[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 98 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 29158]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-11394]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for 
Proposed Rerouting of Regional Jet/Turboprop Aircraft Within Boston 
Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Airspace

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental assessment.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), New England Region, 
is issuing this notice to advise the public, pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 
4332(2)(C) that the FAA intends to prepare an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) for Proposed Rerouting of Regional Jet/Turboprop Aircraft within 
Boston Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) airspace. 
The FAA is issuing this Notice of Intent to prepare an EA to facilitate 
public involvement. The EA will assess the potential environmental 
impacts of proposed modifications to air traffic routings within the 
Boston Consolidated TRACON airspace. The FAA is considering a range of 
alternatives including the proposed action, a no-action alternative, 
and an intermediate ``split'' alternative.

DATES: The FAA anticipates publishing the Draft EA in June 2004.

ADDRESSES: Ms. Theresa Flieger, Federal Aviation Administration, 12 New 
England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; telephone: (781) 238-7524 
or Mr. Christopher DePaolo at (781) 238-7533.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the FAA's proposed rerouting 
of regional jet and turboprop aircraft is to reduce and/or eliminate 
efficiency degradation in the Boston Consolidated TRACON Rockport 
Sector. The proposed rerouting will move all regional jets and 
turboprop aircraft making approaches into Boston-Logan International 
Airport from the north and northeast away from the SCUPP arrival fix 
east to Boston, to an existing turboprop route over the LWM arrival fix 
in the vicinity of Lawrence Municipal Airport. Operations over LWM at 
or above 5000 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) will increase by an average 
of 29 aircraft per day. From LWM, aircraft will be vectored to various 
flight tracks depending on the runway in use at Boston-Logan. With the 
exception of when Boston-Logan is using runways 27/22L, aircraft will 
merge back with existing tracks above 3000 AGL. FAA expects that the 
number of operations below 3000 feet AGL approaching Runway 22L will 
increase by an average of eight aircraft per day. A preliminary noise 
analysis of the proposed action revealed that communities potentially 
impacted from procedure changes below 3000 AGL would include: East 
Boston, Winthrop, Revere, Nahant, Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem, Lynn, 
Peabody, and Saugus.

    Dated: May 13, 2004.
William C. Yuknewicz,
Acting Manager, Air Traffic Division FAA, New England Region.
[FR Doc. 04-11394 Filed 5-19-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M