[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39023-39025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13976]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2022-0578; Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-60]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment & Removal of Class E Airspace; Valle Airport, 
AZ

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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

SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface, and remove the Class E airspace 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface at Valle Airport, 
Grand Canyon, AZ. Additionally, this action proposes to make 
administrative changes to the existing Class E legal description. These 
actions will ensure the safety and management of instrument flight 
rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 15, 2022.

[[Page 39024]]


ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. DOT, 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-2022-0578; Airspace Docket 
No. 21-AWP-60,'' at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit 
comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gerald DeVore, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-2245.

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 (U.S.C.). 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 modify Class E airspace at Valle Airport, Grand 
Canyon, AZ, 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 postcard on which the 
following statement is made: ``Comments to Docket No. FAA-2022-0578; 
Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-60.'' 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 JO 7400.11F, 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, air 
traffic service routes, and reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 by modifying 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at 
Valle Airport, Grand Canyon, AZ. This airspace should be modified to 
remove the extensions north and south of the airport, as the extensions 
are no longer needed. Furthermore, to properly contain departing IFR 
aircraft flying toward or over rising terrain to 1,200 feet above the 
surface, the eastern portion of the airspace radius should be increased 
from 6.4 miles to 6.8 miles.
    Additionally, the FAA is also proposing the Class E airspace 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface should be removed. 
This area is contained within the Los Angeles Class E airspace 
designated as a domestic en route airspace area, and duplication is not 
necessary.
    Finally, the legal description should be updated to contain the 
correct city and airport names on lines one and two, and the geographic 
coordinates for the airport should be updated to match the FAA's 
database.
    The Class E5 airspace designation is published in paragraph 6005 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 
E airspace designation listed in this document will be published 
subsequently in FAA Order JO 7400.11, which is published yearly and 
becomes 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).

[[Page 39025]]

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

* * * * *

AWP AZ E5 Grand Canyon, AZ [Amended]

Valle Airport, AZ
    (Lat. 35[deg]39'02'' N, long. 112[deg]08'53'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.8-mile radius of the airport beginning at the 020[deg] 
bearing from the airport clockwise to the 190[deg] bearing from the 
airport, and within a 6.4-mile radius of the airport beginning at 
the 190[deg] bearing from the airport clockwise to the 020[deg] 
bearing from the airport.

    Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on June 24, 2022.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2022-13976 Filed 6-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P