2020-00411. Amendment of Class E Airspace; Walla Walla, WA

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

This action modifies Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area. This action also modifies Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. This action also removes a large area of Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface east of the Walla Walla Regional Airport, Walla Walla, WA. Further, this action implements administrative corrections to the airport's Class D and Class E legal descriptions.

DATES:

Effective 0901 UTC, March 26, 2020. The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under Title 1 Code of Federal Regulations part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order 7400.11 and publication of conforming amendments.

ADDRESSES:

FAA Order 7400.11D, 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: [phone]. The Order is also available for inspection at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of FAA Order 7400.11D at NARA, email [e-mail] 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 [phone].

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 Class D and Class E airspace at Walla Walla Regional Airport, Walla Walla, WA, to ensure safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

History

The FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register (84 FR 54526; October 10, 2019) for Docket No. FAA-2019-0679 to amend Class E airspace at Walla Walla Regional Airport, Walla Walla, WA. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. No comments were received.

Class D, Class E2, Class E4, and Class E5 airspace designations are published in paragraphs 5000, 6002, 6004 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11D, dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The 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.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

This document amends FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019. FAA Order 7400.11D is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11D lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.

The Rule

This amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 modifies Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area as follows: that airspace extending upward from the surface within 2.4 miles each side of the 036° bearing, extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 11.6 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport. This action also removes Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area southwest of the airport.

Additionally, this action amends Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface by resizing the airspace as follows: that airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within 4 miles each side of the 216° bearing, extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 12.5 miles southwest of the airport, and within 4 miles east and 8 miles west of the 037° bearing, extending from 6 miles northeast of the airport to 22.2 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport. This action also removes a large area of Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface east of the airport.

Further, this action implements administrative corrections to the Class D and Class E airspace areas legal description. This action replaces “Airport/Facility Directory” with “Chart Supplement.”. Subsequent to the publication of the NPRM, the FAA discovered that the geographic coordinates of the Walla Walla Airport's Class D and Class E airspace, designated as a surface area, needed to be updated. These corrections were inadvertently omitted from the NPRM. As these changes are administrative in nature and do not amend the airspace itself, the amendment to the Class D and Class E airspace, designated as a surface area, for Walla Walla, WA, are included in this action.

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

The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, “Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures,” paragraph 5-6.5a. This airspace action is not expected to cause any potentially significant environmental impacts, and no extraordinary circumstances exist that warrant preparation of an environmental assessment.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

• Airspace
• Incorporation by reference
• Navigation (air)

Adoption of the Amendment

In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 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

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.

§ 71.1

[Amended]

2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ANM WA D Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla Regional Airport, WA

(Lat. 46°05′33″ N, long. 118°17′03″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 3,700 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of the Walla Walla 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 Areas Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

ANM WA E2 Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla Regional Airport, WA

(Lat. 46°05′33″ N, long. 118°17′03″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.3-mile radius of the Walla Walla Regional Airport. This Class E 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 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

ANM WA E4 Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla Regional Airport, WA

(Lat. 46°05′33″ N, long. 118°17′03″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within 2.4 miles each side of the 036° bearing, extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 11.6 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport.

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

* * * * *

ANM WA E5 Walla Walla, WA

Walla Walla Regional Airport, WA

(Lat. 46°05′33″ N, long. 118°17′03″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within 4 miles each side of the 216° bearing, extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 12.5 miles southwest of the airport, and within 4 miles east and 8 miles west of the 037° bearing, extending from 6 miles northeast of the airport to 22.2 miles northeast of the Walla Walla Regional Airport.

Issued in Seattle, Washington, on January 8, 2020.

Byron Chew,

Group Manager, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group.