[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19019-19021]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7092]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2008-0307; Airspace Docket 08-AEA-18]


Establishment of Class E Airspace; Removal of Class E Airspace; 
Roanoke Rapids, NC

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Halifax 
Northampton Regional Airport, (IXA),

[[Page 19020]]

Roanoke Rapids, NC and remove Class E airspace at Halifax County 
Airport, Roanoke Rapids, NC, (RZZ). The operating status of the airport 
will include Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations. This action would 
enhance the safety and airspace management of Halifax-Northampton 
Regional Airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 23, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U. S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, West Building, Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001; 
Telephone: 1-800-647-5527. You must identify the docket number FAA-
2008-0307; Airspace Docket 08 AEA-18, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. You may review the public docket containing the 
proposal, any comments received, and any final disposition in person in 
the Dockets Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.
    An informal docket may also be examined during normal business 
hours at the office of the Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Room 210, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 
30337.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melinda Giddens, System Support, 
Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, P.O. Box 
20636, Atlanta, Georgia 30320; telephone (404) 305-5610.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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 and be 
submitted in triplicate to the address listed above. 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-2008-
0307; Airspace Docket No. 08-AEA-18.'' The postcard will be date/time 
stamped and returned to the commenter. AD communications received 
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 or the Federal Register's Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html. Persons interested in being placed on 
a mailing list for future NPRMs should contact the FAA's Office of 
Rulemaking, (202) 267-9677, to request a copy of Advisory Circular No. 
11 -2A, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Distribution System, which 
describes the application procedure.

The Proposal

    The FAA is considering an amendment to Part 71 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations (14 CFR part 71) to establish Class E5 airspace at 
Roanoke Rapids, NC. A new airport, Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport 
(IXA), has been built and will replace Halifax County Airport (RZZ); 
therefore, the airspace supporting RZZ is no longer required. Area 
Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) Standard Instrument 
Approach Procedures (SIAPs) Runways (RWYs) 02-20 have been developed 
for Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport. As a result, controlled 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) is 
needed to contain the SIAP and for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) 
operations at Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport. Class E airspace 
designations for airspace areas extending upward from 700 feet or more 
above the surface of the Earth are published in Paragraph 6005 of FAA 
Order 7400.9R, signed August 15, 2007, and effective September 15, 
2007, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E 
airspace designation listed in this document would be published 
subsequently in the Order.
    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. 
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 rule, when promulgated, will not have a significant 
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the 
criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
    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 establishes Class E airspace at Roanoke Rapids, NC.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

    Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).

The Proposed Amendment

    In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation 
Administration proposes to amend 14 CFR part 71 as follows:

PART 71--DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, CLASS B, CLASS C, CLASS D, AND 
CLASS E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIRWAYS; ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS

    1. The authority citation for part 71 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g); 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O. 10854, 24 
FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p. 389.


Sec.  71.1  [Amended]

    2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of Federal 
Aviation Administration Order 7400.9R, Airspace Designations and 
Reporting Points, signed August 15, 2007, and effective September 15, 
2007, is amended as follows:

[[Page 19021]]

Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 
feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.

* * * * *

AEA NC E5 Roanoke Rapids, NC [REMOVE)

    Halifax County Airport, NC
* * * * *

AEA NC E5 Roanoke Rapids, NC (NEW]

Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport, NC
    (Lat. 36[deg]19'47'' N., long. 77[deg]38'07'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.5-mile radius of Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport.
* * * * *

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on March 19, 2008.
Mark D. Ward,
Manager, System Support Group Eastern Service Center.
[FR Doc. E8-7092 Filed 4-7-08; 8:45 am]
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