81 FR 53964 - Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace, Albany, OR

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 157 (August 15, 2016)

This action proposes to modify Class E airspace at Albany Municipal Airport, Albany, OR. Advances in Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping accuracy and a reliance on precise geographic coordinates to define airport and airspace reference points have made airspace redesign necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 157 (Monday, August 15, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 53964-53965]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-19116]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2015-3992; Airspace Docket No. 15-ANM-14]


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace, Albany, OR

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify Class E airspace at Albany 
Municipal Airport, Albany, OR. Advances in Global Positioning System 
(GPS) mapping accuracy and a reliance on precise geographic coordinates 
to define airport and airspace reference points have made airspace 
redesign necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight 
Rules (IFR) operations.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 29, 2016.

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: 
1-800-647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2016-3992; Airspace Docket No. 15-ANM-14, 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. The Docket Office (telephone 1-800-
647-5527), is on the ground floor of the building at the above address.
    FAA Order 7400.9Z, 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: 202-267-8783. 
The Order is also available for inspection at the National Archives and 
Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of 
FAA Order 7400.9Z at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.9, 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 (425) 203-4511.

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 Class E airspace at Albany Municipal Airport, Albany, 
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-2015-3992/
Airspace Docket No. 15-ANM-14.'' The postcard will be date/time stamped 
and returned to the commenter.

[[Page 53965]]

    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/airports_airtraffic/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 7400.9Z, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, and effective 
September 15, 2015. FAA Order 7400.9Z is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.9Z 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 E5 airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface at Albany Municipal Airport, 
Albany, OR. Controlled airspace would extend to within a 6.7-mile 
radius of the airport to accommodate IFR departures up to 1,200 feet 
above the surface; would include a small extension to the southwest to 
accommodate IFR arrivals below 1,500 feet above the surface; and a 
segment east of longitude 123[deg] would be removed, as there are no 
IFR operations within that area. The FAA found these modifications 
necessary for the safety and management of IFR operations at the 
airport, while preserving the navigable airspace for aviation.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6005 of 
FAA Order 7400.9Z, dated August 6, 2015, and effective September 15, 
2015, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The 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

0
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.


Sec.  71.1   [Amended]

0
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order 7400.9Z, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, and 
effective September 15, 2015, is amended as follows:

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

ANM OR E5 Albany, OR [Modified]

Albany Municipal Airport, OR
    (Lat. 44[deg]38'16'' N., Long. 123[deg]03'34'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, 
within a 6.7-mile radius of Albany Municipal Airport, beginning at 
the 158[deg] bearing from the airport clockwise to the 022[deg] 
bearing, thence to the point of beginning, and that airspace 1.4 
miles each side of the 230[deg] bearing from the airport extending 
from the 6.7-mile radius to 8.5 miles southwest of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on August 5, 2016.
Sam Shrimpton,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2016-19116 Filed 8-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P