2024-04824. Amendment of Class E Airspace; Mankato, MN

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

This action amends the Class E airspace at Mankato, MN. This action is the result of an airspace review conducted as part of the decommissioning of the Mankato very high frequency omnidirectional range (VOR) as part of the VOR Minimum Operating Network (MON) Program. The name of an airport is also being updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. This action brings the airspace into compliance with FAA orders to support instrument flight rule (IFR) operations.

DATES:

Effective 0901 UTC, May 16, 2024. The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under 1 CFR part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order JO 7400.11 and publication of conforming amendments.

ADDRESSES:

A copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), all comments received, this final rule, and all background material may be viewed online at www.regulations.gov using the FAA Docket number. Electronic retrieval help and guidelines are available on the website. It is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year.

FAA Order JO 7400.11H, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at www.faa.gov/​air_​traffic/​publications/​. You may also contact the Rules and Regulations Group, Office of Policy, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; 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 amends the Class E surface airspace and the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Mankato Regional Airport, Mankato, MN, to support IFR operations at this airport.

History

The FAA published an NPRM for Docket No. FAA–2023–2432 in the Federal Register (88 FR 88284; December 21, 2023) proposing to amend the Class E airspace at Mankato, MN. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. One comment was received, however it did not pertain to the action so no response is provided.

Incorporation by Reference

Class E airspace designations are published in paragraphs 6002 and 6005 of FAA Order JO 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 on an annual basis. This document amends the current version of that order, FAA Order JO 7400.11H, dated August 11, 2023, and effective September 15, 2023. FAA Order JO 7400.11H is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. These amendments will be published in the next update to FAA Order JO 7400.11.

FAA Order JO 7400.11H lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.

Differences From the NPRM

Subsequent to publication of the NPRM, the FAA discovered two typographical errors in the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface airspace legal description. The geographic coordinates for the Mankato RGNL: RWY 33–LOC should have been (Lat 44°14′09″ N, long 93°55′35″ W) vice (Lat 44°14′22″ N, long 93°55′35″ W). And “. . . extending from the 6.77-mile radius . . .” should have been “. . . extending from the 6.7-mile radius . . .” Those errors have been corrected in this action.

The Rule

This amendment to 14 CFR part 71:

Modifies the Class E surface airspace at Mankato Regional Airport, Mankato, MN, by removing the Mankato VOR/DME and associated extensions from the airspace legal description; and replaces the outdated terms “Notice to Airmen” and “Airport Facility/Directory” with “Notice to Air Missions” and “Chart Supplement”;

And modifies the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.7-mile (decreased from a 7-mile) radius of Mankato Regional Airport; removes the extensions to the northeast and north of the airport from the airspace legal description as they are no longer needed; adds an extension 1.9 miles each side of the 155° bearing from the Mankato RGNL: RWY 33–LOC extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 11.1 miles southeast of the airport; adds an extension 2 miles each side of the 227° bearing from the Mankato Regional Airport extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 11 miles southwest of the airport; and updates the name of Mayo Clinic Health System-Mankato (previously Immanuel-St. Joseph's Hospital) to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

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. 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 only affects air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this rule, when promulgated, does 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 5–6.5.a. 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.

Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR 71

• Airspace
• Incorporation by reference
• Navigation (air)

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 JO 7400.11H, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 11, 2023, and effective September 15, 2023, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.

* * * * *

AGL MN E2 Mankato, MN [Amended]

Mankato Regional Airport, MN

(Lat 44°13′22″ N, long 93°55′10″ W)

Within a 4.2-mile radius of Mankato Regional Airport. This Class E airspace is effective during the specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Air Missions. The effective dates and times will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart Supplement.

* * * * *

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

* * * * *

AGL MN E5 Mankato, MN [Amended]

Mankato Regional Airport, MN

(Lat 44°13′22″ N, long 93°55′10″ W)

Mankato RGNL: RWY 33–LOC

(Lat 44°14′09″ N, long 93°55′35″ W)

Mayo Clinic Health Systems-Mankato, MN, Point In Space Coordinates

(Lat 44°09′48″ N, long 93°57′40″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.7-mile radius of Mankato Regional Airport; and within 1.9 miles each side of the 155° bearing from the Mankato RGNL: RWY 33–LOC extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 11.1 miles southeast of Mankato Regional Airport; and within 2 miles each side of the 227° bearing from the Mankato Regional Airport extending from the 6.7-mile radius to 11 miles southwest of the Mankato Regional Airport; and within a 6-mile radius of the point in space serving Mayo Clinic Health Systems-Mankato.

* * * * *

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 4, 2024.

Martin A. Skinner,

Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.