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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 140 (Monday, July 26, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 39986-39988]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15720]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0896; Airspace Docket No. 20-ANM-17]
RIN 2120-AA66

Proposed Modification of Class D Airspace; McChord Field (Joint 
Base Lewis-McChord), WA; Supplemental

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class D airspace at McChord 
Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), Tacoma, WA. After a review of the 
airspace, the FAA found it necessary to amend the existing airspace for 
the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations 
at this location and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) at a satellite airport. 
This proposal would also remove a reference to the McChord Very High 
Frequency

[[Page 39987]]

Omnidirectional Range beacon (VOR) from the legal description, update 
the airport name and city, and amend the geographical coordinates for 
the airport to match the FAA's database.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 9, 2021.

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-2020-0896; Airspace Docket No. 20-ANM-17, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at https://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 7400.11E at NARA, email: 
[email protected], or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Roberts, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-2245.

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 modify the Class D airspace to support IFR operations at 
McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), Tacoma, WA.

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-2020-0896; 
Airspace Docket No. 20-ANM-17''. 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at https://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, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 
98198.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective 
September 15, 2020. FAA Order 7400.11E is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11E lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

Background

    The FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking for Docket No. 
FAA-2020-0896 in the Federal Register (85 FR 69281; November 2, 2020) 
proposing to modify the Class D airspace McChord Field (Joint Base 
Lewis-McChord). Interested parties were invited to participate in this 
rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal. One 
comment was received during the comment period. The commenter was 
concerned that removing the entire area previously excluded for 
Spanaway Airport, would place aircraft arriving and departing Shady 
Acres Airport at a disadvantage while departing to the North and 
Landing to the South.
    Subsequent to publication of the NPRM, the FAA received comments 
from the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA), the Airport 
Manager and local Pilots from Shady Acres Airport and the U.S. Air 
Force. AOPA, the Airport Manager and local pilots were in favor of a 
small portion of airspace, from the original area cutout for Spanaway 
airport, being maintained for satellite airport operations at Shady 
Acres Airport. These amendments would maintain the current level of 
operational safety, while adhering to FAA policy on airspace for 
satellite airports. The U.S. Air Force was not in favor of this 
recommendation. In addition, the FAA identified an area of airspace to 
the Northwest that needed additional clarification in its boundary and 
the U.S. Air Force identified that only the VOR was being 
decommissioned and not the Tactical Air Navigation System (TACAN), as 
previously reported. The FAA determined that the proposal needed 
additional consideration due to these comments.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 by modifying 
the lateral dimensions of the Class D airspace. The FAA initiated a 
review of the assigned airspace and drafted the subsequent proposal for 
modification due to three actions. The FAA decommissioned the McChord 
VOR because the U.S. Air Force was no longer going to maintain the 
NAVAID.

[[Page 39988]]

As a result of the decommissioning, the FAA was required to redefine 
the airspace that uses the VOR as a reference and remove the reference 
from the associated airspace descriptions. The U.S. Air Force requested 
elimination of airspace previously excluded for operations at Spanaway 
Airport. In response, the FAA completed an airspace review to evaluate 
that request and the Class D airspace had not been examined in the 
previous two years as required by FAA Orders.
    The exclusion of Class D airspace that is southeast of the airport 
would be modified to facilitate use of the airspace for aircraft 
arriving and departing Shady Acres Airport, in keeping with FAA 
Directives. A portion of the airspace overlying Lakewood, WA would also 
be eliminated, as it is no longer needed.
    In addition, the Legal Descriptions Heading would be corrected to 
identify the proper city and state, the name of the airport and the 
geographical coordinates for McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis McChord) 
to match the FAA's National Airspace System Resource (NASR) database.
    Class D airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000 of 
FAA Order 7400.11E, dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 
2020, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class D 
airspace designations listed in this document will be published 
subsequently in the Order.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

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 7400.11E, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and 
effective September 15, 2020, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ANM WA D Tacoma, WA [AMEND]

McChord Field (Joint Base Lewis-McChord), WA
    (Lat. 47[deg]08'17'' N, long. 122[deg]28'35'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,800 feet MSL within a 5.4-mile radius of the McChord Field (Joint 
Base Lewis-McChord), beginning at the point the 315[deg] bearing 
intersects the 5.4-mile radius clockwise to the point where the 
162[deg] bearing intersects the 5.4-mile radius thence south to lat. 
47[deg]02'10'' N, long. 122[deg]26'13'' W, thence west to lat. 
47[deg]02'21'' N, long. 122[deg]31'31'' W, thence north to lat. 
47[deg]04'19'' N, long. 122[deg]31'27'' W, thence northwest to lat. 
47[deg]08'47'' N, long. 122[deg]35'11'' W, thence east to lat. 
47[deg]08'35 N, long. 122[deg]33'03 W, thence north to the point of 
beginning; and excluding that airspace at and below 1,000 feet MSL 
within an area bounded by a line beginning at the point the 119[deg] 
bearing intersects the 5.4-mile radius clockwise to the point the 
145[deg] bearing intersects the 5.4-mile radius to lat. 
47[deg]04'34'' N, long. 122[deg]24'2'' W; thence to lat. 
47[deg]05'43'' N, long. 122[deg]22'24'' W; thence to the point of 
beginning.

    Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on July 19, 2021.
Maria A Aviles,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2021-15720 Filed 7-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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