2012-22235. Amendment of Class E Airspace; Boise, ID

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

This action amends the Class E airspace areas at Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), Boise, ID. This action also adjusts the geographic coordinates of the airport. The Boise VHF Omni-Directional Radio Range Tactical Air Navigational Aid (VORTAC) is no longer needed as a reference. The Donnelly Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN) has been decommissioned and controlled airspace reconfigured. This action also makes a minor change to the legal description in reference to Class E airspace 9,000 feet Mean Sea Level (MSL). This improves the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES:

Effective date, 0901 UTC, November 15, 2012. 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 7400.9 and publication of conforming amendments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Eldon Taylor, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

History

On February 7, 2012, the FAA published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend controlled airspace at Boise Air Terminal (Gowan Field), Boise, ID (77 FR 6026). Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. No comments were received. Subsequent to publication, the FAA found the Boise navigation aid is no longer needed and should be removed from the Class E airspace area designated as an extension.

On June 28, 2012, the FAA published in the Federal Register a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to remove reference to the navigation aid listed under Class E airspace designated as an extension at Boise Air Terminal, Boise, ID (77 FR 38552). Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. No comments were received.

The FAA's Aeronautical Products Office requested the legal description for the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface be rewritten for clarity. With the exception of editorial changes and the changes described above, this rule is the same as that proposed in the SNPRM.

Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6003 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.9V dated August 9, 2011, and effective September 15, 2011, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in that Order.

The Rule

This action amends Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 71 by amending Class E airspace designated as an extension, at Boise Air Terminal (Gowan Field), Boise, ID. The legal description is rewritten to better describe the airspace area by removing reference to the Boise VORTAC. Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface has been reconfigured due to the decommissioning of the Donnelly TACAN, and is rewritten for clarity. The geographic coordinates of the airport are adjusted in accordance with the FAA's aeronautical database. This ensures the safety and management of IFR operations within the National Airspace System.

The FAA has determined this regulation only involves an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. Therefore, this regulation: (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 this rule, when promulgated, will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. The FAA's authority to issue rules regarding aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the U.S. Code. Subtitle 1, Section 106 discusses 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 controlled airspace at Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), Boise, ID.

Environmental Review

The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1E, “Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures,” paragraph 311a. 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(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 the Federal Aviation Administration Order 7400.9V, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 9, 2011, and effective September 15, 2011 is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6003 Class E airspace Areas Designated as an Extension.

* * * * *

ANM ID E3 Boise, ID [Amended]

Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), ID

(Lat. 43°33′52″ N., long. 116°13′22″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within 3.5 miles each side of the Boise Air Terminal 300° bearing extending from the 5-mile radius of the Boise Air Terminal to 9.5 miles northwest of the airport; and within .5 miles west and 5.6 miles east of the Boise Air Terminal 179° bearing extending from the 5-mile radius of the airport to 6.1 miles south of the airport; and that airspace within 4.3 miles each side of the Boise Air Terminal 114° bearing extending from the 5-mile radius of the airport to 11.7 miles southeast of the airport.

Paragraph 6005 Class E airspace areas extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth.

* * * * *

ANM ID E5 Boise, ID [Amended]

Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), ID

(Lat. 43°33′52″ N., long. 116°13′22″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface bounded by a line beginning at lat. 43°56′00″ N., long. 116°33′04″ W.; to lat. 43°51′15″ N., long. 116°25′03″ W., thence via the 19.3-mile radius of the Boise Air Terminal (Gowen Field), clockwise to long. 116°14′03″ W.; to lat. 43°45′00″ N., long. 116°14′03″ W.; to lat. 43°31′00″ N., long. 115°52′03″ W.; to lat. 43°20′00″ N., long. 115°58′03″ W.; to lat. 43°25′00″ N., long. 116°25′03″ W.; to lat. 43°27′00″ N., long. 116°29′03″ W.; to lat. 43°25′12″ N., long. 116°32′23″ W.; to lat. 43°29′25″ N., long. 116°37′53″ W.; to lat. 43°32′45″ N., long. 116°49′04″ W.; to lat. 43°37′35″ N., long. 116°47′04″ W.; to lat. 43°42′00″ N., long. 116°57′04″ W., thence to the point of beginning; that airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface within the 30.5-mile radius of the airport beginning at the 122° bearing of the airport, thence via a line to the intersection of the 34.8-mile radius of the airport and the 224° bearing of the airport, thence clockwise along the 34.8-mile radius of the airport to that airspace 7 miles each side of the 269° bearing of the airport extending from the 34.8-mile radius to 49.6 miles west of the airport, and within 7 miles northeast and 9.6 miles southwest of the 295° bearing of the airport extending from the 34.8-mile radius to 65.3 miles northwest of the airport, to lat. 44°00′27″ N., long. 117°10′58″ W., thence along the 042° bearing to V-253, thence south along V-253, thence along the 30.5-mile radius of the airport to the point of beginning; that airspace southeast of the airport extending upward from 9,000 feet MSL bounded on the north by V-444, on the east by V-293, on the south by V-330 on the southwest by V-4; that airspace northeast of the airport extending upward from 11,500 feet MSL, bounded on the northeast by V-293, on the south by V-444, on the southwest by the 30.5-mile radius of the airport and on the west by V-253.

Issued in Seattle, Washington, on August 30, 2012.

Steven L. Vale,

Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.