[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 55688-55690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22235]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2011-1181; Airspace Docket No. 11-ANM-20]


Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boise, ID

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This action amends the Class E airspace areas at Boise Air 
Terminal (Gowen Field), Boise, ID. This action also adjusts the 
geographic coordinates of the airport. The Boise VHF Omni-Directional 
Radio Range Tactical Air Navigational Aid (VORTAC) is no longer needed 
as a reference. The Donnelly Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) has 
been decommissioned and controlled airspace reconfigured. This action 
also makes a minor change to the legal description in reference to 
Class E airspace 9,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL). This improves the 
safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at 
the airport.

DATES: Effective date, 0901 UTC, November 15, 2012. The Director of the 
Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under 
1 CFR part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order 7400.9 and 
publication of conforming amendments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eldon Taylor, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 
Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4537.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

History

    On February 7, 2012, the FAA published in the Federal Register a 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend controlled airspace at 
Boise Air Terminal (Gowan Field), Boise, ID (77 FR 6026). Interested 
parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by 
submitting written comments

[[Page 55689]]

on the proposal to the FAA. No comments were received. Subsequent to 
publication, the FAA found the Boise navigation aid is no longer needed 
and should be removed from the Class E airspace area designated as an 
extension.
    On June 28, 2012, the FAA published in the Federal Register a 
supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to remove reference 
to the navigation aid listed under Class E airspace designated as an 
extension at Boise Air Terminal, Boise, ID (77 FR 38552). Interested 
parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by 
submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. No comments 
were received.
    The FAA's Aeronautical Products Office requested the legal 
description for the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface be rewritten for clarity. With the exception of 
editorial changes and the changes described above, this rule is the 
same as that proposed in the SNPRM.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6003 and 
6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.9V dated August 9, 2011, and 
effective September 15, 2011, which is incorporated by reference in 14 
CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace designations listed in this document 
will be published subsequently in that Order.

The Rule

    This action amends Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 
Part 71 by amending Class E airspace designated as an extension, at 
Boise Air Terminal (Gowan Field), Boise, ID. The legal description is 
rewritten to better describe the airspace area by removing reference to 
the Boise VORTAC. Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface has been reconfigured due to the decommissioning of the 
Donnelly TACAN, and is rewritten for clarity. The geographic 
coordinates of the airport are adjusted in accordance with the FAA's 
aeronautical database. This ensures the safety and management of IFR 
operations within the National Airspace System.
    The FAA has determined this regulation only involves an established 
body of technical regulations for which frequent and routine amendments 
are necessary to keep them operationally current. Therefore, this 
regulation: (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 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 U.S. 
Code. Subtitle 1, Section 106 discusses 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 amends 
controlled airspace at Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), Boise, ID.

Environmental Review

    The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical 
exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance 
with FAA Order 1050.1E, ``Environmental Impacts: Policies and 
Procedures,'' paragraph 311a. This airspace action is not expected to 
cause any potentially significant environmental impacts, and no 
extraordinary circumstances exist that warrant preparation of an 
environmental assessment.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

    Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air)

Adoption of the Amendment

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

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

0
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR 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]

0
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of the Federal 
Aviation Administration Order 7400.9V, Airspace Designations and 
Reporting Points, dated August 9, 2011, and effective September 15, 
2011 is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6003 Class E airspace Areas Designated as an Extension.

* * * * *

ANM ID E3 Boise, ID [Amended]

Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), ID
    (Lat. 43[deg]33'52'' N., long. 116[deg]13'22'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 3.5 miles 
each side of the Boise Air Terminal 300[deg] bearing extending from 
the 5-mile radius of the Boise Air Terminal to 9.5 miles northwest 
of the airport; and within .5 miles west and 5.6 miles east of the 
Boise Air Terminal 179[deg] bearing extending from the 5-mile radius 
of the airport to 6.1 miles south of the airport; and that airspace 
within 4.3 miles each side of the Boise Air Terminal 114[deg] 
bearing extending from the 5-mile radius of the airport to 11.7 
miles southeast of the airport.

Paragraph 6005 Class E airspace areas extending upward from 700 
feet or more above the surface of the earth.

* * * * *

ANM ID E5 Boise, ID [Amended]

Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), ID
    (Lat. 43[deg]33'52'' N., long. 116[deg]13'22'' W.)
    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
bounded by a line beginning at lat. 43[deg]56'00'' N., long. 
116[deg]33'04'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]51'15'' N., long. 116[deg]25'03'' 
W., thence via the 19.3-mile radius of the Boise Air Terminal (Gowen 
Field), clockwise to long. 116[deg]14'03'' W.; to lat. 
43[deg]45'00'' N., long. 116[deg]14'03'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]31'00'' 
N., long. 115[deg]52'03'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]20'00'' N., long. 
115[deg]58'03'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]25'00'' N., long. 116[deg]25'03'' 
W.; to lat. 43[deg]27'00'' N., long. 116[deg]29'03'' W.; to lat. 
43[deg]25'12'' N., long. 116[deg]32'23'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]29'25'' 
N., long. 116[deg]37'53'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]32'45'' N., long. 
116[deg]49'04'' W.; to lat. 43[deg]37'35'' N., long. 116[deg]47'04'' 
W.; to lat. 43[deg]42'00'' N., long. 116[deg]57'04'' W., thence to 
the point of beginning; that airspace extending upward from 1,200 
feet above the surface within the 30.5-mile radius of the airport 
beginning at the 122[deg] bearing of the airport, thence via a line 
to the intersection of the 34.8-mile radius of the airport and the 
224[deg] bearing of the airport, thence clockwise along the 34.8-
mile radius of the airport to that airspace 7 miles each side of the 
269[deg] bearing of the airport extending from the 34.8-mile radius 
to 49.6 miles west of the airport, and within 7 miles northeast and 
9.6 miles southwest of the 295[deg] bearing of the airport extending 
from the 34.8-mile radius to 65.3 miles northwest of the airport, to 
lat. 44[deg]00'27'' N., long. 117[deg]10'58'' W., thence along the 
042[deg] bearing to V-253, thence south along V-253, thence along 
the 30.5-mile radius of the airport to the point of beginning; that 
airspace southeast of the airport extending upward from 9,000 feet 
MSL bounded on the north by V-444, on the east by V-293, on the 
south by V-330 on the southwest by V-4; that airspace northeast of 
the airport extending upward from 11,500 feet MSL, bounded on the 
northeast by V-293, on the south by V-444, on the southwest

[[Page 55690]]

by the 30.5-mile radius of the airport and on the west by V-253.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on August 30, 2012.
Steven L. Vale,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2012-22235 Filed 9-10-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P