[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 138 (Monday, July 20, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42760-42761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17502]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2015-1137; Airspace Docket No. 15-ANM-4]


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Portland, OR

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify Class E surface area airspace 
designated as an extension to the Class C airspace, and Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Portland 
International Airport, Portland, OR. After reviewing the airspace, the 
FAA found the Portland VHF omnidirectional radio range/distance 
measuring equipment (VOR/DME) and Laker non-directional beacon (NDB) 
have been decommissioned, thereby necessitating airspace redesign for 
the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations 
at the airport. This proposal also would correct the geographic 
coordinates of the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 3, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; 
telephone (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2015-
1137; Airspace Docket No. 15-ANM-4, at the beginning of your comments. 
You may also submit comments through 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 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. The Docket Office (telephone 1-800-
647-5527), is on the ground floor of the building at the above address.
    FAA Order 7400.9Y, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. The Order is also available for inspection 
at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For 
information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-
6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.9, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15. For further 
information, you can contact the Airspace Policy and Regulations Group, 
Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., 
Washington, DC, 20591; telephone: 202-267-8783.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Haga, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 
Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4563.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority for This Rulemaking

    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 would amend Class E airspace at Portland International Airport, 
Portland, OR.

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. Commenters 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-2015-1137; 
Airspace Docket No. 15-ANM-4.'' The postcard will be date/time stamped 
and returned to the commenter.

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/airports_airtraffic/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/.
    You may review the public docket containing the proposal, any 
comments received, and any final disposition in person in the Dockets 
Office (see the ADDRESSES section for the address and phone number) 
between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal 
holidays. An informal docket may also be examined during normal 
business hours at the Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service 
Center, Operations Support Group, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 
98057.
    Persons interested in being placed on a mailing list for future 
NPRMs should contact the FAA's Office of Rulemaking, (202) 267-9677, 
for a copy of Advisory Circular No. 11-2A, Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking Distribution System, which describes the application 
procedure.

Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by 
Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.9Y, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2014, and effective 
September 15, 2014. FAA Order 7400.9Y is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this proposed rule. FAA Order 7400.9Y lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) Part 71 by modifying Class E airspace designated 
as an extension to Class C airspace, and Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface at Portland International 
Airport, Portland, OR. A review of the

[[Page 42761]]

airspace revealed modification necessary due to the decommissioned 
Portland VOR/DME and Laker NDB navigation aids. Also, the geographic 
coordinates of the airport would be amended to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database.
    Class E airspace designated as an extension to Class C airspace 
would be modified to an area 4.7 miles west and 4 miles east of the 
044[deg] bearing from Portland International Airport extending to 18 
miles northeast of the airport. The lateral boundary for Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be 
defined utilizing latitudinal and longitudinal reference points instead 
of navigation aids. This would not change the lateral boundaries or 
operating requirements of the airspace.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6003 and 
6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.9Y, dated August 6, 2014, and 
effective September 15, 2014, which is incorporated by reference in 14 
CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace designations listed in this document 
will be published subsequently in the Order.

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

    The FAA has determined this proposed regulation only involves an 
established body of technical regulations for which frequent and 
routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. 
Therefore, this proposed 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 proposed rule, when 
promulgated, would not have a significant economic impact on a 
substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the 
Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Environmental Review

    This proposal will be subject to an environmental analysis in 
accordance with FAA Order 1050.1E, ``Environmental Impacts: Policies 
and Procedures'' prior to any FAA final regulatory action.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

    Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).

The Proposed Amendment

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me, the Federal 
Aviation Administration proposes to amend 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(f), 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 FAA Order 7400.9Y, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2014, and 
effective September 15, 2014, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6003 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension

* * * * *

ANM OR E3 Portland, OR [Modified]

Portland International Airport, OR
    (Lat. 45[deg]35'19'' N., long. 122[deg]35'49'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface bounded by a 
line beginning at lat. 45[deg]40'10'' N., long. 122[deg]37'24'' W.; 
to lat. 45[deg]41'14'' N., long. 122[deg]37'21'' W.; to lat. 
45[deg]51'45'' N., long. 122[deg]22'16'' W.; to lat. 45[deg]45'40'' 
N., long. 122[deg]13'32'' W.; to lat. 45[deg]35'11'' N., long. 
122[deg]28'45'' W.; thence counter-clockwise along the 5-mile radius 
of Portland International Airport to the point of beginning.

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

* * * * *

ANM OR E5 Portland, OR [Modified]

Portland International Airport, OR
    (Lat. 45[deg]35'19'' N., long. 22[deg]35'49'' W.)
McMinnville, McMinnville Municipal Airport, OR
    (Lat. 45[deg]11'40'' N., long. 123[deg]08'10'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
bounded by a line beginning at lat. 45[deg]59'59'' N., long. 
123[deg]30'04'' W.; to lat. 46[deg]00'00'' N., long. 122[deg]13'00'' 
W.; thence via an 8.5-mile radius centered at lat. 45[deg]55'07'' 
N., long. 122[deg]03'02'' W. clockwise to lat. 45[deg]46'39'' N., 
long. 122[deg]04'00'' W.; thence via a line south to lat. 
45[deg]09'59'' N., long. 122[deg]04'00'' W.; thence to lat. 
45[deg]09'59'' N., long. 123[deg]02'23'' W.; and within a 4.3-mile 
radius of McMinnville Municipal Airport; and within 2 miles each 
side of the 215[deg] bearing from McMinnville Municipal Airport to 
lat. 45[deg]09'59'' N., long. 123[deg]13'21'' W.; to lat. 
45[deg]09'59'' N., long. 123[deg]30'04'' W.; thence to the point of 
beginning; that airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the 
surface bounded by a line beginning at lat. 46[deg]30'29'' N., long. 
124[deg]06'51'' W.; to lat. 46[deg]30'29'' N., long. 120[deg]29'40'' 
W.; to lat. 45[deg]42'49'' N., long. 121[deg]06'03'' W.; to lat. 
44[deg]15'10'' N., long. 121[deg]18'13'' W.; to lat. 44[deg]29'59'' 
N., long. 123[deg]17'38'' W.; to lat. 44[deg]29'59'' N., long. 
124[deg]08'036'' W. to a point 2.7 miles offshore; thence along a 
line 2.7 miles offshore to the point of beginning.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on July 7, 2015.
Christopher Ramirez,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2015-17502 Filed 7-17-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P