[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 25, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 50344-50346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20715]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2019-0729; Airspace Docket No. 19-AGL-12]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Air Traffic Service (ATS) Routes V-82, V-
217, and T-383 in the Vicinity of Baudette, MN

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend two VHF Omnidirectional Range 
(VOR) Federal airways, V-82 and V-217, and one area navigation (RNAV) 
route, T-383. The FAA is proposing this action due to the planned 
decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Baudette VOR/Distance 
Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) navigation aid (NAVAID). The Baudette VOR 
is being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational 
Network (MON) program.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 12, 2019.

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-2019-0729; Airspace Docket No. 19-AGL-12 at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov. FAA Order 7400.11D, 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 7400.11D at NARA, email: 
[email protected] or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

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 would modify the National Airspace System as necessary 
to preserve the safe and efficient flow of air traffic.

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-2019-0729; Airspace Docket No. 19-AGL-12) 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-2019-0729; Airspace Docket No. 19-AGL-12.'' 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 7400.11D, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective 
September 15, 2019. FAA Order 7400.11D is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11D lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

Background

    The FAA is planning to decommission the VOR portion of the 
Baudette, MN (BDE), VOR/DME in May 2020. The Baudette VOR was one of 
the candidate VORs identified for discontinuance by the FAA's 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

[[Page 50345]]

Federal Register of July 26, 2016 (81 FR 48694), Docket No. FAA-2011-
1082. Although the VOR portion of the Baudette, MN, VOR/DME NAVAID is 
planned for decommissioning, the DME portion is being retained with the 
``BDE'' identifier. The ATS routes effected by the Baudette VOR 
decommissioning are VOR Federal airways V-82 and V-217.
    With the planned decommissioning of the Baudette VOR, the remaining 
ground-based NAVAID coverage in the area is insufficient to enable the 
continuity of V-82 and V217 within the affected area. As such, proposed 
modifications to V-82 and V-217 would result in the V-82 airway segment 
between the Baudette VOR/DME and the intersection of the Baudette VOR/
DME 194[deg] radial and the Park Rapids, MN, VOR/DME 003[deg] radial 
(BLUOX fix) and the V-217 airway segment between the Hibbing, MN, VOR/
DME and the Winnipeg, MB, Canada, VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) 
being removed.
    To overcome the removal of the V-82 and V-217 airway segments, the 
FAA plans to retain the current fixes located along those airway 
segments to assist pilots and air traffic controllers already familiar 
with them, for navigation purposes. Additionally, the Baudette, MN, DME 
facility is planned to be retained and charted in its current location 
as a DME facility with the ``BDE'' identifier. Further, the FAA 
proposes to extend RNAV route T-383 between the BLUOX fix and the 
Baudette, MN, DME facility to overlay the V-82 routing being removed. 
Instrument flight rules (IFR) traffic could use the extended T-383 
route segment, file point-to-point using the fixes that will remain in 
place, or receive air traffic control (ATC) radar vectors to continue 
operating through the affected area. Visual flight rules (VFR) pilots 
who elect to navigate via the airways through the affected area could 
also take advantage of the air traffic services previously listed.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to remove VOR Federal airways V-82 and V-
217 airway segments and extend RNAV route T-383 to overlay the V-82 
routing being removed. The planned decommissioning of the VOR portion 
of the Baudette, MN, VOR/DME has made this action necessary. The 
proposed air traffic service (ATS) route actions are described below.
    V-82: V-82 currently extends between the Baudette, MN, VOR/DME and 
the intersection of the Baudette VOR/DME 194[deg] and Park Rapids, MN, 
VOR/DME 003[deg] radials (BLUOX fix), and between the Gopher, MN, 
VORTAC and the Dells, WI, VORTAC. The FAA proposes to remove the airway 
segment between the Baudette VOR/DME and the intersection of the 
Baudette VOR/DME 194[deg] and Park Rapids, MN, VOR/DME 003[deg] 
radials. The unaffected portions of the existing airway would remain as 
charted.
    V-217: V-217 currently extends between the intersection of the 
Madison, WI, VOR/DME 138[deg] and Badger, WI, VOR/DME 193[deg] radials 
and the Winnipeg, MB, Canada, VORTAC. The airspace within Canada is 
excluded and the portion of the airway that lies within the Beaver 
Military Operations Area (MOA) is excluded when the Beaver MOA is 
active. The FAA proposes to remove the airway segment between the 
Hibbing, MN, VOR/DME and the Winnipeg, MB, Canada, VORTAC, as well as 
the exclusion language addressing the airspace within Canada and the 
Beaver MOA. The unaffected portions of the existing airway would remain 
as charted.
    T-383: T-383 currently extends between the Gopher, MN, VORTAC and 
the BLUOX, MN, fix. The FAA proposes to extend the route between the 
BLUOX fix and the Baudette, MN, DME. The unaffected portions of the 
existing airway would remain as charted.
    The NAVAID radials listed in the V-217 airway description below are 
unchanged and stated in True degrees.
    VOR Federal airways are published in paragraph 6010(a) and low 
altitude RNAV T-routes are published in paragraph 6011 of FAA Order 
7400.11D dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019, which 
is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The ATS routes listed in 
this document would be subsequently published in the Order.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

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 7400.11D, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and 
effective September 15, 2019, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6010(a) Domestic VOR Federal Airways.

* * * * *

V-82 [Amended]

From Gopher, MN; Farmington, MN; Rochester, MN; Nodine, MN; to 
Dells, WI.
* * * * *

V-217 [Amended]

From INT Madison, WI, 138[deg] and Badger, WI, 193[deg] radials; 
Badger; Green Bay, WI; Rhinelander, WI; Duluth, MN; to Hibbing, MN.
* * * * *

Paragraph 6011 United States Area Navigation Routes.

* * * * *

[[Page 50346]]



T-383 Gopher, MN (GEP) to Baudette, MN (BDE) [Amended]
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Gopher, MN (GEP)                       VORTAC                                 (Lat.45[deg]08'44.47'' N, long. 093[deg]22'23.45'' W)
BRNRD, MN                              WP                                     (Lat. 46[deg]20'53.81'' N, long. 094[deg]01'33.54'' W)
BLUOX, MN                              FIX                                    (Lat. 47[deg]34'33.13'' N, long. 095[deg]01'29.11'' W)
Baudette, MN (BDE)                     DME                                    (Lat. 48[deg]43'22.07'' N, long. 094[deg]36'26.24'' W)
 


    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 18, 2019.
Scott M. Rosenbloom,
Acting Manager, Airspace Policy Group.
[FR Doc. 2019-20715 Filed 9-24-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P