Beal still awaiting US State Dept clearance on launch site
Beal Aerospace Technologies is awaiting clearance from the US State Department to further its interest in setting up a satellite launch site in Guyana. Wade Gates, director of Corporate Affairs, said yesterday that the legal considerations between Beal Aerospace and the State Department were still under discussions with the latter seeking answers for questions it has about the off-shore investment for the Texas firm. As of now, the company is still going through the process of discussion with the Guyana Government to see what an agreement to invest in Guyana might look like. Simultaneously, the company is providing answers to the State Department's query and is looking at companies to conduct the environmental impact assessment study necessary before the project can kick off. However, clearance from the State Department will be essential before a firm is hired to conduct the EIA and any agreement is signed with the government to set up a satellite launch site in the Waini district in the interior. Gates said the ongoing processes will not affect the target date of 2001 for the first launch by Beal Aerospace. The firm is working to launch its first satellite from Cape Canaveral. As to why the company is not listed in Business Week, a question raised by a recent letter writer, Gates reminded that Beal Aerospace was a new and a private company. He noted that many listings in the US were for publicly traded companies. Another trip by Beal officials will be made when there is movement to facilitate a productive meeting. Gates was very positive about the response by the Guyana Government to date on the project. Beal Aerospace wants to launch commercial satellites from Guyana after assembling and manufacturing these in St Croix. An area in the Waini has been identified for this and negotiations have begun with the government. However, the State Department approaches off-shore technological investment cautiously and Guyana is not listed as one of the countries to which the US can transfer satellite technology. 
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