2018-11852. Proposed Amendment of Class D and E Airspace; Eau Claire, WI

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend Class D airspace, Class E airspace designated as a surface area, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, Eau Claire, WI. The FAA is proposing this action as a result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Eau Claire nondirectional radio beacon (NDB)/outer compass locator (LOM). The name and geographic coordinates of the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport and the name of the May Clinic Health System-Eau Claire Heliport would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before July 20, 2018.

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 [phone], or [phone]. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2018-0236; Airspace Docket No. 18-AGL-8, at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at http://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 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at http://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 7400.11B at NARA, call [phone], or go to http://www.archives.gov/​federal-register/​cfr/​ibr-locations.html.

FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is published yearly and effective on September 15.

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 would amend amend Class D airspace, Class E airspace designated as a surface area, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, Eau Claire, WI, to support instrument flight rule operations at this 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. 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-2018-0236; Airspace Docket No. 18-AGL-8.” 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 http://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at http://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 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017. FAA Order 7400.11B is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11B 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 Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by:

Amending the Class D airspace at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, Eau Claire, WI, by adding an extension 1.0 mile each side of the 215° bearing from the airport from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport; adding an extension 1.0 mile each side of the 224° bearing from the Chippewa Valley RGNL: RWY 22 LOC from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport; removing the name of the city associated with the airport in the airspace legal description to comply with a change to FAA Order 7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters; and amending the part-time language from “The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in advance by Notice to Airmen.” to “The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart Supplement.” in compliance with FAA Order 7400.2L;

Amending the Class E airspace designated as a surface area to within a 4.3-mile radius (reduced from a 4.4-mile radius) of the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport (formerly Eau Claire County Airport); removing the Eau Claire County Airport Localizer and the associated extension from the airspace legal description; adding an extension 1.0 mile each side of the 215° bearing from the airport from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport; adding an extension 1.0 mile each side of the 224° bearing from the Chippewa Valley RGNL: RWY 22 LOC from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport; adding part-time language to the airspace legal description; and updating the name and geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database; and

Amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.8-mile radius (increased from a 6.7-mile radius) at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport; removing the extension to the southwest of the airport associated with the localizer; amending the extension north of the airport to within 4.0 miles (increased from 3.1 miles) each side of the Eau Claire VORTAC 004° radial from the 6.8-mile radius to 7.0 miles north of the airport;, and updating the geographic coordinates of Chippewa Valley Regional Airport and the name of Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire Heliport (formerly Luther Hospital) to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action is necessary due to an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Eau Claire NDB/LOM.

Class D and E airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000, 6002, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11B, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, 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 the Order.

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

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 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000. Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AGL WI D Eau Claire, WI [Amended]

Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, WI

(Lat. 44°51′57″ N, long. 91°29′03″ W)

Chippewa Valley RGNL: RWY 22 LOC

(Lat. 44°51′31″ N, long. 91°29′37″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 3,500 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, and within 1.0 mile each side of the 215° bearing from the airport from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport, and within 1.0 mile each side of the 224° bearing from the Chippewa Valley RGNL: RWY 22 LOC from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport. This Class D airspace area is effective during the specific dates and times established in advance by 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.

* * * * *

AGL WI E2 Eau Claire, WI [Amended]

Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, WI

(Lat. 44°51′57″ N, long. 91°29′03″ W)

Chippewa Valley RGNL: RWY 22 LOC

(Lat. 44°51′31″ N, long. 91°29′37″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 3,500 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of the Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, and within 1.0 mile each side of the 215° bearing from the airport from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport, and within 1.0 mile each side of the 224° bearing from the Chippewa Valley RGNL: RWY 22 LOC from the 4.3-mile radius to 4.5 miles south of the airport. This Class E airspace area is effective during the specific dates and times established in advance by Notice to Airmen. The effective date and time 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 WI E5 Eau Claire, WI [Amended]

Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, WI

(Lat. 44°51′57″ N, long. 091°29′03″ W)

Eau Claire VORTAC

(Lat. 44°53′52″ N, long. 091°28′43″ W)

Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire Heliport, WI, Point In Space Coordinates

(Lat. 44°48′24″ N, long. 091°31′51″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.8-mile radius of Chippewa Valley Regional Airport, and within 4.0 miles each side of the Eau Claire VORTAC 004° radial extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 7.0 miles north of the airport, and within a 6.0-mile radius of the point in space serving the Mayo Clinic Health System-Eau Claire Heliport.

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 24, 2018.

Christopher L. Southerland,

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