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Submission: On November 22 via manual from US — Scanned from US
Submission: On November 22 via manual from US — Scanned from US
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* Latest * Magazine * Current Issue * Archives * Subscribe * Video * Podcasts * All Shows * The Reason Roundtable * The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie * The Reason Rundown With Peter Suderman * The Soho Forum Debates * Volokh * Newsletters * Donate * Donate Online * Donate Crypto * Ways To Give To Reason Foundation * Torchbearer Society * Planned Giving * Subscribe * Print/Digital Subscriptions * Gift Subscriptions Search for: LOGIN FORM Username* Password* Remember Me Login Create new account Forgot password Space NIMBY LAWS ARE BLOCKING HUMANITY'S FUTURE AMONG THE STARS THE REGULATIONS THAT INCREASE BUILDING COSTS ON EARTH WILL HAVE THE SAME EFFECT IN SPACE. Christian Britschgi | From the December 2022 issue Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Media Contact & Reprint Requests (Illustration: SpaceX) It turns out that breaking free of Earth's gravity is a lot easier than breaking free of the regulatory state. This summer, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a 183-page report describing more than 75 actions that SpaceX has to take before launching Starship spacecraft from its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas. That document is brief compared to the nearly 400-page environmental impact statement that the FAA issued regarding the same launchpad when SpaceX first acquired the site in 2012. Both reports were mandated by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). That 1970 law requires that government agencies study the environmental impact of their actions, whether they are allowing construction of a new highway, permitting a new coal mine, or greenlighting a rocket launch. Over the years, the law has morphed into a progress-blocking behemoth. The average environmental impact statement—the most stringent level of review mandated by NEPA—takes 4.5 years to complete and runs around 661 pages. That's up from 2.2 years and 150 pages in the 1970s. The opportunity for public input on what happens with private property allows NIMBYs and other obstructionists to bring projects to a screeching halt, even when regulators themselves would rather stay out of the way. Projects that survive the NEPA review process seldom emerge unscathed. In SpaceX's case, many of the steps mandated for its Boca Chica site seem tenuously related to protecting the environment. For example, the company must prepare reports on the Mexican-American War and the Civil War, describing events that took place within the area potentially affected by its space launches. It will have to install five signs, in English and Spanish, outlining that history for the public. SpaceX also will have to give $5,000 a year to both the Peregrine Fund, which works to protect endangered birds, and Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge's Adopt-an-Ocelot Program. The latter donation will help pay for special events to raise ocelot awareness. Critics of NEPA argue that it does not protect the environment so much as the status quo, layering needless red tape on people trying to do new and exciting things. SpaceX must divert some of the time and energy it would have spent extending humanity's reach into the solar system to preparing reports on 19th century wars. NEPA, which increases the cost of terrestrial road and rail projects, also stands in the way of journeys to space. The surliest bonds of Earth may be the ones forged by Congress. Subscribe to Reason Roundup, a wrap up of the last 24 hours of news, delivered fresh each morning. Email Submit Δ NEXT: As Private Space Travel Grows, so Will the Insurance Market Christian Britschgi is an associate editor at Reason. SpaceRegulationFAAEnvironmental ProtectionEnergy & Environment Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Media Contact & Reprint Requests Show Comments (9) LATEST THE QATAR WORLD CUP IS A CELEBRATION OF AUTHORITARIANISM Eric Boehm | 11.21.2022 1:30 PM MANDATORY LIFE SENTENCES FOR JUVENILE HOMICIDE OFFENDERS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL, RULES TENNESSEE SUPREME COURT Emma Camp | 11.21.2022 1:12 PM DID SAM BANKMAN-FRIED'S MILLIONS BUY THE MEDIA'S LOYALTY? Robby Soave | 11.21.2022 12:02 PM THERE'S NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO OWN A PIT BULL, FEDERAL COURT SAYS Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 11.21.2022 9:32 AM SEE THE SURVEILLANCE STATE AT WORK IN YOUR OWN COMMUNITY J.D. Tuccille | 11.21.2022 7:00 AM RECOMMENDED WILL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS STOP SPACEX? TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STREAMLINES NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT WHAT SHOULD LIBERTARIANS THINK ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S NEPA REFORMS? JOE MANCHIN STRIKES A DEAL TO FIX ANTIQUATED ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW REGULATIONS. WILL IT DO ANY GOOD? JOE BIDEN WANTS TO SPEND TRILLIONS ON INFRASTRUCTURE. HIS ENVIRONMENTAL REFORMS ENSURE HE'LL HAVE TO. AROUND THE WEB Removing Moles & Skin Tags Has Never Been This Easy (Try Now) x [Americans Stunned] Easy to Sep Up Diy Water Generator Frees from Water Shortage x 7 Time Lottery Winner: You're All Playing the Lottery Wrong! (Watch) x Doctors Stunned: This Removes Wrinkles Like Crazy! (Try Tonight) x Breakfast: 15 Foods You Should Never Eat x Oprah's New House is So Gorgeous. Take a Look Inside x MOST READ Free-Range Kids SUBURBAN MOM HANDCUFFED, JAILED FOR MAKING 8-YEAR-OLD SON WALK HALF A MILE HOME Heather Wallace plead guilty to child endangerment and can no longer work with kids. Lenore Skenazy | 11.16.2022 10:01 AM Criminal Justice MANHATTAN D.A. SAID THIS WOMAN ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE. HE PROSECUTED HER FOR ALMOST A YEAR ANYWAY. Alvin Bragg has finally moved to stop prosecuting Tracy McCarter for murder. Billy Binion | 11.21.2022 5:56 PM Animals THERE'S NO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO OWN A PIT BULL, FEDERAL COURT SAYS Plus: A flawed study on marijuana risks, the collapsing publishing-house merger, and more... Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 11.21.2022 9:32 AM Prosecutors PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICANS IMPEACHED PHILADELPHIA DISTRICT ATTORNEY LARRY KRASNER. NOW WHAT? If it comes down to a party-line vote, Republicans don't have enough seats in the state Senate to remove Krasner from office. C.J. Ciaramella | 11.21.2022 3:34 PM Law & Government HOW A GORSUCH LGBT RULING MAY DOOM AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN COLLEGE ADMISSIONS The link between Bostock v. Clayton County and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina Damon Root | 11.21.2022 2:10 PM * About * Browse Topics * Events * Staff * Jobs * Donate * Advertise * Subscribe * Contact * Media * Shop * Amazon Reason FacebookReason TwitterReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeReason ItunesReason on FlipboardReason RSS © 2022 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use Notifications