[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 39 (Wednesday, February 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9019-9020]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4630]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
on the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) 
Airspace Redesign

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for redesign of the airspace in 
the Baltimore-Washington Area. The proposed action is to redesign the 
airspace in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area excluding noise 
abatement procedures. This involves developing new routes, altitudes 
and procedures to take advantage of the new Potomac Consolidated 
TRACON, improved aircraft performance, and emerging air traffic control 
technologies. The proposed action is not dependent on development at 
any of the airports in the study area.
    The airspace redesign study encompasses the area within a 75-
nautical mile radius centered on a radio navigational aid in 
Georgetown, within the District of Columbia. The study area comprises 
portions of five states--Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and 
West Virginia--and the entire District.

[[Page 9020]]

    This EIS is tiered from an earlier EIS that evaluated environmental 
impacts that could result from a decision to physically consolidate the 
four Baltimore-Washington metropolitan areas TRACONs into a new 
building somewhere in the area. The first tier or ``building EIS'' 
resulted in FAA issuing a Record of Decision (ROD) on June 3, 1999. The 
ROD documented the decision to consolidate four existing TRACONs into a 
new facility at Vint Hill in Fauquier County, Virginia. Subsequent to 
the ROD, the decision was made to consolidate the Richmond TRACON into 
the PCT. However, the incorporation of the Richmond TRACON has no 
effect on the scope of the airspace redesign.
    The purpose of this airspace redesign is to take full advantage of 
the benefits afforded by the newly consolidated TRACON facility by 
increasing air traffic efficiency and enhancing safety in the 
Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.
    Copies of the DEIS are available for review at major libraries in 
the study area. A summary of the DEIS can be viewed on the Internet at 
http://www.faa.gov/ats/potomac.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS will be accepted until May 23, 
2002. Written comments may be sent to: FAA Potomac TRACON Air Traffic 
2400, Attention: Fred Bankert, 3699 Macintosh Drive, Warrenton, VA 
20187. Oral or written comments may also be delivered at a series of 
six public hearings that will be held in April 2002 and will be 
announced separately.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Potomac Consolidated TRACON (800) 762-
9531, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A TRACON facility provides radar air traffic 
control services to aircraft operating on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) 
and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) procedures generally beyond 5 miles and 
within 50 miles of the host airport at altitudes from the surface to 
approximately 17,000 feet. These distances and altitudes may vary 
depending on local conditions and infrastructural constraints such as 
adequate radar and radio frequency coverage. The primary function of 
the TRACON is to provide a variety of air traffic control services to 
arrival, departure, and transient aircraft within its assigned 
airspace. These services include aircraft separation, in flight traffic 
advisories and navigational assistance. When fully operational, the 
Potomac Consolidated TRACON will provide terminal radar air traffic 
control services to the four major airports and a number of small 
reliever airports located within the Baltimore-Washington area. It will 
also provide service to the Richmond, VA airport.
    This EIS considers four airspace redesign alternatives consisting 
of a No Action Alternative and three other alternatives that address 
changes in routes and altitudes for aircraft away from the close-in 
airport environment. Changes to initial departure or final arrival 
procedures are not proposed. Generally, aircraft would be three to five 
miles from the departure/arrival airport before the changes that are 
proposed for each alternative would take effect, with the exception of 
the No Action Alternative, which considers no changes to the existing 
airspace. None of the alternatives would produce significant 
environmental impact. Additionally, current noise abatement procedures 
at the airports would not be changed under any of the alternatives.

    Dated: February 20, 2002 in Washington, DC.
Barbara Jo Cogliandro,
Air Traffic Manager, Potomac Consolidated TRACON.
[FR Doc. 02-4630 Filed 2-26-02; 8:45 am]
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