Proposed Amendment of Air Traffic Service (ATS) Routes; Northeast United States
| Published date | 20 May 2021 |
| Citation | 86 FR 27326 |
| Record Number | 2021-10444 |
| Section | Proposed rules |
| Court | Federal Aviation Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 96 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 96 (Thursday, May 20, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 27326-27327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10444]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2021-0360; Airspace Docket No. 21-AEA-6]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Amendment of Air Traffic Service (ATS) Routes; Northeast
United States
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend VOR Federal airways V-39 and V-
93 in support of the Northeast Corridor Atlantic Coast Route (NEC ACR),
and the VOR Minimum Operational Network (VOR MON) Projects.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 6, 2021.
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-
2021-0360; Airspace Docket No. 21-AEA-6 at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. For further information, you can contact the
Rules and Regulations 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 7400.11E at NARA, email:
[email protected] or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Gallant, Rules and Regulations
Group, Office of Policy, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.
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
the 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 ATS routes to improve the efficiency of the
NAS.
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 (FAA Docket No.
FAA-2021-0360; Airspace Docket No. 21-AEA-6) and be submitted in
triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the
internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments
on this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed,
stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments
to FAA Docket No. FAA-2121-0360; Airspace Docket No. 21-AEA-6.'' The
postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.
All communications received on or before the specified comment
closing date will be considered before taking action on the proposed
rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of
comments received. All comments submitted will be available for
examination in the public docket both before and after the comment
closing date. 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also accessed through the FAA's web page at https://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 ADDRESSES section for 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 office of the Eastern Service Center, Federal
Aviation Administration, Room 210, 1701 Columbia Ave., College Park, GA
30337.
Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference
This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace
Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective
September 15, 2020. FAA Order 7400.11E is publicly available as listed
in the ADDRESSES section of this proposed rule. FAA Order 7400.11E
lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace
[[Page 27327]]
areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.
Background
Federal airways V-39 and V-93 were originally part of a larger
proposal that was published in the Federal Register for Docket No. FAA-
2020-1146 (86 FR 5046; January 19, 2021). No comments were received in
response to that NPRM. Subsequent to the publication of the NPRM, an
FAA flight inspection of an airway fix (defined by the intersection of
the Barnes, MA (BAF) VORTAC 279[deg], and the Chester, MA (CTR) VOR/DME
223[deg] radials), could not be completed due to technical reasons.
Because the fix would be common to both airways, the proposed
amendments of V-39 and V-93 were removed from Docket No. FAA-2020-1146
and delayed to a later date in order to address the airway fix issue.
The FAA determined that the fix defined by the intersection of the
Barnes, MA, and Chester, MA, radials (described above) could be removed
from the route descriptions because it did not mark a turn point on the
routes.
As a difference from the original NPRM, the FAA proposes to retain
the affected route segments of V-39 and V-93 to Chester, MA, (as
described below) rather than ending the route segments prior to
Chester.
The Proposal
The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend VOR
Federal airways V-39 and V-93 as follows.
V-39: V-39 currently extends between Sandhills, NC, and Mont Joli,
PQ, Canada. The FAA proposes to remove the airway segments between
Chester, MA, and Augusta, ME. As amended, V-39 would consist of two
parts: From Sandhills, NC, to Chester, MA; followed by a gap in the
route; then from Augusta, ME to Mont Joli, PQ, Canada.
V-93: V-93 currently consists of two parts: From Patuxent River,
MD, to the intersection of the Wilkes Barre, PA, 037[deg] and the
Sparta, NJ, 300[deg] radials; and from the intersection of the Sparta,
NJ, 018[deg] and the Kingston, NY, 270[deg] radials, to Bangor, ME.
This action would remove the segments between Chester, MA, and Bangor,
ME. As amended, V-93 would consist of two parts: From Patuxent River,
MD, to the intersection of the Wilkes Barre, PA, 037[deg] and the
Sparta, NJ, 300[deg] radials; followed by a gap; then from the
intersection of the Sparta, NJ, 018[deg] and the Kingston, NY, 270[deg]
radials, to Chester, MA.
Full route descriptions of the proposed amended routes are listed
in ``The Proposed Amendment'' section of this notice.
VOR Federal airways are published in paragraph 6010(a) of FAA Order
7400.11E dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, which
is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The RNAV routes listed in
this document would be subsequently published in the Order.
FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is
published yearly and effective on September 15.
Regulatory Notices and Analyses
The FAA has determined that this proposed regulation only involves
an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and
routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current.
It, therefore: (1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under
Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a ``significant rule'' under
Department of Transportation (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 proposed 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.
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
In consideration of the foregoing, 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 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 7400.11E,
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and
effective September 15, 2020, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6010(a) Domestic VOR Federal Airways.
* * * * *
V-39 [Amended]
From Sandhills, NC, South Boston, VA; Gordonsville, VA; INT
Gordonsville 331[deg] and Martinsburg, WV, 216[deg] radials;
Martinsburg; Lancaster, PA; East Texas, PA; Sparta, NJ; Carmel, NY;
INT Carmel 045[deg] and Bridgeport, CT, 343[deg] radials; INT
Bridgeport 343[deg] and Chester, MA, 223[deg] radials; to Chester,
MA. From Augusta, ME; Millinocket, ME; Presque Isle, ME; Mont Joli,
PQ, Canada, excluding the portion within Canada.
* * * * *
V-93 [Amended]
From Patuxent River, MD, INT Patuxent 013[deg] and Baltimore,
MD, 122[deg] radials; Baltimore; INT Baltimore 004[deg] and
Lancaster, PA, 214[deg] radials; Lancaster; Wilkes-Barre, PA; to INT
Wilkes-Barre 037[deg] and Sparta, NJ 300[deg] radials. From INT
Sparta 018[deg] and Kingston, NY, 270[deg] radials; Kingston;
Pawling, NY; to Chester, MA.
* * * * *
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 13, 2021.
George Gonzalez,
Acting Manager, Rules and Regulations Group.
[FR Doc. 2021-10444 Filed 5-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
