[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