[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 23, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 83839-83840]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28164]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-1191 Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-41]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Revocation of VOR Federal Airway V-242 Due to the 
Planned Decommissioning of the Atikokan, Ontario, Canada, 
Nondirectional Radio Beacon (NDB) Navigation Aid

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to remove VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) 
Federal airway V-242 in the northcentral United States to reflect 
changes being made by NAV CANADA in Canadian airspace. The airway 
removal is necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the 
Atikokan, Ontario (ON), Canada, NDB navigation aid (NAVAID), which 
provides navigation guidance for V-242. The Atikokan NDB is being 
decommissioned as part of NAV CANADA's NAVAID Modernization Program.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 8, 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: 
(800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2020-1191 Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-41 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 Rules and Regulations 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: Colby Abbott, Rules and Regulations 
Group, Office of Policy, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.

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 
the 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 modify the route structure as necessary to 
preserve the safe and efficient flow of air traffic within the National 
Airspace System (NAS).

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 (FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2020-1191 Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-41) and be submitted in 
triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for 
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the 
internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments 
on this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed, 
stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments 
to FAA Docket No. FAA-2020-1191 Airspace Docket No. 20-AGL-41.'' The 
postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
    All communications received on or before the specified comment 
closing date will be considered before taking action on the proposed 
rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of 
comments received. All comments submitted will be available for 
examination in the public docket both before and after the comment 
closing date. 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 ADDRESSES section for 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

[[Page 83840]]

normal business hours at the office of the Operations Support Group, 
Central Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood 
Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

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.

Background

    NAV CANADA, which operates Canada's civil air navigation service, 
is continuing to implement various changes to Canada's instrument 
flight rules (IFR) navigation infrastructure as part of their NAVAID 
Modernization Program to enhance the efficiency of operations by taking 
advantage of performance based navigation and modern avionic 
capabilities. The changes being implemented by NAV CANADA occasionally 
affect parts of U.S. VOR Federal airways that extend across the U.S./
Canada border into Canadian airspace. As a result, the removal of V-242 
would mirror changes that are planned to be made by NAV CANADA on the 
Canadian side of the border.
    NAV CANADA is planning the decommissioning of the Atikokan, ON, 
Canada, NDB as part of their NAVAID Modernization Program. With the 
planned decommissioning of the Atikokan NDB, the ground-based NAVAID 
coverage in the area is insufficient to enable the continuity of V-242. 
As a result, V-242 would no longer be supportable and would be removed 
in its entirety.
    To overcome the loss of the airway, instrument flight rules (IFR) 
traffic could use adjacent ATS routes, including VOR Federal airways V-
133, V-300, and V-367, or request air traffic control (ATC) radar 
vectors to fly through or circumnavigate the affected area. The 
International Falls, MN, VHF Omni-directional Range/Distance Measuring 
Equipment (VOR/DME) NAVAID, which is currently the first airway point 
on V-242, will also remain in service and continue providing positive 
course guidance and distance measuring service to aircraft within 40 
nautical miles of the NAVAID. Additionally, IFR pilots equipped with 
RNAV PBN capabilities would also be able to navigate point to point 
using the existing fixes that will remain in place to support continued 
operations though the affected area. Visual flight rules (VFR) pilots 
who elect to navigate via the airways through the affected area could 
also take advantage of the adjacent VOR Federal airways or ATC services 
listed previously.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to remove VOR Federal airway V-242. The 
planned decommissioning of the Atikokan, ON, Canada, NDB has made this 
action necessary. The proposed change is outlined below.
    V-242: V-242 currently extends between the International Falls, MN, 
VOR/DME and the Atikokan, ON, Canada, NDB, excluding that airspace 
within Canada. The FAA proposes to remove the airway in its entirety.
    VOR Federal airways are published in paragraph 6010(a) 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 ATS route listed in 
this document would be subsequently published 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 proposed regulation only involves 
an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and 
routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. 
It, therefore: (1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under 
Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a ``significant rule'' under 
Department of Transportation (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 proposed rule, 
when promulgated, will 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

    In consideration of the foregoing, 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 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 6010(a) Domestic VOR Federal Airways.

* * * * *

V-242 [Removed]

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    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 16, 2020.
George Gonzalez,
Acting Manager, Rules and Regulations Group.
[FR Doc. 2020-28164 Filed 12-22-20; 8:45 am]
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