[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 89 (Thursday, May 7, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27178-27180]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-09593]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0350; Airspace Docket No. 18-AAL-2]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Kotzebue, AK

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace, designated 
a surface area, by removing the extensions to the east and west of the 
airport. This action also proposes to properly size the Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. The area 
should be reduced east of the airport to properly contain arriving IFR 
aircraft descending below 1,500 feet above the surface. Additionally, 
this action proposes to properly size the Class E airspace extending 
upward from 1,200 feet above the surface by reducing the area from a 
74-mile radius of the airport to a 45-mile radius of the airport. 
Further, this action proposes to remove the Kotzebue VOR/DME 
Navigational Aid from the airspace legal descriptions. Lastly, this 
action proposes numerous administrative 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-2020-0350; Airspace Docket No. 18-AAL-2, 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 Ralph Wein Memorial Airport, 
Kotzebue, 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-2020-0350; 
Airspace Docket No. 18-AAL-2''. 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

[[Page 27179]]

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 the Class E airspace, 
designated a surface area, at Ralph Wein Memorial Airport, Kotzebue, 
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 extensions east and west of the airport 
are no longer required to properly contain aircraft and should be 
removed. This area is described as follows: That airspace extending 
upward from the surface within a 4.3-mile radius of the Ralph Wien 
Memorial Airport.
    This action also proposes to amend Class E airspace, extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface, to properly 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 
area should be reduced east of the airport to properly contain arriving 
IFR aircraft. This area is described as follows: That airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.8-mile 
radius of the airport, and within 8 miles north and 4 miles south of 
the 088[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from 1.4 miles east of 
the airport to 17.4 miles east of the airport, and within 4 miles north 
and 8 miles south of a 276[deg] bearing from the airport, extending 
from the airport to 14.7 miles west of the Ralph Wein Memorial Airport.
    Additionally, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This airspace is 
designed to contain IFR aircraft while transitioning to/from the 
terminal and en route environments. The area is larger than required 
and should be reduced from a 74-mile radius to a 45-mile radius of the 
airport. The area is described as follows: That airspace extending 
upward from 1,200 feet above the surface within a 45-mile radius of the 
Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, excluding that airspace beyond 12 miles 
from the shoreline.
    Further, this action proposes to remove the Kotzebue VOR/DME 
Navigational Aid from the airspace legal descriptions. The Navigational 
Aid is not required to define the airspace and by removing it from the 
legal description, the airspace can be described from a single 
reference point.
    Lastly, this action proposes several administrative corrections to 
the airspace legal descriptions. The airport name on the 2nd line of 
the text header does not match the FAA database. Kotzebue should be 
removed from the airport name and it should read: ``Ralph Wien Memorial 
Airport, AK''. The airport's geographic coordinates do not match the 
FAA database and should be updated to lat. 66[deg]53'05'' N, long. 
162[deg]35'53'' 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 and 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.

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 Kotzebue, AK [Amended]

Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, AK
    (Lat. 66[deg]53'05'' N, long. 162[deg]35'53'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.3-
mile radius of the Ralph Wien Memorial Airport.

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

* * * * *

AAL AK E5 Kotzebue, AK [Amended]

Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, AK
    (Lat. 66[deg]53'05'' N, long. 162[deg]35'53'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.8-mile

[[Page 27180]]

radius of the airport, and within 8 miles north and 4 miles south of 
the 088[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from 1.4 miles east 
of the airport to 17.4 miles east of the airport, and within 4 miles 
north and 8 miles south of a 276[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the airport to 14.7 miles west of the airport; and 
that airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface 
within a 45-mile radius of the Ralph Wien Memorial Airport, 
excluding that airspace beyond 12 miles from the shoreline.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on April 23, 2020.
Shawn M. Kozica,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-09593 Filed 5-6-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P