[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60130-60132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27208]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2017-0855; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17]
Proposed Amendment of Class D and E Airspace and Revocation of
Class E Airspace; Pocatello, ID
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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[[Page 60131]]
SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend controlled airspace at Pocatello
Regional Airport, Pocatello, ID, by amending Class D airspace and Class
E airspace designated as a surface area; removing Class E airspace
designated as an extension to a Class D or E surface area; and amending
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface.
Also, this action would update the airport's geographic coordinates for
the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect the FAA's
current aeronautical database. Additionally, reference to the Pocatello
VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) would be
removed from the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above
the surface description. This proposal would enhance the safety and
management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 2, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone:
1(800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No.
FAA-2017-0855; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17, at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. For further information, you can contact the
Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783. The Order is also available for inspection at the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the
availability of FAA Order 7400.11A at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go
to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.
FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is
published yearly and effective on September 15.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Clark, Federal Aviation
Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601
Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4511.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority for This Rulemaking
The FAA's authority to issue rules regarding aviation safety is
found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 106
describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII,
Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency's
authority. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described
in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that section,
the FAA is charged with prescribing regulations to assign the use of
airspace necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficient
use of airspace. This regulation is within the scope of that authority
as it would amend Class D and Class E airspace at Pocatello Regional
Airport, Pocatello, ID, in support of IFR operations at the airport.
Comments Invited
Interested parties are invited to participate in this proposed
rulemaking by submitting such written data, views, or arguments, as
they may desire. Comments that provide the factual basis supporting the
views and suggestions presented are particularly helpful in developing
reasoned regulatory decisions on the proposal. Comments are
specifically invited on the overall regulatory, aeronautical, economic,
environmental, and energy-related aspects of the proposal.
Communications should identify both docket numbers (Docket No. FAA-
2017-0855; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17) and be submitted in
triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for address
and phone number).
Persons wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on
this notice must submit with those comments a self-addressed, stamped
postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments to Docket
No. FAA-2017-0855, Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17.'' The postcard will
be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
All communications received on or before the specified closing date
for comments will be considered before taking action on the proposed
rule. The proposal contained in this notice may be changed in light of
the comments received. A report summarizing each substantive public
contact with FAA personnel concerned with this rulemaking will be filed
in the docket.
Availability of NPRMs
An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded through the
internet at http://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/.
You may review the public docket containing the proposal, any
comments received, and any final disposition in person in the Dockets
Office (see the ADDRESSES section for the address and phone number)
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal
holidays. An informal docket may also be examined between 8:00 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at the
Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal Aviation
Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service Center,
Operations Support Group, 1601 Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA 98057.
Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by
Reference
This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective
September 15, 2017. FAA Order 7400.11B is publicly available as listed
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11B lists
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and
reporting points.
The Proposal
The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by:
Amending Class D airspace at Pocatello Regional Airport, Pocatello,
ID, by raising the vertical limit to 7,000 feet (from 6,900 feet) and
increasing the airspace south of the airport to a 5.6-mile radius (from
a 4.5-mile radius) to laterally protect IFR departures as they climb to
700 feet above the surface, due to rising terrain;
Amending Class E surface area airspace to be coincident with the
Class D airspace area;
Removing Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D
or Class E surface area as it contains no arrival aircraft within 1,000
feet of the surface, and is not necessary;
Amending Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the
surface to reduce the area southwest of the airport and slightly
increase the area south of the airport. This redesign is necessary to
ensure sufficient controlled airspace to contain IFR arrival aircraft
within 1,500 feet above the surface and IFR departure aircraft until
reaching
[[Page 60132]]
1,200 feet above the surface. The VORTAC navigation aid noted in the
description would be removed, as it no longer defines the boundary of
the airspace. In addition, this proposal would establish airspace
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface at the airport
within 15 miles northwest and 5 miles southeast of a line extending
from 15 miles southwest of the airport to 43 miles northeast of the
airport. This would provide controlled airspace to support aircraft
operations under IFR as aircraft transition between the en route and
airport environments.
Lastly, this proposal would update the airport's geographic
coordinates for the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect
the FAA's current aeronautical database, and would replace the outdated
term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' with the term ``Chart Supplement''
in the Class D and Class E surface airspace legal descriptions. These
modifications are necessary for the safety and management of IFR
operations at the airport.
Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in
paragraph 5000, 6002, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order
7400.11B, dated August 3, 2017 and effective September 15, 2017, which
is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D and Class E
airspace designations listed in this document will be published
subsequently in the Order.
Regulatory Notices and Analyses
The FAA has determined that this proposed regulation only involves
an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and
routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current, is
non-controversial and unlikely to result in adverse or negative
comments. It, therefore: (1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action''
under Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a ``significant rule'' under
DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26,
1979); and (3) does not warrant preparation of a regulatory evaluation
as the anticipated impact is so minimal. Since this is a routine matter
that will only affect air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is
certified that this proposed rule, when promulgated, would not have a
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities
under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
Environmental Review
This proposal will be subject to an environmental analysis in
accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, ``Environmental Impacts: Policies
and Procedures'' prior to any FAA final regulatory action.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me, the Federal
Aviation Administration proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as follows:
PART 71--DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR
TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS
0
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR part 71 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g); 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O.
10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 389.
Sec. 71.1 [Amended]
0
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order 7400.11B,
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and
effective September 15, 2017, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.
* * * * *
ANM ID D Pocatello, ID [Amended]
Pocatello Regional Airport, ID
(Lat. 42[deg]54'35'' N, long. 112[deg]35'45'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including
7,000 feet MSL within a 4.5-mile radius of Pocatello Regional
Airport from the airport 195[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport
168[deg] bearing, and within a 5.6-mile radius of the airport from
the airport 168[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 195[deg]
bearing. This Class D airspace area is effective during the specific
dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The
effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in
the Chart Supplement.
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Designated as Surface Areas.
* * * * *
ANM ID E2 Pocatello, ID [Amended]
Pocatello Regional Airport, ID
(Lat. 42[deg]54'35'' N, long. 112[deg]35'45'' W)
That airspace within a 4.5-mile radius of Pocatello Regional
Airport from the airport 195[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport
168[deg] bearing, and within a 5.6-mile radius of the airport from
the airport 168[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 195[deg]
bearing. This Class E airspace area is effective during the specific
dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The
effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in
the Chart Supplement.
Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to
a Class D or Class E Surface Area.
* * * * *
ANM ID E4 Pocatello, ID [Removed]
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
ANM ID E5 Pocatello, ID [Amended]
Pocatello Regional Airport, ID
(Lat. 42[deg]54'35'' N, long. 112[deg]35'45'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within 7.8 miles northwest and 5 miles southeast of the 045[deg]
bearing from Pocatello Regional Airport extending to 21 miles
northeast of the airport, and within 7.8 miles northwest and 5 miles
southeast of the 225[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 10.8
miles southwest of the airport. That airspace extending upward from
1,200 feet above the surface within 15 miles northwest and 5 miles
southeast of the 045[deg] bearing from Pocatello Regional Airport
extending to 43 miles northeast of the airport, and within 15 miles
northwest and 5 miles southeast of the 225[deg] bearing from the
airport extending to 15 miles southwest of the airport.
Issued in Seattle, Washington, on December 11, 2017.
Brian J. Johnson,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2017-27208 Filed 12-18-17; 8:45 am]
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