[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 12 (Thursday, January 18, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2574-2576]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00711]


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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]


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Merced, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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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

[[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.

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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 7400.11B, 
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[deg]17'05'' N, long. 120[deg]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[deg]17'05'' N, long. 120[deg]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