[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 235 (Monday, December 7, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 78811-78813]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26818]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-1014; Airspace Docket No. 20-ASW-7]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class D and E Airspace; Farmington, NM

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify Class D airspace at Four 
Corners Regional Airport. This action also proposes to modify the Class 
E airspace designated as a surface area to match the modified Class D 
dimensions. Additionally, this action proposes to modify the Class E 
airspace, extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. Further, 
this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace, extending upward 
from 1,200 feet above the surface. This action also proposed to remove 
the Four Corners Regional ILS Localizer and the Farmington VORTAC from 
the legal descriptions' text headers and airspace descriptions. Lastly, 
this action proposes several administrative corrections to the airspace 
legal descriptions. This action would ensure the safety and management 
of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 21, 2021.

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-2020-1014; Airspace Docket No. 20-ASW-7, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order 7400.11E, 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 7400.11E 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 D and Class E airspace at Four Corners 
Regional Airport, Farmington, NM, to support 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

[[Page 78812]]

postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments to Docket 
No. FAA-2020-1014; Airspace Docket No. 20-ASW-7''. 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 7400.11E, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective 
September 15, 2020. FAA Order 7400.11E is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11E 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 Part 71 by modifying the Class D airspace at Four Corners 
Regional Airport, Farmington, NM. To properly contain IFR departures, 
an extension should be added to the eastern boundary of the Class D 
airspace. The extension is designed to properly contain IFR departures 
flying toward or over rising terrain. This airspace area would be 
described as follows: That airspace extending upward from the surface 
to and including 8,000 feet MSL within a 4.7-mile radius of the 
airport, and within 1.8 miles each side of the 086[deg] bearing from 
the airport, extending from the 4.7-mile radius to 5.6 miles east of 
Four Corners Regional Airport. This Class D airspace area is effective 
during the specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice 
to Airmen. The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously 
published in the Chart Supplement.
    This action also proposes to modify the Class E airspace designated 
as a surface area to be coincident with the new Class D dimensions. 
This airspace area would be described as follows: Within a 4.7-mile 
radius of Four Corners Regional Airport and within 1 mile each side of 
the Four Corners Regional ILS Localizer east course extending from the 
4.7-mile radius to 5.6 miles east of the airport. This Class E airspace 
area is effective during the specific dates and times established in 
advance by a Notice to Airman. The effective date and time will 
thereafter be continuously published in the Airport/Facility Directory.
    Additionally, this action proposes to modify the Class E airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. The current 
configuration does not properly contain IFR aircraft performing an 
instrument approach to the airport. This airspace is designed to 
contain IFR departures to 1,200 feet above the surface and IFR arrivals 
descending below 1,500 feet above the surface. This airspace area would 
be described as follows: That airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface within a 6.7-mile radius of the airport, and within 4 
miles north and 8 miles south of the 088[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 6.7-mile radius of the airport, and extending from 4 
miles east of the airport to 22.4 miles east of the airport, and within 
4.2 miles each side of the 267[deg] bearing from the airport, extending 
from the 6.7-mile radius to 12.5 miles west of Four Corners Regional 
Airport.
    This action also proposes to remove the Class E airspace extending 
upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This area is wholly contained 
with the Denver en route airspace and duplication is not necessary.
    The action also proposes to remove the Four Corners Regional ILS 
Localizer from the Class D and Class E2 text headers and airspace 
descriptions. The action also proposes to remove the Farmington VORTAC 
from the Class E5 airspace text header and airspace description. The 
navigational aids are not needed to define the airspace. Removal of the 
navigational aids allows the airspace to be defined from a single 
reference point which simplifies how the airspace is described.
    Lastly, this action proposes several administrative corrections to 
the airspaces' legal descriptions. This action proposes to remove the 
city name from the second line of Class D, Class E2, and Class E5 the 
text header. The legal descriptions for the Class D and Class E2 
airspace contain the outdated term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' this 
action proposes to update the term to ``Chart Supplement''. The 
airport's geographic coordinates in the Class D and Class E2 text 
headers do not match the FAA database; this action proposes to update 
the geographic coordinates to ``lat. 36[deg]44'29'' N, long. 
108[deg]13'48'' W.''
    Class D, E2, and E5 airspace designations are published in 
paragraphs 5000, 6002, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11E, 
dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, 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

[[Page 78813]]

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 7400.11E, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and 
effective September 15, 2020, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ASW NM D Farmington, NM [Amended]

Four Corners Regional Airport, NM
    (Lat. 36[deg]44'29'' N, long. 108[deg]13'48'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
8,000 feet MSL within a 4.7-mile radius of the airport, and within 
1.8 miles each side of the 086[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 4.7-mile radius to 5.6 miles east of Four Corners 
Regional Airport. This Class D airspace area is effective during the 
specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to 
Airmen. The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously 
published in the Chart Supplement.

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Designated as a Surface Area.

* * * * *

ASW NM E2 Farmington, NM [Amended]

Four Corners Regional Airport, NM
    (Lat. 36[deg]44'29'' N, long. 108[deg]13'48'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.7-
mile radius of the airport, and within 1.8 miles each side of the 
086[deg] bearing from the airport, extending from the 4.7-mile 
radius to 5.6 miles east of Four Corners Regional Airport. This 
Class E airspace area is effective during the specific dates and 
times established in advance by a Notice to Airman. The effective 
date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart 
Supplement.

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

* * * * *

ASW NM E5 Farmington, NM [Amended]

Four Corners Regional Airport, NM
    (Lat. 36[deg]44'29'' N, long. 108[deg]13'48'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.7-mile radius of the airport, and within 4 miles north 
and 8 miles south of the 088[deg] bearing from the airport, 
extending from the 6.7-mile radius of the airport, and extending 
from 4 miles east of the airport to 22.4 miles east of the airport, 
and within 4.2 miles each side of the 267[deg] bearing from the 
airport, extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 12.5 miles west of 
Four Corners Regional Airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on December 1, 2020.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-26818 Filed 12-4-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P