WASHINGTON,
D.C. – This afternoon,
Senator Ashley Moody and Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL) urged Secretary Troy
Meink of the United States Air Force to increase the efficiency of
modernization operations at Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37).
SLC-37 is one of the few launch pads on the Eastern Range that has historically
been used for heavy lift launches, but today, it sits idle due to outdated
infrastructure. The United States Air Force has agreed to demolish SLC-37’s
outdated infrastructure, however, approval for the construction of
next-generation heavy lift launch capabilities is still under review. The
effort seeks to revive the operational readiness of SLC-37 to ensure continued
American space dominance.
Read the full text of the letter HERE
or below:
The Honorable Troy Meink
Secretary of the Air Force
1670 Air Force Pentagon
Washington, DC 20330-1670
Dear
Secretary Meink,
We
write to you today to emphasize the need to accelerate the modernization of
federal launch ranges. As you know, the United States’ assured access to space
is foundational to national security. With launch demand surging across
military, intelligence, and civil programs, it is essential that legacy
infrastructure like Space Launch Complex 37 (SLC-37) is efficiently modernized
to support next-generation systems. Today, SLC-37 sits idle despite being one
of the few pads on the Eastern Range that has been historically used for heavy
lift launch. We applaud the Department’s decision to move forward with the
demolition of retired infrastructure at this site under the Categorical
Exclusion (CATEX). We respectfully request the Department to approve new
construction to support next-generation heavy lift launch capability as quickly
as possible.
To meet urgent national
security and space access needs, we urge the Department of the Air Force (DAF)
to immediately apply its CATEX to authorize construction of the core launch
structures needed to return SLC-37 to operational readiness. We feel that the
proposed work falls squarely within the CATEX adopted by DAF in 2024, which
covers “new construction that is like or compatible with existing land use.”
[1] SLC-37 for decades has served as a heavy lift launch site, and the new
construction is consistent in type, scale, and environmental impact with prior
activities at comparable sites. DAF has previously issued Findings of No
Significant Impact (FONSIs) for materially similar construction at SLC-41 and
Patrick Space Force Base. [2] NASA, likewise, reached similar conclusions in
its 2021 Environmental Assessment for the 66-acre Exploration Park North
project at Kennedy Space Center. [3] In addition, DAF adopted the Navy’s CATEX
to “enhance mission capabilities and effectiveness, improve safety and increase
operational efficiencies,” which applies to construction consistent with
existing land use and infrastructure scale.
In
our opinion, the SLC-37 project clearly meets these standards. We fear that
delaying construction until completion of the lease Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) will impose a procedural barrier that serves no environmental
benefit while also undermining the agency’s ability to deliver mission-critical
infrastructure on a timely basis. Moreover, the Executive Branch, Supreme
Court, and Congress on a bipartisan basis have all made clear that NEPA must
not be used to delay mission[1]critical infrastructure. The Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2023 reaffirmed agencies’ authority to use CATEXs as a
primary tool where agencies may determine that additional environmental review
is unwarranted. [4] Executive Order 14154 instructs agencies to prioritize
“efficiency and certainty” over process for its own sake. [5] The Supreme
Court’s 2025 decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County
confirmed that NEPA is procedural only and that courts must defer to reasonable
agency determinations on review scope.
Finally,
we note that new construction is independent of the pending lease EIS. No
future user, government or commercial, can operate from SLC-37 without
construction of upgraded facilities. Authorizing construction now does not
dictate or constrain any future use decision. Instead, it enables DAF to
reclaim strategic infrastructure in a timely, lawful, and environmentally
responsible manner, exactly as envisioned by recent reforms to NEPA.
We
respectfully request your assistance and support to return SLC-37 to
operational readiness and continue American dominance in space. We thank you
for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
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