80 FR 16078 - Recommendations for Facilities Realignments To Support Transition to NextGen as Part of Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012; Request for Comments

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 58 (March 26, 2015)

This document announces the availability of the FAA National Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, Year 1 Part 1. The report was developed in response to Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95). The report and recommendations contained therein have been developed collaboratively with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) Labor Unions and with input from stakeholders. The FAA seeks comments on this report.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 58 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16078-16079]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06897]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No. FAA-2015-0693]


Recommendations for Facilities Realignments To Support Transition 
to NextGen as Part of Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform 
Act of 2012; Request for Comments

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This document announces the availability of the FAA National 
Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, Year 1 Part 1. The 
report was developed in response to Section 804 of the FAA 
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95). The report and 
recommendations contained therein have been developed collaboratively 
with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and the 
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) Labor Unions and with 
input from stakeholders. The FAA seeks comments on this report.

DATES: Send comments on or before May 11, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2015-0693 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room 
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket 
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
    Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without 
change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the 
docket Web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all 
comments received into any FAA dockets, including name of the 
individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an 
association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.
    Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at 
http://www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions 
for accessing the docket or visit Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of 
the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Christie, Future Facilities 
Group Manager, AJW-2A, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. 
L. 112-95) requires the FAA to develop a plan for realigning and 
consolidating facilities in an effort to support the transition to 
NextGen and reduce costs where such cost reductions can be implemented 
without adversely affecting safety. To address Section 804 
requirements, the FAA formed a collaborative workgroup of 
representatives from the FAA and NATCA and PASS Labor Unions to develop 
a comprehensive process to analyze different realignment and 
consolidation scenarios. The collaborative process takes into account 
the following factors and criteria when prioritizing facilities for 
realignment analysis: NextGen readiness; the Terminal Automation 
program schedule; operational and airspace factors; existing facility 
conditions and workforce needs; industry stakeholder input; and the 
costs and benefits associated with each potential realignment 
alternative.
    In 2014, the collaborative workgroup initiated activities to 
evaluate existing Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facilities 
and prioritize them for annual analysis; develop an initial set of 
realignment scenarios and define alternatives for each scenario; 
collect facility and operational data, and document system 
requirements; document facility, equipment, infrastructure, operational 
and safety data; capture qualitative workforce considerations, 
including training, transition, facility, and potential workforce 
impacts of potential realignments; consider potential impacts on 
operations, airspace modifications, route/fixes changes, arrival/
departure procedures, intra/inter-facility coordination, and aviation 
community interaction; collect and consider industry stakeholder 
inputs; document and quantify benefits and cost of potential 
realignments; and develop a recommendation for each realignment 
scenario. The recommendations for the first two scenarios analyzed by 
the Section 804 collaborative workgroup are contained in the report 
entitled ``FAA National Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report 
Year 1, Part 1 Recommendations,'' a copy of which has been placed in 
the docket for this notice. The docket may be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov. A copy of the report has also been made available 
on the FAA's Web site at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/.
    The realignment recommendations outlined in the Year 1 Part 1 
report are the result of a collaborative process that involved a multi-
disciplinary team of FAA subject matter experts, financial analysts, 
operational experts, and Labor and FAA leadership participants. The 
Section 804 process serves as a stable foundation for future 
realignment analyses and recommendations. The process aims to maximize 
operational, administrative, and maintenance efficiencies and deliver 
the highest value to stakeholders.
    The FAA is requesting comments on this report pursuant to Section 
804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The agency will 
consider all comments received on or before May 11, 2015. Following a 
60-day comment review period, the final report along with public 
comments will be submitted to Congress. The FAA continues to analyze 
data collected from facilities across the United States and evaluate 
possible realignment scenarios. The FAA will make its next 
recommendations when it submits Part 2 of the report in mid-2015.


[[Page 16079]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 20, 2015.
Martha Christie,
Future Facilities Group Manager.
[FR Doc. 2015-06897 Filed 3-25-15; 8:45 am]
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