Public Impact Hearings Held to Consider More Launches from Vandenberg
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Community members met at the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum on Wednesday, but they didn't meet to see the exhibits.
They turned out for a public hearing regarding the Draft Environmental Impact statement for authorizing changes to the Falcon Launch Program at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
Organizers of the hearings being held up and down the coast want the public to know the launches are not all being done for SpaceX, the company owned by Elon Musk.
About 51 launches have occurred in the past year. Changes could nearly double that amount.
Supporters near the base like the job opportunities and the science.
Speaker Eric Lehman called the sonic booms "the sound of freedom" and "the sound of the future."
But critics, who live an areas that hear the sonic booms following launches, are concerned about their well being and environmental impacts.
Many speakers mentioned a January launch that woke residents up at 2 a.m.
One women said it cracked her molding. Some speakers thought it was an earthquake.
Becky Norton, who volunteers with Carpinteria Seal Watch and Save Our Seals, spoke out on the behalf of marine life.
"We are advocating for the protection of the seals and educating the public about harbor seals."
She said they are sensitive species.
Some people hear the sonic booms following a launch as far away as Ojai and Oxnard.
A hearing took place in Ventura on Tuesday and another will be held in Lompoc on Thursday.
Comments are welcome through July 7, 2025.
Comment information and forms are available at https://www.VSFBFalconLaunchEIS.com
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