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###### Department of Transportation

###### Federal Aviation Administration

          - 14 CFR Part 71
          - [Docket No. FAA-2017-1092; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-27]

# AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

# ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

# SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Merced Regional/MacReady Field (formerly Merced Municipal/MacReady Field), Merced, CA, to accommodate airspace redesign due to the decommissioning of the El Nido VHF Omnidirectional Range/Distance Measuring Equipment (VOR/DME) as the FAA transitions from ground-based to satellite-based navigation. Also, this action would remove Class E airspace upward from 1,200 feet above the surface and would update the airport name to match the FAA's aeronautical database. An editorial change would also be made to the Class E surface area airspace legal description replacing “Airport/Facility Directory” with the term “Chart Supplement”. These actions are necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

# DATES:

Comments must be received on or before March 5, 2018.

# 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-2017-1092; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-27, at the beginning of your                               ( print page 2575)                            comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at                         *http://www.regulations.gov.*

                        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:

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 E airspace at Merced Regional/MacReady Field, Merced, CA, to accommodate airspace redesign in support of 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 (Docket No. FAA-2017-1092; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-27) and be submitted in triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see                     **ADDRESSES**                     section for address and phone number).                

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-2017-1092; Airspace Docket No. 17-AWP-27.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.

All communications received on or 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 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays, 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 for Incorporation by Reference

                    This document proposes to amend 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 Proposal

The FAA proposes to amend Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by revising Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Merced Regional/MacReady Field, Merced, CA, to within a 6.6-mile radius of the airport (from a 6.1-mile radius), and removing the segment extending southeast of the airport (2.6 miles southeast of the El Nido VOR/DME) due to the decommissioning of the navigation aid.

Also, the FAA proposes to remove the Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface because it is wholly contained within the Sacramento en route airspace area and duplication is not needed.

Additionally, the airport name would be updated from Merced Municipal/MacReady Field to Merced Regional/MacReady Field) in the associated Class E airspace areas, and an editorial change would be made to the Class E surface area airspace legal description replacing “Airport/Facility Directory” with the term “Chart Supplement”.

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 designation 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.                          ( print page 2576)    

## 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.

§ 71.1

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.

* * * * *

## AWP CA E2 Merced, CA [Amended]

Merced Regional/MacReady Field, CA

(Lat. 37°17′05″ N, long. 120°30′50″ W)

Within a 4.3-mile radius of Merced Regional/MacReady Field. 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 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.

* * * * *

## AWP CA E5 Merced, CA [Amended]

Merced Regional/MacReady Field, CA

(Lat. 37°17′05″ N, long. 120°30′50″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.6-mile radius of Merced Regional/MacReady Field.

Issued in Seattle, Washington, on January 10, 2018.

Shawn M. Kozica,

Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.

[FR Doc. 2018-00711 Filed 1-17-18; 8:45 am]

 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P