[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 73674-73675]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23982]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 93

[Docket No. FAA-2004-17005; Notice No. 05-16]
RIN 2120-AC84


Washington, DC Metropolitan Area Special Flight Rules Area; 
Notice of Public Meetings

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The FAA announces public meetings on its proposal to codify 
current flight restrictions for certain aircraft operations in the 
Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. The purpose of the public meetings is 
for the FAA to hear comments and gather information related to its 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published on August 4, 2005.

DATES: The public meetings will be held on the following dates. (Note 
that the meetings may be adjourned early if scheduled speakers complete 
their presentations in less time than is scheduled for the meetings.)
     January 12, 2006 from 1 p.m. until no later than 4 p.m., 
and from 6:30 p.m. until no later than 9 p.m. (The deadline to submit a 
request to make an oral statement is January 5, 2006.)
     January 18, 2006 from 1 p.m. until no later than 4 p.m., 
and from 6:30 p.m. until no later than 9 p.m. (The deadline to submit a 
request to make an oral statement is January 11, 2006.)
    The written comment period will close on February 6, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The January 12, 2006 public meetings will be held at the 
Sheraton Colombia Hotel, 10207 Wincopin Circle, Columbia, MD 21044; 
telephone 410-730-3900; http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/index.html.
    The January 18, 2006 public meetings will be held at the Washington 
Dulles Airport Marriott (Salon A, B, and C), 45020 Aviation Drive, 
Dulles, VA 20166; telephone 703-471-9500; http://marriott.com/default.mi.
    You may submit written comments (identified by Docket Number FAA-
2004-17005) using any of the following methods:
     DOT Docket Web site: Go to http://dms.dot.gov and follow 
the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
     Government-wide rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590-001.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Privacy: We will post all comments we receive, without change, to 
http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. For 
more information, see the Privacy Act discussion under ``Comments 
Invited'' in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of the FAA's August 
5, 2005 NPRM.
    Docket: To read background documents or comments received, go to 
http://dms.dot.gov at any time or to Room PL-401 on the plaza level of 
the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. 
Written comments to the docket will receive the same consideration as 
statements made at the public meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests to present a statement at the 
public meetings and questions regarding the logistics of the meetings 
should be directed to Noreen Hannigan, Office of Rulemaking (ARM-106), 
Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-7476, facsimile (202) 267-
5075.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On August 4, 2005, the FAA published a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NPRM) titled ``Washington, DC Metropolitan Area Special 
Flight Rules Area'' (70 FR 45250; Aug. 4, 2005). The comment period 
closed November 2, 2005; however, in response to public request, the 
comment period was reopened until

[[Page 73675]]

February 6, 2006. In addition, the FAA also announced its intention to 
hold public meetings. See the Federal Register of November 7, 2005 (70 
FR 67388; Nov. 7, 2005).

Purpose of the Public Meetings

    The purpose of the public meetings is for the FAA to hear the 
public's views and obtain information relevant to the final rule under 
consideration. The FAA will consider comments made at the public 
meetings before making a final decision on issuance of the final rule.
    In the economic analysis to the August 4, 2005 NPRM, the FAA 
requested information from the public. If you have not already 
submitted data to the FAA on these areas, you may do so at the public 
meetings. The FAA requests that all comments be accompanied by full 
documentation.
    In addition to the information sought in the NPRM, the FAA seeks 
information on the following questions. Again, the FAA requests that 
all comments be accompanied by full documentation.
     What has been the effect of the airspace restrictions on 
aircraft owners that relocated outside the Washington, DC Air Defense 
Identification Zone (ADIZ)? What has been the loss of income for those 
aircraft owners?
     What has been the loss in time and revenue of pilots 
flying longer routes to avoid the DC ADIZ or curtailing their flying 
because of the DC ADIZ?
     What is the percentage of reduction in overall flying 
because of the existence of the DC ADIZ?

Participation at the Public Meetings

    If you wish to present an oral statement at the January 12, 2006 
public meetings, you should submit your request to the FAA no later 
than January 5, 2006.
    If you wish to present an oral statement at the January 18, 2006 
public meetings, you should submit your request to the FAA no later 
than January 11, 2006.
    Your requests should be submitted as described under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT and should include a written summary of oral 
remarks to be presented and an estimate of time needed for the 
presentation. Requests received after the dates specified above will be 
scheduled if there is time available during the meetings; however, the 
speakers' names may not appear on the written agendas. To accommodate 
as many speakers as possible, the amount of time allocated to each 
speaker may be less than the amount of time requested. See ``Public 
Meeting Procedures'' below.
    The FAA will have available a projector and a computer capable of 
accommodating Word and PowerPoint presentations from a compact disk 
(CD) or USB memory device. Persons requiring any other kind of 
audiovisual equipment should notify the FAA when requesting to be 
placed on the agenda.
    Sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the meeting, 
as well as an assistive listening device, if requested 10 calendar days 
before the meeting.

Public Meeting Procedures

    A panel of representatives from the FAA and other government 
agencies will be present. An FAA representative will facilitate the 
meetings in accordance with the following procedures:
    (1) The meetings are designed to facilitate the public comment 
process. The meetings will be informal and non-adversarial. No 
individual will be subject to cross-examination by any other 
participant. Government representatives on the panel may ask questions 
to clarify statements and to ensure an accurate record. Any statement 
made during the meetings by a panel member should not be construed as 
an official position of the government.
    (2) There will be no admission fees or other charges to attend or 
to participate in the public meetings. The meetings will be open to all 
persons, subject to availability of space in the meeting room. The FAA 
will make every effort to accommodate all persons wishing to attend. 
The FAA asks that you sign in between 12-1 pm., or 5:30-6:30 p.m., on 
the day of the meeting you are attending. The FAA will try to 
accommodate all speakers; however if available time does not allow 
this, speakers will be scheduled on a first-come-first-served basis. 
The FAA reserves the right to exclude some speakers, if necessary, to 
obtain balanced viewpoints. The meetings may adjourn early if scheduled 
speakers complete their statements in less time than is scheduled for 
the meetings.
    (3) The FAA will prepare agendas of speakers and presenters and 
make the agendas available at the meetings.
    (4) Speakers may be limited to 5-10-minute statements. If possible, 
the FAA will notify speakers if additional time is available.
    (5) The meetings will be recorded by a court reporter. A transcript 
of the meetings and all material accepted by the panel during the 
meetings will be included in the public docket, unless protected from 
disclosure. Each person interested in purchasing a copy of a transcript 
should contact the court reporter directly. Information on how to 
purchase a transcript will be available at the meetings.
    (6) The FAA will review and consider all material presented by 
participants at the public meetings. Position papers or materials 
presenting views or information related to the draft final rule may be 
accepted at the discretion of the presiding officer and will be 
subsequently placed in the public docket. The FAA requests that 
presenters at the meetings provide at least 10 copies of all materials 
for distribution to the panel members. Presenters may provide other 
copies to the audience at their discretion.
    (7) Each person presenting comments is asked to submit data to 
support the comments. The FAA will protect from disclosure all 
proprietary data submitted in accordance with applicable laws.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 7, 2005.
Anthony F. Fazio,
Director, Office of Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 05-23982 Filed 12-8-05; 12:57 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P