Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Pueblo, CO

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend Class D airspace, Class E surface area airspace, and Class E airspace upward from 700 feet above the surface at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, CO. The part-time Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) information would be removed from Class E airspace designated as an extension. The geographic coordinates for Pueblo Memorial Airport in the associated Class D and E airspace areas also would be amended to match the FAA's aeronautical database. A biennial review found these changes are necessary to accommodate airspace redesign for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations within the National Airspace System. Also, an editorial change would be made to the Class D and Class E airspace legal descriptions replacing “Airport/Facility Directory” with the term “Chart Supplement.”

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before September 18, 2017.

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-2017-0666; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-15, at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.

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 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 7400.11A 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 would amend Class D and Class E airspace at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, CO to support 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-2017-0666/Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-15”. 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 http://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking documents can also be accessed through the FAA's Web page at http://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, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057.

Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by Reference

This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11A, 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 Proposal

The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by modifying Class D airspace, Class E surface area airspace, Class E airspace designated as an extension, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Pueblo Memorial Airport, Pueblo, CO.

Class D airspace and Class E surface area airspace would be reduced to within a 5.1-mile radius (from 5.6 miles) of Pueblo Memorial Airport.

The Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area east of the airport would be modified to a 7.2 mile wide segment (from 7 miles) extending to 11.3 miles (from 11.4 miles) east of the airport; the segment west of the airport would be removed as it is not necessary to support current operations; and a segment would be established north of the airport within 1.6 miles west and 1.3 miles east of the 358° bearing from the airport extending from the 5.1 mile radius to 6.7 miles north of the airport.

Also, this action would eliminate the following language from the legal description of Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area at the airport: “This Class E airspace is effective during the 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,” since the airspace remains in effect full time.

Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet would be reduced to within a 7.6-mile radius of the Pueblo Memorial Airport with extensions to 12 miles north and 12.3 miles east of the airport (from a 21.8-mile radius with an extension to 28.2 miles east). Also, this action would remove Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface since the airspace is wholly contained within the Denver Class E en route airspace area and duplication is not necessary.

Additionally, this action would update the geographic coordinates for Pueblo Memorial Airport and replace the outdated term “Airport/Facility Directory” with the term “Chart Supplement” in the associated Class D and Class E airspace legal descriptions. This proposed airspace redesign is necessary for the safety and management of IFR operations at the airport.

Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in paragraphs 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 71.1. The Class D and E airspace designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in the Order.

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, 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 proposed 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

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.

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 5000 Class D Airspace.

ANM CO D Pueblo, CO [Amended]

Pueblo Memorial Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°17′24″ N., long. 104°29′53″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 7,200 feet MSL within a 5.1-mile radius of Pueblo Memorial Airport. This Class D airspace area is effective during the 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 6002 Class E Airspace Designated as Surface Areas.

ANM CO E2 Pueblo, CO [Amended]

Pueblo Memorial Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°17′24″ N., long. 104°29′53″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 5.1-mile radius of Pueblo Memorial Airport. This Class E airspace area is effective during the 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 6004 Class E Airspace Designated as an Extension to a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

ANM CO E4 Pueblo, CO [Amended]

Pueblo Memorial Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°17′24″ N., long. 104°29′53″ W.)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within 3.6 miles each side of the 081° bearing from Pueblo Memorial Airport extending from the 5.1 mile radius of the airport to 11.3 miles east of the airport, and within 1.6 miles west and 1.3 miles east of the 358° bearing from the airport extending from the 5.1 mile radius of the airport to 6.7 miles north of the airport.

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

ANM CO E5 Pueblo, CO [Amended]

Pueblo Memorial Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°17′24″ N., long. 104°29′53″ W.)

That airspace upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 7.6-mile radius of Pueblo Memorial Airport, and within 2.2 miles west and 1.8 miles east of the 358° bearing from the airport extending to 12 miles north of the airport, and within 3.8 miles each side of the 081° bearing from the airport extending to 12.3 miles east of the airport.