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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 70177-70179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28793]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2015-3899; Airspace Docket No. 15-AWP-14]

Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace, Revocation of 
Class E Airspace; Chico, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify Class D airspace, Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and remove 
Class E surface area airspace designated as an extension at Chico 
Municipal Airport, Chico, CA. After reviewing the airspace, the FAA 
found it necessary to amend the airspace area by increasing the Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for the 
safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations for 
arriving and departing aircraft at the airport. The

[[Page 70178]]

FAA found no standard instrument approach procedures requiring Class E 
surface area airspace designated as an extension to Class D airspace. 
This action would also change from navigation aid to geographic 
coordinate references in the legal description, in anticipation of the 
FAA's future navigation aid discontinuance plan. The geographic 
coordinates of Chico Municipal and Ranchaero Airports also would be 
updated for the Class D and E airspace areas noted above.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before December 28, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590; 
telephone (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2015-
3899; Airspace Docket No. 15-AWP-14, at the beginning of your comments. 
You may also submit comments through the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. You may review the public docket containing the 
proposal, any comments received, and any final disposition in person in 
the Dockets Office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. The Docket Office (telephone 1-800-
647-5527), is on the ground floor of the building at the above address.
    FAA Order 7400.9Z, 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 and ATC Regulations Group, Federal Aviation 
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 29591; 
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 this material at NARA, call 202-741-
6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.9, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Haga, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, 1601 
Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057; telephone (425) 203-4563.

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 Chico Municipal 
Airport, Chico, CA.

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. Commenters 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-2015-3899; 
Airspace Docket No. 15-AWP-14.'' The postcard will be date/time stamped 
and returned to the commenter.

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/airports_airtraffic/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.
    Persons interested in being placed on a mailing list for future 
NPRMs should contact the FAA's Office of Rulemaking, (202) 267-9677, 
for a copy of Advisory Circular No. 11-2A, Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking Distribution System, which describes the application 
procedure.

Availability and Summary of Documents Proposed for Incorporation by 
Reference

    This document would amend FAA Order 7400.9Z, Airspace Designations 
and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, and effective September 15, 
2015. FAA Order 7400.9Z is publicly available as listed in the 
ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.9Z 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 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and removing 
Class E surface area airspace as an extension as this airspace is no 
longer needed, at Chico Municipal Airport, Chico, CA. Class E airspace 
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be modified to 
within a 4.1-mile radius east of Chico Municipal, extending to 6 miles 
from the southeast to the north, excluding that airspace within 1 NM of 
Ranchaero Airport, CA. Also, this action would remove reference to 
navigation aids and use instead geographic coordinate references in the 
legal descriptions. The geographic coordinates of the Chico Municipal 
and Ranchaero Airports would be amended for the Class D and E airspace 
areas to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

[[Page 70179]]

    Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in 
paragraph 5000, 6004, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.9Z, 
dated August 6, 2015, and effective September 15, 2015, which is 
incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D and 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 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 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 7400.9Z, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, and 
effective September 15, 2015, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

AWP CA D Chico, CA [Modified]

Chico Municipal Airport, CA
    (Lat. 39[deg]47'43'' N., long. 121[deg]51'30'' W.)
Ranchaero Airport, Chico, CA
    (Lat. 39[deg]43'10'' N., long. 121[deg]52'14'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,700 feet MSL within a 4.1-mile radius of Chico Municipal Airport, 
excluding the portion within a 1-mile radius of Ranchaero 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 Airport/Facility Directory.

Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to 
a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

AWP CA E4 Chico, CA [Removed]

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

* * * * *

AWP CA E5 Chico, CA [Modified]

Chico Municipal Airport, CA
    (Lat. 39[deg]47'43'' N., long. 121[deg]51'30'' W.)
Ranchaero Airport, Chico, CA
    (Lat. 39[deg]43'10'' N., long. 121[deg]52'14'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
bounded by a line beginning at lat. 39[deg]43'57'' N., long. 
121[deg]45'28'' W. clockwise along the Chico Municipal Airport 6-
mile radius to lat. 39[deg]41'45'' N., long. 121[deg]50'42'' W.; 
thence along the 174[deg] bearing from the Chico Municipal Airport 
to intersect the 1-mile radius of the Ranchaero Airport, thence 
counter-clockwise along the Ranchaero Airport 1-mile radius to 
intersect the 200[deg] bearing from the Chico Municipal Airport, 
thence along the 200[deg] bearing to the Chico Municipal Airport 6-
mile radius, thence clockwise to lat. 39[deg]53'31'' N., long. 
121[deg]53'31'' W.; thence to lat. 39[deg]51'48'' N., long. 
121[deg]52'04'' W. clockwise along the Chico Municipal Airport 4.1-
mile radius to lat. 39[deg]45'40'' N., long. 121[deg]46'54'' W.; 
thence to the point of beginning.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on November 5, 2015.
Christopher Ramirez,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2015-28793 Filed 11-12-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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