These 13 Environmental Laws Could be Waived to Speed Up Airport-to-Spaceport Conversions

Dozens of airports sit on land, runways, and remote buffer zones that could be turned into spaceports — and the FAA just proposed waiving 13 environmental laws to help them do so. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in late July announced an initiative to streamline space licensing. It includes various measures to speed up approvals for rocket launches, re-entry, and the build-out of new spaceports. Typically, an airport looking to expand would have its plans reviewed by the FAA to make sure it meets environmental requirements. If the fresh proposal goes ahead, developments related to space would skip that step. . The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and Clean Air Act are among those that could be scrapped for qualifying projects. A handful of airports or aerospace test centers currently have spaceport licenses, including Midland International, Ellington Airport, Colorado A