Alternative Energy Draft EA - NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight ...

INTRODUCTION
Executive Summary
This Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to evaluate the potential
environmental impacts from alternative energy sources that would be capable of generating up to
10 gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/year) of electricity at National Aeronautics and Space
Administration’s (NASA’s) Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). This EA has been prepared in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 United
States Code [U.S.C.] 4321–4347), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for
implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500–1508), the NASA regulations
for implementing NEPA (14 CFR Subpart 1216.3), and the NASA Procedural Requirements
(NPR): Implementing NEPA and Executive Order (EO) 12114 (NPR 8580.1).
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has served as a Cooperating Agency in the
preparation of this EA because they possess regulatory authority over the Proposed Action. This
EA is being developed to also fulfill the USACE’s obligations under NEPA. NASA, as the WFF
property owner and project proponent, is the Lead Agency and responsible for ensuring overall
compliance with applicable environmental statutes, including NEPA.
PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE ACTION
The purpose of the proposed Alternative Energy Project is to generate clean, renewable energy at
WFF from a technologically proven source in order to meet the requirements of the 2005 Federal
Energy Policy Act and EOs 13423 and 13514. The WFF project would also support NASA’s
goal to set an example of leadership in environmental stewardship and accountability by a
Federal agency. Additionally, EO 13423 and NASA Policy Directive 8500.1B require revisions
to the NASA Environmental Management System (EMS) procedural requirements, NPR 8553.1,
to address the implementation of “sustainable practices” through the EMS, including
energy/water conservation, reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGs), fleet management,
sustainable acquisition, and development of sustainable facilities. The implementation of proven,
renewable energy sources such as wind turbines or solar panels at WFF would meet the facility’s
goal to reduce GHG emissions by reducing the use of fossil fuels to generate electricity, while
also reducing WFF’s annual operating costs.
PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES
The Proposed Action and Alternatives consist of developing renewable, self-sufficient energy
sources at WFF to supplement the electricity currently supplied to WFF by the local electric
cooperative. These alternative energy sources would consist of proven technologies that would
assist WFF in meeting its goals of reducing impacts on the natural environment. This EA
encompasses a 25-year planning horizon, which is based on the expected life span of the
proposed wind turbines and solar panels.
Proposed Action
Under the Proposed Action, NASA’s preferred alternative, NASA would construct two 2.0-
megawatt (MW) “utility-scale” wind turbines on Wallops Island that would be capable of
generating approximately 10 GWh of electricity per year, and up to five 2.4-kilowatt (kW)
“residential-scale” wind turbines at the Main Base and Mainland. The utility-scale wind turbines
would be located on Wallops Island west of the U.S. Navy V-10/V-20 complex. One of the 2.4
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