[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10170-10171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05165]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
[Docket No. FAA-2019-0153]
Recommendations for Facilities Realignments To Support Transition
to NextGen as Part of Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform
Act of 2012--Parts 4 & 5; Request for Comments
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This document announces the availability of the FAA National
Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, Parts 4 & 5. The
report was developed in response to Section 804 of the FAA
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The report and recommendations
contained therein have been developed collaboratively with the National
Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and the Professional
Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) labor unions and with input from
stakeholders. The FAA seeks comments on this report.
DATES: Send comments on or before May 3, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2019-0153
using any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your
comments electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without
change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the
docket website, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all
comments received into any FAA dockets, including name of the
individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an
association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act
Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11,
2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
http://www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions
for accessing the docket or visit Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of
the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William Middleswart, Federal Aviation
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591;
email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub.
L. 112-95) requires the FAA to develop a plan for realigning and
consolidating facilities in an effort to support the transition to
NextGen and reduce costs where such cost reductions can be implemented
without adversely affecting safety. To address Section 804
requirements, the FAA formed a collaborative workgroup of
representatives from the FAA and NATCA and PASS labor unions to develop
a comprehensive process to analyze different realignment and
consolidation scenarios. The collaborative process takes into account
the following factors and criteria when prioritizing facilities for
realignment analysis: NextGen readiness; operational and airspace
factors; existing facility conditions and workforce impacts; industry
stakeholder input; costs and benefits associated with each potential
realignment alternative; facilities and
[[Page 10171]]
engineering planning and priorities; and employee career development.
The collaborative workgroup developed the guiding principles and
criteria for evaluating existing Terminal Radar Approach Control
(TRACON) operations. The principles support the goals of developing
operationally viable realignment and consolidation scenarios, capturing
recommendations, and outlining next steps. The workgroup has developed
a repeatable and defensible process to evaluate facility TRACON
operations and prioritize for analysis; determine an initial set of
realignment scenarios and a set of alternatives for each scenario;
collect facility and operational data and document system requirements;
document facility, equipment, infrastructure, operational and safety
data; capture qualitative workforce considerations, including training,
transition, facility, and potential workforce impacts of potential
realignments; consider potential impacts on operations, airspace
modifications, route/fixes changes, arrival/departure procedures,
intra/inter-facility coordination, and pilot community interaction;
collect and consider industry stakeholder input; quantify benefits and
cost of potential realignments; and develop a recommendation for each
realignment scenario.\1\ A copy of the National Facilities Realignment
and Consolidation Report, Parts 4 & 5 has been placed in the docket for
this notice. The docket may be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov.
A copy of the report has also been made available on the FAA's website
at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/.
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\1\ The National Facilities Realignment and Consolidation
Report, Part 1 was published in the Federal Register on March 26,
2015 (80 FR 16078) (docket no.: FAA-2015-0693). The National
Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, Part 2 was
published in the Federal Register on June 7, 2016 (81 FR 36650)
(docket no.: FAA-2016-4000). The National Facilities Realignment and
Consolidation Report, Part 3 was published in the Federal Register
on July 17, 2017 (82 FR 32750) (docket no.: FAA-2017-0706).
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The realignment recommendations outlined in the National Facilities
Realignment and Consolidation Report, Parts 4 & 5 are the result of a
collaborative process that involved a multi-disciplinary team of FAA
management, labor, field facilities, finance, and subject matter
experts. The Section 804 process serves as a stable foundation for
future realignment analyses and recommendations. The process aims to
maximize operational, administrative, and maintenance efficiencies,
support transition to NextGen, and deliver the highest value to
stakeholders.
The FAA is requesting comments on this report pursuant to Section
804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The agency will
consider all comments received on or before May 3, 2019. Following a
60-day comment review period, the final report along with public
comments will be submitted to Congress. The FAA continues to analyze
data collected from facilities across the United States and evaluate
possible realignment scenarios.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 7, 2019.
William Middleswart,
Section 804 Analysis Program Manager, Management Services, Federal
Aviation Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-05165 Filed 3-18-19; 8:45 am]
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