexpected explosions during tests or launches that can spread debris and cause fires around launch areas”), and access closures. Although the complaint alleged failures to analyze impacts on climate, including through the burning and venting of liquid methane, that issue was not a focus of briefing and was not addressed in the court’s decision.

NEPA challenge to the Federal Aviation Administration’s authorization of the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program.

Center for Biological Diversity v. Federal Aviation Administration

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D.C. Federal Court Rejected NEPA Challenge to SpaceX Launch License

Filed

United States of America

District of Columbia

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

Financial support to help individuals manage the effects of unexpected events, securing their livelihoods and increasing the resilience of people and businesses to the changing climate. It’s especially vital in developing regions where everyday risks, climate-related weather extremes, or crop failures can push people into poverty. Without insurance, people may have to resort to selling assets or cutting consumption to cope with losses.

Zoning and spatial planning are both methods for guiding the distribution of people and activities in a space, and are regulatory restriction.

Actions to reduce emissions in energy generation and supply.

Fossil gas, commonly known as natural gas, is a fossil fuel consisting chiefly of methane with smaller amounts of other hydrocarbons and trace gases, found in underground deposits.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

People with different national or cultural traditions from the dominant population

Social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy or from which they have been displaced

Work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace and social protection for all, better prospects for personal development and social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organize and participate in the decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity.

Jobs that contribute to preserving or restoring the environment. We include jobs which require a high amount of green skills or which spend much of their time on green activities, as well as jobs transforming polluting industries.

Activities that involve planning, designing and building infrastructure, residential, and commercial structures.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

This sector involves activities that impart knowledge and skills to individuals, including formal schooling, vocational training and educational support.

Activities involving the catching, processing, and selling of fish for food, recreation, and industry.

D.C. Federal Court Rejected NEPA Challenge to SpaceX Launch License

Policy instrument

Impacted group

Just transition

Fossil fuel

Economic sector