[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 37 (Monday, February 27, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11857-11859]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03536]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2016-9374; Airspace Docket No. 16-AGL-23]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Modification of VOR Federal Airways V-55, V-63, V-177, 
V-228, and V-246 in the Vicinity of Stevens Point, WI

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify five VHF Omnidirectional Range 
(VOR) Federal airways in the vicinity of Stevens Point, WI. The FAA is 
proposing this action due to the planned decommissioning of the Stevens 
Point, WI (STE), VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation 
(VORTAC) navigation aid (NAVAID) which provides navigation guidance for 
portions of the ATS routes proposed to be amended by this action. This 
action would enhance the safety and efficient management of aircraft in 
the Stevens Point, WI, area.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 13, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone: 1 
(800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2016-9374 and Airspace Docket No. 16-AGL-23 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 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. For further information, you can contact the 
Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783. The Order is

[[Page 11858]]

also available for inspection at the National Archives and Records 
Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of FAA Order 
7400.11A at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Colby Abbott, Airspace Policy Group, 
Office of Airspace Services, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.

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 
the 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 modifies the NAS route structure as necessary to 
preserve the safe and efficient flow of air traffic within the NAS.

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 (FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2016-9374 and Airspace Docket No. 16-AGL-23) and be submitted in 
triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for 
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the 
internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments 
on this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed, 
stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments 
to FAA Docket No. FAA-2016-9374 and Airspace Docket No. 16-AGL-23.'' 
The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
    All communications received on or before the specified comment 
closing date will be considered before taking action on the proposed 
rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of 
comments received. All comments submitted will be available for 
examination in the public docket both before and after the comment 
closing date. 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/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 ADDRESSES section for 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 office of the Operations Support Group, Central 
Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood Blvd., 
Fort Worth, TX, 76177.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11A, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and effective 
September 15, 2016. FAA Order 7400.11A is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11A lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

Background

    The FAA is planning decommissioning activities for the Stevens 
Point, WI (STE), VORTAC to take place in 2017 as one of the candidate 
VORs identified for discontinuance by the VOR Minimum Operating Network 
(VOR MON) program and listed in the Final policy statement notice, 
``Provision of Navigation Services for the Next Generation Air 
Transportation System (NextGen) Transition to Performance-Based 
Navigation (PBN) (Plan for Establishing a VOR Minimum Operational 
Network),'' published in the Federal Register of July 26, 2016 (81FR 
48694), Docket No. FAA-2011-1082. Additionally, the Stevens Point 
VORTAC has been reported as out-of-service since October 31, 2012, by 
Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) due to extreme fluctuations in signal 
modulation and out-of-tolerance structure. The VORTAC is unusable as a 
terminal facility, is showing out-of-tolerance conditions at many 
enroute altitudes, and numerous attempts to repair the VORTAC to put it 
back in service have failed. The affected ATS routes are VOR Federal 
airways V-55, V-63, V-177, V-228, and V-246.
    With the planned decommissioning of the Stevens Point, WI, VORTAC, 
the FAA has determined the remaining ground-based NAVAID coverage in 
the area is insufficient to enable the continuity of the affected 
airways. As such, proposed modifications to VOR Federal airways V-55, 
V-63, V-177, V-228, and V-246 will result in gaps in the route 
structures. To overcome the gaps that would result in the route 
structures, instrument flight rules (IFR) traffic could use adjacent 
VOR Federal airways V-9, V-26, V-78, V-191, V-341, or V-345 to 
circumnavigate the affected area, could file point-to-point through the 
affected area using the fixes that will remain in place, or could 
receive air traffic control (ATC) radar vectors through the area. VFR 
pilots who elect to navigate via airways through the affected area 
could also take advantage of the adjacent VOR Federal airways or ATC 
services listed previously.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to modify the descriptions of VOR Federal 
airways V-55, V-63, V-177, V-228, and V-246 due to the planned 
decommissioning of the Stevens Point, WI, VORTAC. The proposed route 
changes are described below.
    V-55: V-55 currently extends between the Dayton, OH (DQN), VOR and 
the Bismarck, ND (BIS), VOR. In a separate NPRM, the FAA proposed to 
remove the airway segment between the Siren, WI (RZN), VOR/Distance 
Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) and the Park Rapids, MN (PKD), VOR/DME 
(82 FR 6353, January 19, 2017). The

[[Page 11859]]

FAA now proposes to remove the airway segment between the intersection 
of the Green Bay, WI (GRB), VORTAC 270[deg](T)/269[deg](M) and Oshkosh, 
WI (OSH), VORTAC 339[deg](T)/337[deg](M) radials (the BIPID fix) and 
the Eau Claire, WI (EAU), VORTAC in this NPRM. The unaffected portions 
of the existing airway would remain as charted in the three remaining 
segments.
    V-63: V-63 currently extends between the Bowie, TX MN (UKW), VORTAC 
and the Houghton, MI (CMX), VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the 
airway segment between the Oshkosh, WI (OSH), VORTAC and the Wausau, WI 
(AUW), VORTAC. The unaffected portions of the existing airway would 
remain as charted in the two remaining segments.
    V-177: V-177 currently extends between the Joliet, IL (JOT), VORTAC 
and the Ely, MN (ELO), VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the airway 
segment between the Madison, WI (MAD), VOR/DME and the Wausau, WI 
(AUW), VORTAC. The unaffected portions of the existing airway would 
remain as charted in the two remaining segments.
    V-228: V-228 currently extends between the Stevens Point, WI (STE), 
VORTAC and the Gipper, MI (GIJ), VORTAC. The FAA proposes to remove the 
airways segment between the Stevens Point, WI (STE), VORTAC and the 
Dells, WI (DLL), VORTAC. The unaffected portion of the existing airway 
would remain as charted.
    V-246: V-246 currently extends between the Janesville, WI (JVL), 
VOR/DME and Stevens Point, (STE), VORTAC. The FAA proposes to remove 
the airway segment between the intersection of the Nodine, MN (ODI), 
VORTAC 055[deg](T)/054[deg](M) and Eau Claire, WI (EAU), VORTAC 
134[deg](T)/130[deg](M) radials (the MILTO fix) and the Stevens Point, 
WI (STE), VORTAC. The unaffected portion of the existing airway will 
remain as charted.
    All radials in the route descriptions below that do not reflect 
True (T)/Magnetic (M) degree radial information are unchanged and 
stated in True degrees.
    VOR Federal airways are published in paragraph 6010(a) of FAA Order 
7400.11A, dated August 3, 2016, and effective September 15, 2016, which 
is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The VOR Federal airways 
listed in this document will be subsequently published in the Order.

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

    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 
Department of Transportation (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 proposed 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.

Environmental Review

    This proposal will be subject to an environmental analysis in 
accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, ``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

    In consideration of the foregoing, 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 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 7400.11A, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016 and 
effective September 15, 2016, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6010(a) Domestic VOR Federal airways.

* * * * *

V-55 [Amended]

    From Dayton, OH; Fort Wayne, IN; Goshen, IN; Gipper, MI; Keeler, 
MI; Pullman, MI; Muskegon, MI; INT Muskegon 327[deg] and Green Bay, 
WI, 116[deg] radials; Green Bay; to INT Green Bay 270[deg](T)/
269[deg](M) and Oshkosh, WI, 339[deg](T)/337[deg](M) radials. From 
Eau Claire, WI; to Siren, WI. From Park Rapids, MN; Grand Forks, ND; 
INT Grand Forks 239[deg] and Bismarck, ND, 067[deg] radials; to 
Bismarck.
* * * * *

V-63 [Amended]

    From Bowie, TX; Texoma, OK; McAlester, OK; Razorback, AR; 
Springfield, MO; Hallsville, MO; Quincy, IL; Burlington, IA; Moline, 
IL; Davenport, IA; Rockford, IL; Janesville, WI; Badger, WI; to 
Oshkosh, WI. From Wausau, WI; Rhinelander, WI; to Houghton, MI. 
Excluding that airspace at and above 10,000 feet MSL from 5 NM north 
to 46 NM north of Quincy, IL, when the Howard West MOA is active.
* * * * *

V-177 [Amended]

    From Joliet, IL; Janesville, WI; to Madison, WI. From Wausau, 
WI; Hayward, WI; Duluth, MN; to Ely, MN.
* * * * *

V-228 [Amended]

    From Dells, WI; Madison, WI; INT Madison 138[deg] and Chicago 
O'Hare, IL, 316[deg] radials; INT Chicago O'Hare 316[deg] and 
Northbrook, IL, 291[deg] radials; Northbrook; INT Northbrook 
110[deg] and Gipper, MI, 290[deg] radials; to Gipper.
* * * * *

V-246 [Amended]

    From Janesville, WI; Dubuque, IA; Waukon, IA; Nodine, MN; to INT 
Nodine 055[deg](T)/054[deg](M) and Eau Claire, WI, 134[deg](T)/
130[deg](M) radials.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2017.
Leslie M. Swann,
Acting Manager, Airspace Policy Group.
[FR Doc. 2017-03536 Filed 2-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P