Amendment of Class E Airspace; Albany, OR

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 214 (Friday, November 4, 2016)

Federal Register Volume 81, Number 214 (Friday, November 4, 2016)

Rules and Regulations

Pages 76854-76855

From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov

FR Doc No: 2016-26437

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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

Amendment of Class E Airspace; Albany, OR

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This action amends 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 this airspace redesign necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations.

DATES: Effective 0901 UTC, January 5, 2017. The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under Title 1, Code of Federal Regulations, part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order 7400.11 and publication of conforming amendments.

ADDRESSES: 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 U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Bldg. Ground Floor Rm. W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; Telephone: 1-800-647-5527, or 202-366-9826. 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 (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 modifies controlled airspace at Albany Municipal Airport, Albany, OR.

History

On August 15, 2016, the FAA published in the Federal Register a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Albany Municipal Airport, Albany, OR (81 FR 53964) Docket No. FAA-2015-3992. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. On August 29, 2016, the FAA received a request from Mr. Charles West for a pictorial overlay of the airspace proposal. On September 6, 2016, the FAA provided a diagram of the proposed changes via email to Mr. West and also to Senator Jeff Merkley, Mitch T. Swecker of the Oregon Department of Aviation, and to Mary Rosenblum of the Oregon Pilots Association. No other comments were received.

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

Page 76855

part 71.1. The Class E airspace designation listed in this document will be published subsequently in the Order.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

This document amends 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 Rule

This action amends Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 71 by modifying Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Albany Municipal Airport, Albany, OR. Controlled airspace extends to within a 6.7-mile radius of the airport to accommodate IFR departures up to 1,200 feet above the surface; includes a small extension to the southwest to accommodate IFR arrivals below 1,500 feet above the surface; and the segment east of longitude 123deg is removed, as there are no IFR operations within that area. These modifications are 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 7400.11A, dated August 3, 2016, and effective September 15, 2016, 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 only affects air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this rule, when promulgated, does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Environmental Review

The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, ``Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures'', paragraph 5-6.5a. 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.

Lists 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

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1. The authority citation for 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

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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 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. 44deg38'16'' N., long. 123deg03'34'' W.)

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

   Issued in Seattle, Washington, on October 24, 2016.

   Tracey Johnson,

   Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.

   FR Doc. 2016-26437 Filed 11-3-16; 8:45 am

   BILLING CODE 4910-13-P