[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 89 (Thursday, May 7, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27172-27174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09588]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2020-0352; Airspace Docket No. 18-AAL-4]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Sitka, AK
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E airspace, designated a
surface area, at Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, Sitka, AK. To properly
size the area, the extension southwest of the airport should be
reduced. The extension northwest of the airport is not required and
should be removed. This action also proposes to establish a Class E
airspace area, designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E
surface area, northwest of the airport. Additionally, this action
proposes to properly size Class E airspace extending upward from 700
feet above the surface. The extension southwest of the airport should
increase in size and the extension northwest of the airport is not
required and should be removed. Further, this action proposes to remove
Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface.
This area is wholly contained within the Alaska southeast en route area
and duplication is not necessary. Lastly, this action proposes numerous
administrative
[[Page 27173]]
corrections to the airspace legal descriptions. This action would
ensure the safety and management of IFR operations at the airport.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 22, 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-2020-0352; Airspace Docket No. 18-AAL-4, at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
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 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 Sitka Rocky Gutierrez
Airport, Sitka, AK. 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-2020-0352;
Airspace Docket No. 18-AAL-4''. 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 amending Class E airspace, designated a
surface area, at Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, Sitka, AK. This area is
designed to contain arriving IFR aircraft descending below 1,000 feet
above the surface and IFR departures until reaching 700 feet above the
surface. The area is larger than required. The extension to the
southwest of the airport should be reduced. The extension northwest of
the airport is not required and should be removed. This area is
described as follows: That airspace extending upward from the surface
within a 4.1-mile radius of Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, and 1.5
miles each side of the 209[deg] bearing from the airport, extending
from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles southwest of the Sitka Rocky
Gutierrez Airport.
This action also proposes to establish a Class E airspace area,
designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, at the
airport. The area would be northwest of the airport and is designed to
contain IFR aircraft descending below 1,000 feet above the surface.
This area is described as follows: That airspace extending upward from
the surface 4 miles north and 8 miles south of the 315[deg] bearing
from the airport, extending from 0.9 miles northwest of the airport to
28.3 miles northwest of the Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport.
Additionally, this action proposes to amend Class E airspace
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. This area is designed
to contain arriving IFR aircraft descending below 1,500 feet above the
surface and departing IFR aircraft until reaching 1,200 feet above the
surface. The extension southwest of the airport should increase in size
to contain arriving and departing IFR aircraft. The extension northwest
of the airport is not required and should be removed. This area is
described as follows: That airspace extending upward from 700 feet
above the surface within a 6.6-mile radius of the airport, and within 5
miles each side of the 216[deg] bearing from the airport, extending
from the 6.6-mile radius to 26 miles southwest of the Sitka Rocky
Gutierrez
[[Page 27174]]
Airport; excluding that airspace that extends beyond 12 miles from the
coast.
Further, this action proposes to remove Class E airspace extending
upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This airspace is wholly
contained within the Alaska southeast en route area and duplication is
not necessary.
Lastly, this action proposes several administrative corrections to
the airspace legal descriptions. The airport's geographic coordinates
do not match the FAA database and should be updated to lat.
57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W. The Class E surface airspace
should be full time; the following two sentences do not accurately
represent the time of use and should be removed: ``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 Airport/Facility
Directory.''
Class E2, E4, and E5 airspace designations are published in
paragraphs 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 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).
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 a Surface Area.
* * * * *
AAL AK E2 Sitka, AK [Amended]
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, AK
(Lat. 57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W)
Within a 4.1 mile radius of Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, and
1.5 miles each side of the 209[deg] bearing from the airport,
extending from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles southwest of the
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport.
Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to
a Class D or Class E Surface Area.
* * * * *
AAL AK E4 Sitka, AK [New]
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, AK
(Lat. 57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface 4 miles north
and 8 miles south of the 315[deg] bearing from the airport,
extending from 0.9 miles northwest of the airport to 28.3 miles
northwest of the Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport.
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
AAL AK E5 Sitka, AK [Amended]
Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, AK
(Lat. 57[deg]02'49'' N, long. 135[deg]21'40'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 6.6-mile radius of the airport, and within 5 miles each
side of the 216[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the
6.6-mile radius to 26 miles southwest of the Sitka Rocky Gutierrez
Airport; excluding that airspace that extends beyond 12 miles from
the coast.
Issued in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 2020.
Shawn M. Kozica,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-09588 Filed 5-6-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P