[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3089-3090]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-1352]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Availability of a Final 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 Final Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a

[[Page 3090]]

Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) 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.
    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 FEIS are available for review at major libraries in 
the study area. A summary of the FEIS can be viewed on the Internet at 
http://www.faa.gov/ats/potomac.

DATES: Written comments on the FEIS will be accepted until February 18, 
2003. Written comments may be sent to: FAA Potomac TRACON, Air Traffic 
2400, Attention: Fred Bankert, 3699 Macintosh Drive, Warrenton, VA 
20187.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Potomac Consolidated TRACON (800) 762-
9531, E-mail: [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 functions 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 of 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. The 
FEIS identifies Alternative 2 at the Preferred Alternative.

    Dated: January 14, 2003 in Washington, DC.
Alan Hendry,
Program Director, Potomac Consolidated TRACON.
[FR Doc. 03-1352 Filed 1-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M