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@libroraptor generally in the US these assessments don't exempt anyone from responsibility. They mainly mean people won't go to jail for operating without the legally mandated assessment 🙂
SpaceX could not have legally launched their rocket without the environmental assessment approving it. Had they launched illegally there would have been hell to pay.
The assessment confirmed that the operation was being done in an environmentally responsible way without substantial impact on the environment, as per US law. That doesn't get the company out of responsibility, if anything it just confirms that the company was acting responsibly.
The company is still liable for environmental damage regardless of the assessment.
