[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 3, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12449-12451]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04257]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2019-1061; Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-06]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Revocation and Amendment of Class E Airspace; Williston, 
ND

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to revoke the Class E airspace at Sloulin 
Field International Airport, Williston, ND, due to the airport's 
closure. This action also proposes to amend Class E airspace at 
Williston Basin International Airport, Williston, ND. The action 
proposes to add an area designated as a surface area. This action also 
proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface by adding two extensions, one to the southeast and 
one to the north of the airport. Additionally, this action proposes to 
add a Class E airspace area extending upward from 1,200 feet above the 
surface. Lastly, this action proposes an administrative correction to 
the airspace legal description's text header by updating the airport's 
geographic coordinate to match the FAA's aeronautical database. These 
changes are necessary to accommodate airspace redesign for the safety 
and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the 
airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 17, 2020.

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-2019-1061; Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-06, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.com.
    FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at https://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: 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

[[Page 12450]]

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 revoke the Class E airspace at Sloulin Field International 
Airport and amend the Class E airspace at Williston Basin International 
Airport, Williston, North Dakota 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-2019-1061; 
Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-06.'' 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at https://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 revoking the Class E airspace at 
Sloulin Field International Airport at Williston ND, due to the 
airport's closure.
    This action also proposes to amend Class E airspace at Williston 
Basin International Airport, Williston, ND. The proposal would add a 
Class E airspace area, designated at a surface area. This area is 
designed to provide controlled airspace for terminal operations where a 
control tower is not in operation. This proposed area is described as 
follows: That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.2-
mile radius of the airport, and within 1.3 miles each side of the 
135[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 4.2-mile radius 
to 4.7 miles southeast of the airport, and within 1.3 miles each side 
of the 339[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 4.2-mile 
radius to 4.7 miles north of the Williston Basin International Airport.
    Additionally, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace 
area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface by adding two 
extensions to the current 6.7-mile radius of the airport. One to the 
southeast and one to the north of the airport. These areas are designed 
to accommodate arriving IFR operations when aircraft descend below 
1,500 feet above the surface. The proposed area is described as 
follows: That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.7-mile radius of the airport, and within 3.6 miles each side 
of the 132[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 6.7-mile 
radius to 11.4 miles southeast of the airport, and within 3.6 miles 
each side of the 340[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 
6.7-mile radius to 11 miles north of the Williston Basin International 
Airport.
    Further, this action proposes to add a Class E airspace area 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This area is 
designed to accommodate IFR aircraft while transitioning to/from the en 
route environment. The proposed area is described as follows: That 
airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface within a 
41-mile radius of the Williston Basin International Airport.
    Lastly, this action proposed an administrative correction to the 
airspace legal description's text header by updating the airport's 
geographic coordinate to match the FAA's aeronautical database. The 
coordinates should read: Lat. 48[deg]15'39'' N, long. 103[deg]45'04'' 
W. Class E2 and Class E5 airspace designations are published in 
paragraphs 6002 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 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.

[[Page 12451]]

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

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

AGL ND E2 Williston, ND [Revoked]

Williston, Sloulin Field International Airport, ND
    (Lat. 48[deg]10'41'' N, long. 103[deg]38'32'' W)

AGL ND E2 Williston, ND [New]

Williston Basin International Airport, ND
    (Lat. 48[deg]15'39'' N, long. 103[deg]45'04'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.2-
mile radius of the airport, and within 1.3 miles each side of the 
135[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 4.2-mile 
radius to 4.7 miles southeast of the airport, and within 1.3 miles 
each side of the 339[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from 
the 4.2-mile radius to 4.7 miles north of the Williston Basin 
International Airport.

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

* * * * *

AGL ND E5 Williston, ND [Revoked]

Sloulin Field International Airport, ND
    (Lat. 48[deg]10'41'' N, long. 103[deg]38'32'' W)

AGL ND E5 Williston, ND [Amended]

Williston Basin International Airport, ND
    (Lat. 48[deg]15'39'' N, long. 103[deg]45'04'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.7-mile radius of the airport, and within 3.6 miles each 
side of the 132[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 
6.7-mile radius to 11.4 miles southeast of the airport, and within 
3.6 miles each side of the 340[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 11 miles north of the airport; 
and that airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface 
within a 41-mile radius of the Williston Basin International 
Airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on February 26, 2020.
Shawn M. Kozica,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-04257 Filed 3-2-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P