[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 241 (Monday, December 16, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 68381-68383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26848]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2019-0341; Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-4]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Gunnison, CO
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace designated
as a surface area, at Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport,
Gunnison, CO. The proposal would increase the circular radius of the
Class E surface area and add an extension to the west of the airport.
Also, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace by adding an
airspace area designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E
surface area, to the southwest of the airport. Additionally, this
action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700
feet above the surface by significantly reducing the area around the
airport, except to the west and southwest of the airport. Furthermore,
this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward
from 1,200 feet above the surface by removing this area. This area is
wholly contained within the Denver Class E6 en route airspace area and
duplication is not necessary. Lastly, this action proposes several
administrative changes to the airspace legal descriptions for the
airport. These changes are necessary to accommodate airspace redesign
for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
operations at the airport.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 30, 2020.
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-2019-0341; Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-4, at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
FAA Order 7400.11D, 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
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 7400.11D at NARA, email [email protected]
or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Van Der Wal, Federal Aviation
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200
S. 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3695.
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 Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional
Airport, Gunnison, CO, to ensure safety and management of Instrument
Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.
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-2019-0341;
Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-4''. The postcard will be date/time stamped
and returned to the commenter.
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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also be 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 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, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA
98198.
Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference
This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective
September 15, 2019. FAA Order 7400.11D is publicly available as listed
[[Page 68382]]
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11D 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 amending Class E airspace at the
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison, CO. The action
proposes to amend the Class E airspace designated as a surface area by
increasing the circular radius and adding an extension to the west of
the airport. The airspace area would be defined as follows: That
airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.8-mile radius of
the airport and within 1 mile each side of the 256[deg] bearing,
extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 5.7 miles west of the Gunnison-
Crested Butte Regional Airport.
Also, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace by adding
a Class E airspace area designated an extension to Class D and Class E2
surface areas. This airspace area would be defined as follows: That
airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.4 miles each side
of the 225[deg] bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 14.1
miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.
Additionally, this action proposes a significant modification to
the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface.
The action would remove most of the area extending upward from 700 feet
above the surface, from the northwest of the airport clockwise to the
south of the airport. A small area would remain east of the airport and
two larger areas would remain to the southwest and west of the airport.
This airspace area would be defined as follows: That airspace extending
upward from 700 feet above the surface, extending from the 4.8-mile
radius to a 7-mile radius along the 052[deg] bearing clockwise to the
107[deg] bearing, and within 2.5 miles each side of the 254[deg]
bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 9.6 miles west of the
airport, and within 8.1 miles north and 3.9 miles south of the 225[deg]
bearing, extending from 7.1 miles to 23.1 miles southwest of the
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.
Furthermore, this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This airspace area
is wholly contained within the Denver Class E6 en route airspace area
and duplication is not necessary.
Lastly, the action proposes administrative corrections to the
airspace's legal descriptions. The geographic coordinates need to be
updated to (lat. 38[deg]32'04'' N, long. 106[deg]55'54'' W) to match
the FAA's aeronautical database. The Class E surface airspace should be
full time; the following two sentences do not accurately represent the
time of use for this airspace area and need to be removed: ``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 Airport/Facility
Directory.''
Class E airspace designations are published in paragraphs 6002,
6004 and 6005 of FAA Order 7400.11D, dated August 8, 2019, and
effective September 15, 2019, 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. 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 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 7400.11D,
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and
effective September 15, 2019, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.
* * * * *
ANM CO E2 Gunnison, CO [Amended]
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, CO
(Lat. 38[deg]32'04'' N, long. 106[deg]55'54'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.8-
mile radius of the airport, and within 1 mile each side of the
256[deg] bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 5.7 miles
west of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.
Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to
a Class D or Class E Surface Area.
* * * * *
ANM CO E4 Gunnison, CO [New]
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, CO
(Lat. 38[deg]32'04'' N, long. 106[deg]55'54'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.4 miles
each side of the 225[deg] bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile
radius to 14.1 miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte
Regional Airport.
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
ANM CO E5 Gunnison, CO [Amended]
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, CO
(Lat. 38[deg]32'04'' N, long. 106[deg]55'54'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
extending from the 4.8-mile radius to a 7-mile radius along the
052[deg] bearing clockwise to the 107[deg] bearing, and within 2.5
each side of the 254[deg] bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile
radius to 9.6 miles west of the airport, and within 8.1 miles north
and 3.9 miles south of the 225[deg] bearing, extending from 7.1
miles to 23.1 miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional
Airport.
[[Page 68383]]
Issued in Seattle, Washington, on December 6, 2019.
Byron Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2019-26848 Filed 12-13-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P