[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 216 (Friday, November 12, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 62753-62755]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24457]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2021-0979; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-31]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Multiple 
Illinois Towns

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend the Class D airspace at Chicago/
Rockford, IL, and the Class E airspace at Poplar Grove, IL; Freeport, 
IL; Rochelle, IL; and Chicago/Rockford, IL. The FAA is proposing this 
action as the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning 
of the Rockford very high frequency (VHF) omnidirectional range (VOR) 
as part of the VOR Minimal Operational Network (MON) Program. The names 
and geographic coordinates of various airports would also be updated to 
coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 27, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, West Building Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590; telephone 
(202) 366-9826, or (800) 647-5527. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2021-0979/Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-31 at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov. You may review the public docket containing the 
proposal, any comments received, and any final disposition in person in 
the Dockets Office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except federal holidays.
    FAA Order JO 7400.11F, 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. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is also available for inspection at the 
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on 
the availability of FAA Order JO 7400.11F at NARA, email: 
[email protected] or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.

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 airspace at Chicago/Rockford 
International Airport, Chicago/Rockford, IL, and Class E airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Poplar Grove 
Airport, Poplar Grove, IL; Albertus Airport, Freeport, IL; Rochelle 
Municipal Airport/Koritz Field, Rochelle, IL; and Chicago/Rockford 
International Airport to support instrument flight rule operations at 
these airports.

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. Commenters 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-2021-0979/
Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-31.'' 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 Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic 
Organization, Central Service Center, Operations Support Group, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order JO 7400.11F, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10, 2021, and effective 
September 15, 2021. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is publicly available as 
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order JO 7400.11F 
lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas,

[[Page 62754]]

air traffic service routes, and reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 by:
    Amending the Class D airspace at Chicago/Rockford International 
Airport, Chicago/Rockford, IL, by adding an extension 1 mile each side 
of the 185[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4.6-mile 
radius of the airport to 4.7 miles south of the airport; adding an 
extension 1 mile each side of the 245[deg] bearing from the Chicago/
Rockford INTL: RWY 07-LOC extending from the 4.6 mile radius of the 
airport to 4.9 miles southwest of the Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 07-
LOC; and updating the header of the airspace legal description from 
``Rockford, IL'' to ``Chicago/Rockford, IL'' to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database;
    Amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface at Poplar Grove Airport, Poplar Grove, IL, by updating the 
name of the airport (previously Belvidere LTD Airport) to coincide with 
the FAA's aeronautical database; updating the header of the airspace 
legal description from ``Belvidere, IL'' to ``Poplar Grove, IL'' to 
coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database; and removing the 
exclusionary language as it is not required;
    Amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface to within a 6.6-mile (increased from a 6.5-mile) radius of 
Albertus Airport, Freeport, IL; removing the city associated with the 
airport from the airspace legal description to comply with changes to 
FAA Order JO 7400.2N, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters; and 
updating the geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the 
FAA's aeronautical database;
    Amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface at Rochelle Municipal Airport/Koritz Field, Rochelle, IL, 
by updating the name (previously Airport-Koritz Field) and geographic 
coordinates of the airport to coincided with the FAA's aeronautical 
database; and removing the exclusionary language as it is not required;
    And amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface at Chicago/Rockford International Airport by adding 
an extension within 3 miles each side of the 185[deg] bearing of the 
Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 01-LOC extending from the 7.1-mile radius of 
the airport to 12.3 miles south of the Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 01-
LOC; and updating the header of the airspace legal description from 
``Rockford, IL'' to ``Chicago/Rockford, IL'' to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database.
    This action is due to airspace reviews caused by the 
decommissioning of the Rockford VOR, which provided navigation 
information for the instrument procedures these airports, as part of 
the VOR MON Program.
    Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in 
paragraphs 5000 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order JO 7400.11F, dated 
August 10, 2021, and effective September 15, 2021, which is 
incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D and E airspace 
designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in 
FAA Order JO 7400.11.
    FAA Order JO 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 JO 
7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10, 
2021, and effective September 15, 2021, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AGL IL D Chicago/Rockford, IL [Amended]

Chicago/Rockford International Airport, IL
    (Lat. 42[deg]11'43'' N, long. 89[deg]05'50'' W)
Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 07-LOC
    (Lat. 42[deg]12'10'' N, long. 89[deg]04'58'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface of the earth to 
and including 3,200 feet MSL within a 4.6-mile radius of the 
Chicago/Rockford International Airport, and within 1 mile each side 
of the 185[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4.6-mile 
radius of the airport to 4.7 miles south of the airport, and within 
1 mile each side of the 245[deg] bearing from the Chicago/Rockford 
INTL: RWY 07-LOC extending from the 4.6-mile radius of the airport 
to 4.9 miles southwest of the Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 07-LOC.

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

* * * * *

AGL IL E5 Poplar Grove, IL [Amended]

Poplar Grove Airport, IL
    (Lat. 42[deg]19'22'' N, long. 88[deg]50'11'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.4-mile radius of the Poplar Grove Airport.
* * * * *

AGL IL E5 Freeport, IL [Amended]

Albertus Airport, IL
    (Lat. 42[deg]14'46'' N, long. 89[deg]34'55'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.6-mile radius of Albertus Airport.
* * * * *

AGL IL E5 Rochelle, IL [Amended]

Rochelle Municipal Airport/Koritz Field, IL
    (Lat. 41[deg]53'34'' N, long. 89[deg]04'47'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.5-mile radius of the Rochelle Municipal Airport/Koritz 
Field.

AGL IL E5 Chicago/Rockford, IL [Amended]

Chicago/Rockford International Airport, IL

[[Page 62755]]

    (Lat. 42[deg]11'43'' N, long. 89[deg]05'50'' W)
Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 01-LOC
    (Lat. 42[deg]12'36'' N, long. 89[deg]05'17'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 7.1-mile radius of the Chicago/Rockford International 
Airport, and within 3 miles each side of the 185[deg] bearing from 
the Chicago/Rockford INTL: RWY 01-LOC extending from the 7.1-mile 
radius of the airport to 12.3 miles south of the Chicago/Rockford 
INTL: RWY 01-LOC.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 4, 2021.
Martin A. Skinner,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2021-24457 Filed 11-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P