2017-07380. Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Medford, OR

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to modify Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or E surface area, modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and remove Class E airspace upward from 1,200 feet above the surface at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, Medford, OR. This action is necessary due to the proposed decommissioning of the PUMIE locator outer marker and removal of the VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) from the airspace description as the FAA transitions from ground-based navigation aids to satellite-based navigation. Also, this action would update the airport's geographic coordinates for Class D and E airspace areas to reflect the FAA's current aeronautical database.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before May 30, 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-2017-0195; Airspace Docket No. 16-ANM-14, 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 202-741-6030, 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 allow the transition to satellite navigation by amending Class D and Class E airspace at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, Medford, OR.

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-2017-0195/Airspace Docket No. 16-ANM-14.” 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 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 modifying Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or E surface area, modifying Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and removing Class E airspace upward from 1,200 feet above the surface at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, Medford, OR. This action is necessary due to the proposed decommissioning of the PUMIE locator outer marker and for the safety and management of the national airspace system as the FAA transitions from ground based navigation aids to satellite based navigation.

Class E airspace designated as an extension to Class D or E surface area northeast of the airport would be reduced to a 4-mile wide segment (from 5.5 miles wide) extending to 11 miles northwest (from 17.5 miles northwest) of the airport, and the segment to the southeast would be reduced to a 5-mile wide segment (from 8 miles), extending to 9 miles (from 19.4 miles) southeast of the airport. Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be reduced northeast, southeast, and southwest of the airport to only that area necessary to contain IFR departures within 1,500 feet of the surface and IFR departures until reaching 1,200 feet above the surface. Additionally, the Class E airspace area extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface designated for Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport would be removed, as this airspace duplicates the Rogue Valley Class E en route airspace area.

Also, the geographic coordinates for the airport included in the legal descriptions for Class D and E airspace areas would be updated to match the FAA's current aeronautical database.

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 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 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and effective September 15, 2016, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ANM OR D Medford, OR [Modified]

Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, OR

(Lat. 42°22′27″ N., long. 122°52′25″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 3,800 feet MSL within a 4.1-mile radius of Rogue Valley International-Medford 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.

* * * * *

ANM OR E2 Medford, OR [Modified]

Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, OR

(Lat. 42°22′27″ N., long. 122°52′25″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.1-mile radius of Rogue Valley International-Medford 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 OR E4 Medford, OR [Modified]

Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, OR

(Lat. 42°22′27″ N., long. 122°52′25″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within 2.5 miles each side of the 159° bearing from the Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, extending from the 4.1-mile radius of the airport to 9 miles southeast of the airport, and within 2 miles each side of the 339° bearing from the airport extending from the 4.1-mile radius of the airport to 11 miles northwest of the airport.

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

* * * * *

ANM OR E5 Medford, OR [Modified]

Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, OR

(Lat. 42°22′27″ N., long. 122°52′25″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 9-mile radius of Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport, and within 4 miles each side of the 159° bearing from the airport extending from the 9-mile radius to 18.5 miles southeast of the airport, and within 9 miles west and 5.5 miles east of the 352° bearing from the airport extending from the 9-mile radius of the airport to 26 miles northwest of the airport.

Issued in Seattle, Washington, on April 4, 2017.

Sam S.L. Shrimpton,

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