US farmers urged to join Federal program to grow crops for aviation bio-fuel
August 25, 2011 at 1:59 pm | Posted in Aerospace Law Interfaces | Leave a commentby Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty
Source: Seattlepi.com
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Farmers are being urged to join a federal program that pays them to grow camelina, a crop that some researchers consider a potential alternative to overseas oil.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said the new U.S. Department of Agriculture effort is intended to jump-start the creation of a camelina-to-fuel industry.
But The Spokesman-Review reported Wednesday that unless many more Western U.S. farmers grow camelina, few companies will invest money in production facilities to turn camelina oil into biodiesel or “green” aviation fuel.
Cantwell said the program would pay Eastern Washington farmers up to $4.5 million in crop support over five years to grow camelina on their land. But growers must commit to the program by Sept. 16. The USDA funds are only for the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. [Full story]
Event: Fourth Symposium on Astrosociology
August 25, 2011 at 10:16 am | Posted in Space Law Current Events | Leave a commentby P.J. Blount with the blog faculty
The Fourth Symposium on Astrosociology has been announced at the University of Maryland on February 29-March 2, 2012 as part of the Space, Propulsion & Energy Sciences International Forum. The Symposium includes a session on space law and policy. See the below Call for Abstracts:
Fourth Symposium on Astrosociology
Call for Abstracts
(for Papers and Presentations)Event: SPESIF 2012 Conference
Track: Fourth Symposium on Astrosociology
Dates: Wednesday, February 29 – Friday, March 2, 2012
Location: University of Maryland
(College Park, MD)Important Note: We have negotiated a substantial decrease in the registration fees for our symposium. However, a continued presence at SPESIF depends upon a high volume of participation/attendance. We ask that you carefully consider joining us. Thank you!
Important Deadlines
Initial Abstract Submission: September 16, 2011
Draft Manuscripts Due*: October 15, 2011
Final Camera Ready Manuscripts Due*: January 15, 2012
* – for manuscripts onlyPapers approved by the Technical and Editorial Committees will be published in an Elsevier Science proceedings dedicated volume.
Conference Link: http://www.ias-spes.org/SPESIF.html
Registration Link: http://www.astrosociology.org/4thastrosociologysymposiumreg.htmlThe following sessions comprise the symposium. See the attachment for more details.
B01. Astrosociology: Definition, Scope, and Relevance/Astrosociology in the Classroom
B02. Science Fiction and Scientific Actuality
B03. Space Policy and Law within Social Dimensions
B04. Astrosociology and Astrobiology (and SETI)
B05. Planetary Defense and Societal Protection
B06. Space Societies/The Settlement of Space Environments
B07. Technology Transfers and Spinoffs: How Space Technologies Improve Life on Earth
B08. Spacefaring Societies
B09. Medical Astrosociology
B10. Overview Effect
B11. Space History and Society: a Cultural History of the Space Age, 1900-2011
B12. Political Economy of Space Ecologies
B13. Space and Society (Undergraduate Session: General Topics)
B14. Space and Society (Graduate Session: General Topics)If interested in serving as a session chair, please email Jim Pass (jpass@astrosociology.org) or Chris Hearsey (chearsey@astrosociology.org).
We welcome all who wish to familiarize themselves with the field of astrosociology without presenting at this particular conference. Attendees must pay reduced conference fees for the days they attend. Students receive a substantial discount.
Important Note: participants are not required to write formal papers, so a PowerPoint presentation is adequate to become part of the program. Thus, for those who do not have enough time to write a paper, participation is still a possibility. Participants must submit abstracts for both papers and presentations, the latter of which summarizes the major theme/purpose of the PowerPoint slideshow presentation. Any author or presenter may submit one additional paper, subject to publication limitations set out by SPESIF, or one additional presentation for an extra $20. Please email Glen Robertson (gar@ias-spes.org) for the rules regarding publication limitations.
The Astrosociology Research Institute (ARI) serves as a cooperative organization with the SPESIF conference. ARI is a California 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that seeks to support astrosociological research, including promoting student participation in astrosociology sessions and providing funding assistance for them when this becomes possible in the future. See the ARI website (www.astrosociology.org) for a complete definition of astrosociology and description of ARI’s mission.
Please pass along this invitation to colleagues who may wish to participate in our symposium based on the session topics above. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Jim Pass, Ph.D.
Chair, 4th Symposium on Astrosociology (SPESIF 2012 Conference)
Chief Executive Officer, Astrosociology Research Institute (ARI)Christopher Hearsey, M.S.
Co-Chair, 4th Symposium on Astrosociology (SPESIF 2012 Conference)
Deputy Executive Officer, Astrosociology Research Institute (ARI)
United Nations Treaties and Principles on Outer Space: Travaux Préparatoires
August 24, 2011 at 2:47 pm | Posted in Space Law | Leave a commentby P.J. Blount with the blog faculty
The United Nations Office on Outer Space Affairs has launched a new resource page for accessing the Travaux Préparatoires of the space treaties and principles. Currently they have the travaux préparatoires for Outer Space Treaty, The Rescuse and Return Agreement, and the Liability Convention, as well as the Declaration of Legal Principles, and the rest are to be added.
Following LightSquared, Dish ups the ante in spectrum speculation
August 24, 2011 at 10:38 am | Posted in Telecommunications | Leave a commentby Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty
Source: Gigaom.com
by Stacey Higginbotham
Do we really think that Dish wants to build an LTE-Advanced mobile broadband network? I know that last night it filed a waiver asking the FCC to grant it the ability to use its satellite spectrum to deliver a combo terrestrial and satellite network, but let’s get real for a moment. This isn’t about mobile broadband, it’s about the spectrum. Charles W. Ergen, the CEO of Dish is making a huge gamble on the hyped-up spectrum crisis, the FCC’s failure so far with LightSquared, and a realization that satellite television is going to become an increasingly niche product. [more]
FAA Misses Pilot Rest Rule Deadline
August 24, 2011 at 8:40 am | Posted in Aviation Law Current Event | Leave a commentby Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty
Source: AVweb
The FAA was supposed to publish a final rule addressing pilot rest requirements by Aug. 1, but so far the rule has not been released. The proposed rule was published last September. The FAA told Bloomberg News this week it is “working aggressively” to get the final rule done. ALPA President Lee Moak said the final rule is being delayed by the federal Office of Management and Budget, which is being pressured by companies “whose goal is advancing their own competitive interests rather than ensuring the safety of the U.S. air transportation system.” NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman also told Bloomberg “it’s frustrating” that the rule is being held up by “special interests who are putting profits ahead of safety.”
Charter operators have protested that they should be exempt from the proposed rule, and airlines say it would be too costly. The Air Transport Association estimated the proposed rules would cost airlines nearly $20 billion over 10 years, although the FAA estimated their costs at $1.2 billion, which would be partially offset by $660 million in benefits. Cargo operator UPS objected that the proposed rule “effectively rewrites UPS’ collective bargaining agreement with its pilots’ union while hobbling the company’s finely honed domestic and overseas logistics network.” The target date for the final rule to be published now is late November, according to The Associated Press.
Vietnamese deal puts Spacebel in the mix for small satellites
August 23, 2011 at 10:19 am | Posted in Space Law Current Events | Leave a commentby Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty
Source: Space News
Backed by national and regional government authorities, Liege-based Spacebel is expected to sign the contract for the 100-kilogram Vietnamese satellite in March during a Belgian state visit to Vietnam. The satellite will carry an optical imager capable of taking pictures with a 2.5-meter resolution in black-and-white mode, and 10 meters in color.
Spacebel Managing Director Thierry du Pre-Werson said Vietnamese authorities wanted to diversify their satellite supplier mix. The win, he said, should help better position Spacebel in what is likely to be a series of competitions to provide countries in Latin America, the Middle East and Asia with small spacecraft to permit closer government oversight of agricultural, land and water resources. [Full story]
Federal Register: Office of Commercial Space Transportation Notice of Intent To Publish Current and Future Launch, Site, and Reentry Licenses and Permits and Their Orders Online
August 23, 2011 at 9:16 am | Posted in Space Law | Leave a commentby P.J. Blount with the blog faculty
The FAA has published an Office of Commercial Space Transportation Notice of Intent To Publish Current and Future Launch, Site, and Reentry Licenses and Permits and Their Orders Online (PDF) in today’s Federal Register (76 Fed. Reg. 52732-52733):
SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is changing the way the Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) makes its permits, licenses, and all accompanying orders (authorizations) available to the public. The FAA intends to post all current and future authorizations online on the AST Web site \1\ beginning on October 24, 2011. The FAA will not publish license or permit applications or evaluations. The FAA has determined that posting authorizations online will allow it to more effectively and efficiently inform the public of its commercial space transportation permit and license determinations.
Federal Register: Notice of availability and request for comments on the draft environmental assessment (“Draft EA”) for launch of NASA routine payloads on expendable launch vehicles.
August 23, 2011 at 9:07 am | Posted in Space Law | Leave a commentby P.J. Blount wit the blog faculty
NASA published a Notice of availability and request for comments on the draft environmental assessment (“Draft EA”) for launch of NASA routine payloads on expendable launch vehicles (PDF) in today’s Federal Register (76 Fed. Reg. 52694-52696):
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and NASA NEPA policy and procedures (14 CFR part 1216 subpart 1216.3), NASA has prepared a Draft EA for launch of NASA routine payloads on expendable launch vehicles. For purposes of this Draft EA, NASA routine payloads include science instruments, spacecraft or technology demonstrations. This EA updates the Final Environmental Assessment for Launch of NASA Routine Payloads on Expendable Launch Vehicles from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Florida and Vandenberg Air Force Base California published in June 2002. NASA missions covered by this Draft EA would be scheduled for launch at one of the proposed launch sites and would be within the total number of launch operations previously analyzed in launch vehicle and launch site NEPA documents. The proposed launches would occur from existing launch facilities at CCAFS, Florida, VAFB, California, the United States Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site (USAKA/RTS) in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Virginia, and the Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC), Alaska. The Cooperating Agencies on this Draft EA include the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The Draft EA analyzes the potential environmental impacts associated with preparing and implementing launches of missions that are designated NASA routine payloads on U.S. expendable launch vehicles from existing U.S. facilities using established procedures. The NASA routine payloads meet rigorously defined criteria ensuring that the spacecraft and their operation would not present any new or substantial environmental and safety concerns. A Routine Payload Checklist is used to exclude missions from consideration as routine payloads if they: (1) Include any extraterrestrial sample return; (2) would be launched on a vehicle or from a launch site for which NASA has not completed NEPA compliance; (3) carry radioactive sources that could not be approved by the NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance Nuclear Flight Safety Assurance Manager or designee; (4) cause the manifested launch rate (per year) for a particular launch vehicle to exceed the rate previously approved and permitted at the launch sites; (5) require the construction of any new facilities (or substantial modification of existing facilities); (6) utilize hazardous materials in quantities exceeding the Envelope Payload Characteristics (EPCs); (7) utilize potentially hazardous material whose type or amount would not be covered by new or existing local permits; (8) release material other than propulsion system exhaust or inert gases into the atmosphere; (9) suggest the potential for any substantial impact on public health and safety not covered by this Draft EA; (10) have the potential for substantial effects on the environment outside the United States; (11) utilize an Earth-pointing laser system that does not meet the requirements for safe operations according to American National Standards Institute analysis techniques; (12) carry live or inactive disease-causing biological agents beyond Biological Safety Level 1; or (13) have the potential to create substantial public controversy related to environmental issues.
Payloads that fall within the Routine Payload Checklist would utilize materials, quantities of materials, launch vehicles, and operational characteristics that are consistent with normal and routine payload preparation and flight activities at these specified launch sites. Therefore, the environmental impacts of launching routine payloads would fall within the range of routine, ongoing, and previously documented impacts associated with approved programs that have been determined not to be significant. The purpose and need for this proposed action is to fulfill NASA’s mission for Earth exploration, space exploration, technology development, and scientific research. The scientific missions associated with NASA routine payloads could not be accomplished without launching orbital and interplanetary spacecraft.
Public Notice of Meeting from the Office of Science and Technology Policy: Partially Closed Meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
August 23, 2011 at 7:17 am | Posted in Space Law Current Events | Leave a commentby Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty
Source: Federal Register [PDF]
SUMMARY: This notice sets forth the schedule and summary agenda for a
partially closed meeting of the President’s Council of Advisors on
Science and Technology (PCAST), and describes the functions of the
Council. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA), 5 U.S.C., App.DATES: September 16, 2011.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Marriott Metro Center, 775
12th Street, NW., Ballroom Salon A, Washington, DC.
Type of Meeting: Open and Closed.
Proposed Schedule and Agenda: The President’s Council of Advisors
on Science and Technology (PCAST) is scheduled to meet in open session
on September 16, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Open Portion of Meeting: During this open meeting, PCAST is
tentatively scheduled to hear from speakers who will provide an
overview of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration
environmental observation and prediction activities, and the Department
of Veterans Affairs’ Million Veteran Program. In addition, several
agencies will update PCAST on the implementation status of the
recommendations it made in its report on Health Information Technology.
Additional information and the agenda, including any changes that
arise, will be posted at the PCAST Web site at: http://whitehouse.gov/ostp/pcast.
Closed Portion of the Meeting: PCAST may hold a closed meeting of
approximately 1 hour with the President on September 16, 2011, which
must take place in the White House for the President’s scheduling
convenience and to maintain Secret Service protection. This meeting
will be closed to the public because such portion of the meeting is
likely to disclose matters that are to be kept secret in the interest
of national defense or foreign policy under 5 U.S.C. 552b(c)(1).
Public Comments: It is the policy of the PCAST to accept written
public comments of any length, and to accommodate oral public comments
whenever possible. The PCAST expects that public statements presented
at its meetings will not be repetitive of previously submitted oral or
written statements.
The public comment period for this meeting will take place on
September 16, 2011 at a time specified in the meeting agenda posted on
the PCAST Web site at http://whitehouse.gov/ostp/pcast. This public
comment period is designed only for substantive commentary on PCAST’s
work, not for business marketing purposes.
TSA makes air cargo security program permanent
August 22, 2011 at 1:40 pm | Posted in Aviation Law Current Event | Leave a commentby Sara M. Langston with the blog faculty
Source: The Journal of Commerce
Program requires 100 percent screening of cargo before loaded aboard aircraft
The Transportation Security Administration issued its final rule on U.S. air cargo security regulations on Thursday, making permanent the network of shippers, air forwarders, independent facilities and airlines that screen cargo before it’s loaded aboard aircraft.
The Certified Cargo Screening Program, established in 2008, was created to meet a congressional requirement for 100 percent screening of air cargo carried in passenger aircraft.
TSA is asking for public comment on one portion of the final rule: fees for security threat assessments of CCSF personnel. The agency set a $21 fee in 2006, but needs between $31 and $51 to cover the cost of the screening.
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