1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

Oppose the FAA's proposed rule that would allow the agency to waive environmental protections for commercial space launches. Gutting the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act — among others — to speed up rocket approvals is not cutting red tape. It is handing billion-dollar corporations a free pass to pollute without consequence. SpaceX was fined $150,000 just last year for dumping tens of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater at its Boca Chica launch pad in violation of the Clean Water Act. That fine was a slap on the wrist. Now the administration wants to eliminate the very reviews that caught that violation in the first place. With the FAA projecting up to 4,288 commercial space operations over the next decade, the cumulative environmental damage from unchecked launches near wildlife refuges, coastal waterways, and populated areas could be severe and irreversible. The public comment period is open now. Please submit formal opposition to this rule and push back against any final version that strips environmental oversight from commercial space operations. These laws exist because communities and ecosystems cannot defend themselves against corporate negligence — and no space race justifies abandoning that protection.