[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 10, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 1201-1203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00199]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1012; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-20]


Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace and Amendment of Class 
D and Class E Airspace; Olympia, WA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to establish Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface and modify Class E airspace 
designated as an extension at Olympia Regional Airport (formerly 
Olympia Airport). This action would remove the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) 
part-time status for Class E airspace designated as an extension, and 
would update the airport name and geographic coordinates in the 
associated Class D and E airspace areas to match the FAA's aeronautical 
database. 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 February 26, 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-2017-1012; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-20, at the beginning of your 
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 establish Class E airspace and amend Class D and Class E 
airspace at Olympia Regional Airport, Olympia, WA to support IFR 
operations within the National Airspace System.

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

[[Page 1202]]

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-2017-1012/Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-20''. 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 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 is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 by establishing Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface at Olympia Regional Airport to 
contain IFR departure and arrival aircraft below 1,200 and 1,500 feet 
above the surface, respectively. This airspace area would duplicate the 
larger Seattle Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface, but will ensure no future changes at Seattle inadvertently 
impact aircraft operations at Olympia Regional Airport.
    The FAA also proposes to modify Class E airspace designated as an 
extension to a Class D or Class E surface area at Olympia Regional 
Airport, Olympia, WA, by removing the segments north (within 1.8 miles 
each side of the Olympia VORTAC 010[deg] radial extending from the 4-
mile radius of the airport to 4.8 miles north of the VORTAC) and south 
(within 3.5 miles each side of the Olympia VORTAC 195[deg] radial 
extending from the 4-mile radius of Olympia Airport to 9.2 miles south 
of the VORTAC) of the airport, and establishing a 2-mile wide segment 
extending to approximately 5.5 miles southeast 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.''
    Additionally, this action would update the airport name from 
Olympia Airport to Olympia Regional Airport, update the geographic 
coordinates of the airport to match the FAA's aeronautical database, 
and would 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 
paragraph 5000, 6002, 6004, 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 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 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 
7400.11B, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 
2017, and effective September 15, 2017, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ANM OR D Olympia, WA [Amended]

Olympia Regional Airport, WA
    (Lat. 46[deg]58'10'' N, long. 122[deg]54'09'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,700 feet MSL within a 4-mile radius of Olympia Regional 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.

* * * * *

[[Page 1203]]

ANM OR E2 Olympia, WA [Amended]

Olympia Regional Airport, WA
    (Lat. 46[deg]58'10'' N, long. 122[deg]54'09'' W)

    That airspace within a 4-mile radius of Olympia Regional 
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 OR E4 Olympia, WA [Amended]

Olympia Regional Airport, WA
    (Lat. 46[deg]58'10'' N, long. 122[deg]54'09'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within the area 
bounded by a line beginning at lat. 46[deg]57'14'' N, long. 
122[deg]48'28'' W; to lat. 46[deg]56'44'' N, long. 122[deg]47'08'' 
W; to lat. 46[deg]55'28'' N, long. 122[deg]47'10'' W; to lat. 
46[deg]54'42'' N, long. 122[deg]47'45'' W; to lat. 46[deg]55'28'' N, 
long. 122[deg]49'51'' W; thence counter-clockwise along the 4-mile 
radius of the airport to the point of beginning.

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

* * * * *

ANM OR E5 Olympia, WA [New]

Olympia Regional Airport, WA
    (Lat. 46[deg]58'10'' N, long. 122[deg]54'09'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.8-mile radius of Olympia Regional Airport from the 
airport 211[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 088[deg] bearing, 
and within an 8.2-mile radius of the airport from the airport 
088[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 122[deg] bearing, and 
within a 12.4-mile radius of the airport from the airport 122[deg] 
bearing clockwise to the airport 211[deg] bearing, and within 1 mile 
each side of the 011[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 11.6 
miles north of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on January 2, 2018.
Shawn M. Kozica,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-00199 Filed 1-9-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P