[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 125 (Friday, July 2, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35233-35235]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14092]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 125 / Friday, July 2, 2021 / Proposed 
Rules  

[[Page 35233]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2021-0479; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-5]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of VOR Federal Airways V-170, V-175 and V-250; 
Establishment of Area Navigation (RNAV) Route T-400; in the Vicinity of 
Worthington, MN

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to amend three VHF Omnidirectional Range 
(VOR) Federal airways and establish a new RNAV T-route, in the vicinity 
of Worthington, Minnesota. This action is necessary due to the planned 
decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Worthington, MN, VOR/Distance 
Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME), which provides navigation guidance to 
portions of the affected Air Traffic Service (ATS) routes. The 
Worthington VOR is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR 
Minimum Operational Network (VOR MON) program.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 16, 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-2021-0479; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-5 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: Jesse Acevedo, 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-2021-0479; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-5) 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-2021-0479; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-5.'' 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 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

[[Page 35234]]

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

    The FAA is planning decommissioning activities for the VOR portion 
of the Worthington, MN, VOR/DME with a planned date of March 24, 2022. 
The Worthington VOR was one of the candidate VORs identified for 
discontinuance by the FAA's VOR MON program and listed in the Final 
policy statement notice, ``Provision of Navigation Services for the 
NextGen Transition to Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) (Plan for 
Establishing a VOR MON),'' published in the Federal Register of July 
26, 2016 (81 FR 48694), Docket No. FAA-2011-1082. Although the VOR 
portion of the Worthington VOR/DME is planned for decommissioning, the 
co-located DME portion of the navigational aid is being retained in 
support of current and future RNAV procedures.
    The airways affected by the Worthington VOR are V-170, V-175, and 
V-250. With the planned decommissioning of the Worthington VOR, the 
remaining ground-based navigational aid coverage in the area is 
insufficient to enable the continuity of these affected routes. As 
such, the proposed modifications would result in the removal of airway 
segments. To overcome the impacts from the loss of portions of the 
airways, instrument flight rules (IFR) traffic may use adjacent 
airways, including V-24, V-80, V-120, V-148, V-398, and V-456, to 
navigate through or around the affected areas. IFR traffic could 
receive air traffic control radar vectors through the areas. Aircraft 
equipped with RNAV capabilities may also file point to point through 
the affected area using the fixes that will remain in place, or use the 
proposed new RNAV T-400 (in lieu of V-250). Visual flight rules (VFR) 
pilots may utilize the ATC services previously listed.
    The proposed new RNAV T-route, T-400, would mitigate the proposed 
removal of the airway segment of V-250 between the Yankton, SD, VOR/DME 
and Mankato, MN, VOR/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC). Additionally, it 
would provide navigational options in areas of limited or no radar 
coverage to pilots whose aircraft are RNAV equipped. Finally, it would 
support the FAA's efforts to transition the NAS from ground-based to 
satellite-based navigation.
    The FAA proposes to retain all airspace fixes on the deleted 
segments of the VOR Federal airways either as fixes or waypoints.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend three 
VOR Federal airways and establish one RNAV T-route. The proposed ATS 
route actions are described below.
    V-170: V-170 extends between the Devils Lake, ND, VOR/DME and the 
Worthington, MN, VOR/DME; between the Rochester, MN, VOR/DME and the 
Salem, MI, VORTAC; and between the Slate Run, PA, VORTAC and the 
intersection of the Andrews, MD, VORTAC 060[deg] radial and the 
Baltimore, MD, VORTAC 165[deg] radial. The airspace within R-5802 is 
excluded when active. The FAA proposes to remove the airway segment 
between the Sioux Falls, SD, VORTAC and the Worthington, MN, VOR/DME. 
This would result in the first segment of the route extending between 
the Devils Lake, ND, VOR/DME and the Sioux Falls, SD, VORTAC. The 
second and third segments of the airway would remain unchanged.
    V-175: V-175 extends between the Malden, MO, VORTAC and the Des 
Moines, IA, VORTAC; and between the Worthington, MN, VOR/DME and the 
Alexandria, MN, VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the airway segment 
between the Worthington, MN, VOR/DME and the Redwood Falls, MN, VOR/
DME. This would result in the last segment of the airway extending 
between the Redwood Falls VOR/DME and the Alexandria VOR/DME. The first 
segment of the airway would remain unchanged. Concurrent changes to 
other segments of V-175 have been proposed in a separate rulemaking 
proposal.
    V-250: V-250 extends between the O'Neill, NE, VORTAC and the 
Mankato, MN, VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the airway segment 
from the Yankton, SD, VOR/DME and the Mankato, MN, VOR/DME. The 
resulting airway would extend between the O'Neill, NE, VORTAC and the 
Yankton, SD, VOR/DME.
    T-400: T-400 would be a new RNAV route that extends between the 
LLUKY, NE, waypoint (WP), located near the O'Neill, NE, VORTAC and the 
ZOSAG, MN, WP, which is a new WP being established near the Flying 
Cloud, MN, VOR/DME as part of this proposal.
    All of the navigational aid radials in the airway descriptions 
below are stated in True degrees.
    Domestic VOR Federal airways and RNAV T-routes are published in 
paragraphs 6010(a) and 6011, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11E, dated 
July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, which are incorporated 
by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The ATS routes listed in this document 
would 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 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:

[[Page 35235]]

Paragraph 6010(a) Domestic VOR Federal Airways.

* * * * *

V-170 [Amended]

    From Devils Lake, ND; INT Devils Lake 187[deg] and Jamestown, 
ND, 337[deg] radials; Jamestown; Aberdeen, SD; to Sioux Falls, SD. 
From Rochester, MN; Nodine, MN; Dells, WI; INT Dells 097[deg] and 
Badger, WI, 304[deg] radials; Badger; INT Badger 121[deg] and 
Pullman, MI, 282[deg] radials; Pullman; to Salem, MI. From Slate 
Run, PA; Selinsgrove, PA; Ravine, PA; INT Ravine 125[deg] and 
Modena, PA, 318[deg] radials; Modena; Dupont, DE; INT Dupont 
223[deg] and Andrews, MD, 060[deg] radials; to INT Andrews 060[deg] 
and Baltimore, MD, 165[deg] radials. The airspace within R-5802 is 
excluded when active.
* * * * *

V-175 [Amended]

    From Malden, MO; Vichy, MO; Hallsville, MO; Macon, MO; 
Kirksville, MO; to Des Moines, IA. From Redwood Falls, MN; to 
Alexandria, MN.
* * * * *

V-250 [Amended]

    From O'Neill, NE; to Yankton, SD.
* * * * *

Paragraph 6011 United States Area Navigation Routes.

* * * * *

T400 LLUKY, NE to ZOSAG, MN [New]
 
LLUKY, NE                     WP                  (Lat. 42[deg]29'20.26'' N, long. 098[deg]38'11.44'' W)
IMUPP, SD                     WP                  (Lat. 42[deg]55'06.44'' N, long. 097[deg]23'05.22'' W)
DURWN, MN                     WP                  (Lat. 43[deg]38'48.91'' N, long. 095[deg]34'55.87'' W)
MEMCO, MN                     WP                  (Lat. 44[deg]13'11.42'' N, long. 093[deg]54'45.23'' W)
ZOSAG, MN                     WP                  (Lat. 44[deg]49'30.74'' N, long. 093[deg]26'34.08'' W)
 


    Issued in Washington, DC.
George Gonzalez,
Acting Manager, Rules and Regulations Group.
[FR Doc. 2021-14092 Filed 7-1-21; 8:45 am]
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