[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 197 (Thursday, October 10, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54526-54528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22109]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2019-0679; Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-18]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Walla Walla, WA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E4 surface area and Class 
E5 airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface of the 
earth at Walla Walla Regional Airport, Walla Walla, WA. This action 
proposes to remove a large area of Class E5 airspace extending upward 
from 700 feet above the surface to the east of the airport. The action 
also proposes to amend the Class E5 airspace extending upward from 700 
feet above the surface to the northeast and southwest of the airport. 
Further, this action also proposes administrative corrections to the 
airport's legal description. This action would ensure the safety and 
management of IFR operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 25, 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-2019-0679; Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-18, 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.

[[Page 54527]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Van Der Wal, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3695.

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 the Class E airspace at Walla Walla Regional Airport, 
Walla Walla, Washington 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. Persons 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-2019-0679; 
Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-18''. 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 Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal 
Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service 
Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 
98198.

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.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) Part 71 by amending Class E4 airspace at Walla 
Walla Regional Airport extending upward from the surface within 2.4 
miles each side of the 036[deg] bearing extending from the 4.3-mile 
radius to 11.6 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport. The 
action also proposes to remove Class E4 airspace to the southwest of 
the airport as it is not needed to contain aircraft on any procedure 
currently published for the airport. This airspace is designed to 
contain IFR aircraft descending below 1,000 feet above the surface of 
the earth.
    This action also proposes to amend Class E5 airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface of the earth. The action will 
remove a large portion of the Class E5 airspace east of the airport and 
resize the airspace to the northeast and southwest of the airport as 
follows, within 4 miles each side of the 216[deg] bearing extending 
from the 4.3-mile radius to 12.5 miles southwest of the airport, and 
within 4 miles east and 8 miles west of the 037[deg] bearing extending 
from 6 miles to 22.2 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional 
Airport. This airspace is designed to contain IFR aircraft descending 
below 1,500 feet above the surface of the earth.
    Lastly, this action proposes administrative updates to the Class D 
and Class E2 legal descriptions to replace ``Airport/Facilities 
Directory'' with ``Chart Supplement'' and update the airport's 
geographic coordinates to match the FAA's aeronautical database.
    Class D, E2, E4, and E5 airspace descriptions are published in 
paragraphs 5000, 6002, 6004 and 6005, respectively, 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 Class D and Class E 
airspace designations listed in this document will be published 
subsequently 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 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 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).

[[Page 54528]]

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

Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to 
a Class D or Class E Surface Area

* * * * *

ANM WA E4 Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla Regional Airport, WA
    (Lat. 46[deg]05'33'' N, long. 118[deg]17'03'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 2.4 miles 
each side of the 036[deg] bearing extending from the 4.3-mile radius 
to 11.6 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport.

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

* * * * *

ANM WA E5 Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla Regional Airport, WA
    (Lat. 46[deg]05'33'' N, long. 118[deg]17'03'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within 4 miles each side of the 216[deg] bearing extending from the 
4.3-mile radius to 12.5 miles southwest of the airport, and within 4 
miles east and 8 miles west of the 037[deg] bearing extending from 6 
miles to 22.2 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on October 3, 2019.
Byron Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2019-22109 Filed 10-9-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P