2017-15865. Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace and Amendment of Class D and E Airspace; Kaunakakai, HI

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes changes to airspace designations at Molokai Airport, Kaunakakai, HI. The FAA proposes to establish an area of Class E airspace designated as a surface area; modify Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or E surface area; and modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. Also, this action would update the airport's geographic coordinates for the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect the FAA's current aeronautical database and remove references to the Molokai VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC). These proposed changes would enhance safety and support Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before September 11, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone:[phone], or [phone]. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2017-0295; Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2, at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.

FAA Order 7400.11A, 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 7400.11A at NARA, call [phone], or go to http://www.archives.gov/​federal_​register/​code_​of_​federal-regulations/​ibr_​locations.html.

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tom Clark, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; 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 establish Class E airspace and amend Class D and Class E airspace at Molokai Airport, Kaunakakai, HI, in support of 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 (Docket No. FAA-2017-0295; Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2) and be submitted in triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for address and phone number).

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-2017-0295/Airspace Docket No. 16-AWP-2.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.

All communications received on or 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 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, at the Northwest Mountain Regional Office of the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic Organization, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057.

Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by Reference

This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and effective September 15, 2016. FAA Order 7400.11A is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11A 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 establishing Class E airspace designated as surface area at Molokai Airport, Kaunakakai, HI. This new airspace designation, within a 4.3 mile radius of the airport, would provide controlled airspace to support increased aircraft operations under IFR during the hours that the Class D airspace area is not in effect.

This proposal also would amend Class E airspace designated as an extension to Class D or E surface area at the airport by increasing the area to a 4.3-mile wide segment (from 3.6 miles wide) extending to 8 miles west (from 7.2 miles west) of the airport. The part-time NOTAM information would also be removed because Class D airspace or Class E surface airspace would be continuous. We would also remove the Molokai VORTAC to reflect the FAA's transition from ground-based to satellite-based navigation aids.

Additionally, Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be enlarged west of the airport from the 6.8-mile radius of the airport to an area 10 miles wide (from 3.6 miles wide) extending to 12.4 miles west (from 8.3 miles west).

This proposal would also update the airport's geographic coordinates for the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect the FAA's current aeronautical database. Lastly, this action would replace the outdated term “Airport/Facility Directory” with the term “Chart Supplement” in the Class D and E airspace legal descriptions. These modifications are necessary for the safety and management of IFR operations at the airport.

Lastly, a technical amendment would be made to rename the airspace designation for the following airspace areas: AWP HI D Molokai, HI, would be renamed Kaunakakai, HI; AWP HI E2 Molokai, HI, would be renamed Kaunakakai, HI; and AWP HI E5 Molokai, HI, would be renamed Kaunakakai, HI, to remain consistent in the Order.

Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000, 6002, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11A, dated August 3, 2016 and effective September 15, 2016, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D and Class E airspace designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in the Order.

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

The FAA has determined that this proposed 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 proposed 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 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and effective September 15, 2016, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AWP HI D Kaunakakai, HI [Amended]

Molokai Airport, HI

(Lat. 21°09′10″ N., long. 157°05′47″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 3,000 feet MSL within a 4.3-mile radius of Molokai 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 Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

AWP HI E2 Kaunakakai, HI [New]

Molokai Airport, HI

(Lat. 21°09′10″ N., long. 157°05′47″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.3-mile radius of Molokai 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.

* * * * *

AWP HI E4 Kaunakakai, HI [Amended]

Molokai Airport, HI

(Lat. 21°09′10″ N., long. 157°05′47″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.5 miles north and 2.8 miles south of a 255° bearing from Molokai Airport extending from the 4.3-mile radius to 8 miles west of the airport.

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

* * * * *

AWP HI E5 Kaunakakai, HI [Amended]

Molokai Airport, HI

(Lat. 21°09′10″ N., long. 157°05′47″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 6.8-mile radius of Molokai Airport and within 5.4 miles north and 4.8 miles south of a 255° bearing from Molokai Airport extending from the 6.8-mile radius to 12.4 miles west of the airport.

Issued in Seattle, Washington, on July 19, 2017.

Sam S.L. Shrimpton,

Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.