Trump wants to cut environmental reviews for space industry
President Trump signed an executive order Wednesday easing regulations for commercial rocket launches and spaceport development, in a move likely to boost Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
The order calls for eliminating or expediting environmental reviews for rocket launches.
It also seeks to evaluate state and local restrictions on spaceport development, in addition to expediting environmental and administrative reviews for building the infrastructure for launches.
“Ensuring that United States operators can efficiently launch, conduct missions in space, and reenter United States airspace is critical to economic growth, national security, and accomplishing Federal space objectives,” Trump’s order reads.
It aims to “substantially” increase commercial space launches and “novel space activities” by the end of the decade.
Environmental advocates were immediately wary of the move. The Center for Biological Diversity slammed the order as “reckless,” arguing it puts people and wildlife at risk from rockets that often explode and “wreak devastation on surrounding areas.”
“Bending the knee to powerful corporations by allowing federal agencies to ignore bedrock environmental laws is incredibly dangerous and puts all of us in harm’s way,” Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. “This is clearly not in the public interest.”
The order will likely be a boon to Musk’s SpaceX, one of the biggest players in the commercial space industry. The spacecraft and satellite communications firm has conducted more than 100 launches so far this year.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, I’m Rachel Frazin — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
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