[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 249 (Friday, December 29, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 61698-61699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-28048]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 249 / Friday, December 29, 2017 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 61698]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1002; Airspace Docket No. 17-ACE-12]


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace: Muscatine, IA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E airspace designated as a 
surface area and amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface at Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA. The 
FAA is proposing this action due to the decommissioning of the Port 
City VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) facility, which provided 
navigation guidance for the instrument procedures to this airport. The 
VOR has been decommissioned as part of the VOR Minimum Operational 
Network (MON) Program.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 12, 2018.

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 
(202) 366-9826, or (800) 647-5527. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2017-1002; Airspace Docket No. 17-ACE-12 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.
    FAA Order 7400.11B, 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 also available for inspection at the National 
Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the 
availability of FAA Order 7400.11B at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go 
to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.

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 designated as a surface area and 
amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
at Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA, to support instrument 
flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

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-2017-1002; 
Airspace Docket No. 17-ACE-12.'' The postcard will be date/time stamped 
and returned to the commenter.
    All 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/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 Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic 
Organization, Central Service Center, Operations Support Group, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective 
September 15, 2017. FAA Order 7400.11B is publicly available as listed

[[Page 61699]]

in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11B 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 that would:
    Modify Class E airspace designated as a surface area to within a 
4.1-mile radius (increased from a 3.9-mile radius) of Muscatine 
Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA, with an extension 1.0 mile either 
side of the 305[deg] bearing from the airport from the 4.1-mile radius 
to 4.4 miles northwest of the airport, and an extension 1.0 mile either 
side of the 238[deg] bearing from the airport from the 4.1-mile radius 
to 4.4 miles southwest of the airport; and
    Modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at Muscatine Municipal Airport by removing the Port City VOR/
DME from the airspace description, removing the extensions referencing 
the Port City VOR/DME, and adding an extension 3.8 miles either side of 
the 238[deg] bearing from the airport from the 6.6-mile radius to 10.5 
miles southwest of the airport.
    Airspace reconfiguration is necessary due to the decommissioning of 
the Port City VOR as part of the VOR MON Program, and to bring the 
airspace and airspace descriptions into compliance with FAA Order 
7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters. Controlled airspace 
is necessary for the safety and management of IFR operations at the 
airport.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6002 and 
6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11B, dated August 3, 2017, and 
effective September 15, 2017, 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 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, is 
non-controversial and unlikely to result in adverse or negative 
comments. 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 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 1050.1F, ``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

    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 7400.11B, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and 
effective September 15, 2017, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

ACE IA E2 Muscatine, IA [Amended]

Muscatine Municipal Airport, IA
    (Lat. 41[deg]22'04'' N, long. 91[deg]08'54'' W)

    Within a 4.1-mile radius of Muscatine Municipal Airport, and 
within 1.0 mile either side of the 305[deg] bearing from the airport 
from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles northwest of the airport, and 
within 1.0 mile either side of the 238[deg] bearing from the airport 
from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles southwest of the airport. This 
Class E airspace area is effective during specific dates and times 
established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective date and 
time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart 
Supplement.

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

* * * * *

ACE IA E5 Muscatine, IA [Amended]

Muscatine Municipal Airport, IA
    (Lat. 41[deg]22'04'' N, long. 91[deg]08'54'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.6-mile radius of Muscatine Municipal Airport and within 
3.8 miles either side of the 238[deg] bearing from the airport from 
the 6.6-mile radius to 10.5 miles southwest of the airport.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 19, 2017.
Christopher L. Southerland,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2017-28048 Filed 12-28-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P