AGENCY:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION:
Final rule.
SUMMARY:
This action modifies Class E airspace designated as a surface area and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA. This action is required due to the decommissioning of the Port City VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) facility, which provided navigation guidance for the instrument procedures to this airport. The VOR has been decommissioned as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program.
DATES:
Effective 0901 UTC, July 19, 2018. 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 7400.11B, 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 7400.11B at NARA, call (202) 741-6030, or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html. FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is published yearly and effective on September 15.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.
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 amends Class E airspace designated as a surface area and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA, to support instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.
History
The FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register (82 FR 61698; December 29, 2017) for Docket No. FAA-2017-1002 to modify Class E airspace designated as a surface area and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. No comments were received.
Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6002 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11B, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, 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.
Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference
This document amends FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017. FAA Order 7400.11B is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11B lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.
The Rule
The FAA amends Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by:
Modifying Class E airspace designated as a surface area to within a 4.1-mile radius (increased from a 3.9-mile radius) of Muscatine Municipal Airport, Muscatine, IA, with an extension 1.0 mile either side of the 305° bearing from the airport from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles northwest of the airport, and an extension 1.0 mile either side of the 238° bearing from the airport from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles southwest of the airport. This action also makes an editorial change to the airspace legal description replacing “Airport/Facility Directory” with “Chart Supplement”; and
Modifying Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Muscatine Municipal Airport by removing the Port City VOR/DME from the airspace description, removing the extensions referencing the Port City VOR/DME, and adding an extension 3.8 miles either side of the 238° bearing from the airport from the 6.6-mile radius to 10.5 miles southwest of the airport.
Airspace reconfiguration is necessary due to the decommissioning of the Port City VOR as part of the VOR MON Program, and to bring the airspace and airspace descriptions into compliance with FAA Order 7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of IFR operations at the airport.
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 5-6.5.a. 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
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.
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order 7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2017, and effective September 15, 2017, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.
ACE IA E2 Muscatine, IA [Amended]
Muscatine Municipal Airport, IA
(Lat. 41°22′04″ N, long. 91°08′54″ W)
Within a 4.1-mile radius of Muscatine Municipal Airport, and within 1.0 mile either side of the 305° bearing from the airport from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles northwest of the airport, and within 1.0 mile either side of the 238° bearing from the airport from the 4.1-mile radius to 4.4 miles southwest of the airport. This Class E airspace area is effective during specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart Supplement.
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
ACE IA E5 Muscatine, IA [Amended]
Muscatine Municipal Airport, IA
(Lat. 41°22′04″ N, long. 91°08′54″ W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.6-mile radius of Muscatine Municipal Airport and within 3.8 miles either side of the 238° bearing from the airport from the 6.6-mile radius to 10.5 miles southwest of the airport.
Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 25, 2018.
Christopher L. Southerland,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-09403 Filed 5-4-18; 8:45 am]
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