Document ID: FAA-2019-0761-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Amendment of Class E Airspace: Missoula, MT
Posted Date: 2019-10-11T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 54792-54794]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22255]

 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 198 / Friday, October 11, 2019 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 54792]]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2019-0761; Airspace Docket No. 19-ANM-18]
RIN 2120-AA66

Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Missoula, MT

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E4 airspace areas 
extending upward from the surface and Class E5 airspace areas extending 
upward from 700 and 1,200 feet above the surface of the earth at 
Missoula International Airport, Missoula, MT. This action also proposes 
to remove the Missoula VORTAC from the legal description as it is not 
needed to describe the airspace and using the airport as the single 
reference point enhances the simplicity of describing the airspace. 
Additionally, this action also proposes to make administrative 
corrections to the airport's Class D and Class E2 legal descriptions. 
This action would ensure the safety and management of IFR operations at 
the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 25, 2019.

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-2019-0761; Airspace Docket No. 19-ANM-18, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at http://www.regulations.gov. FAA Order 7400.11D, 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 7400.11D at NARA, email 
fedreg.legal@nara.gov or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Van Der Wal, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3695.

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 the Class E airspace at Missoula International 
Airport, Missoula, MT to support instrument flight rules (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 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-2019-0761; 
Airspace Docket No. 19-ANM-18''. 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, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 
98198.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11D, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective 
September 15, 2019. FAA Order 7400.11D is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11D lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

[[Page 54793]]

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) Part 71 by amending Class E4 airspace at Missoula 
International Airport extending upward from the surface within 1.2 
miles each side of the 310[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile 
radius to 10.8 miles northwest of the airport, and within 1.3 miles 
each side of the 295[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 
5.6 miles northwest of the airport, and within 0.7 miles each side of 
the 142[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 5.6 miles 
southeast of the airport, and within 1.5 miles each side of the 
171[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 10.6 miles south 
of the Missoula International Airport. This airspace is designed to 
contain IFR aircraft descending below 1,000 feet above the surface.
    This action also proposes to amend Class E5 airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface within 3.5 miles each side of 
the 311[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 22.3 miles 
northwest of the airport, and 1.6 miles west and 4.3 miles east of the 
179[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 15.2 miles south 
of the Missoula International Airport. This airspace is designed to 
contain IFR aircraft descending below 1,500 feet above the surface. 
Further, this action proposes to amend Class E5 airspace extending 
upward from 1,200 feet above the surface within a 35-mile radius of the 
Missoula International Airport. This action also proposes an 
administrative update to remove the Missoula VORTAC from the legal 
description, this will allow the airspace to be described from a single 
point, enhancing the simplicity of airspace description.
    Further, this action proposes to remove the Missoula VORTAC from 
the Class E5 legal description. The VORTAC is not needed to define the 
airspace and removing reference to it allows for a simpler description 
of the airspace from the airport.
    Lastly, this action proposes an administrative update to the Class 
D and Class E2 legal descriptions to replace Airport/Facilities 
Directory with Chart Supplement.
    Class D, E2, E4 and E5 airspace designations are published in 
paragraphs 5000, 6002, 6004 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 
7400.11D, dated August 8, 2019, and effective September 15, 2019, 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.
    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 7400.11D, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and 
effective September 15, 2019, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ANM MT D Missoula, MT (Unchanged)

Missoula International Airport, MT
    (Lat. 46[deg]54'59'' N, long. 114[deg]05'26'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface up to and 
including 5,700 feet MSL within a 4.4-mile radius of the Missoula 
International 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 Areas Designated as Surface Areas.

* * * * *

ANM MT E2 Missoula, MT (Unchanged)

Missoula International Airport, MT
    (Lat. 46[deg]54'59'' N, long. 114[deg]05'26'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.4-
mile radius of the Missoula International 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 Areas Designated as an Extension to 
a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

* * * * *

ANM MT E4 Missoula, MT

Missoula International Airport, MT
    (Lat. 46[deg]54'59'' N, long. 114[deg]05'26'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.2 miles 
each side of the 310[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius 
to 10.8 miles northwest of the airport, and within 1.3 miles each 
side of the 295[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 
5.6 miles northwest of the airport, and within 0.7 miles each side 
of the 142[deg] bearing extending from the 4.4-mile radius to 5.6 
miles southeast of the airport, and within 1.5 miles each side of 
the Missoula 171[deg] radial extending from the 4.4-mile radius of 
the airport to 10.6 miles south of the Missoula International 
Airport.

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

* * * * *

ANM MT E5 Missoula, MT (Revised)

Missoula International Airport, MT
    (Lat. 46[deg]54'59'' N, long. 114[deg]05'26'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within 3.5 miles each side of the 311[deg] bearing extending from 
the 4.4-mile radius to 22.3 miles northwest of the airport, and 1.6 
miles west and 4.3 miles east of the 179[deg] bearing extending from 
the 4.4-mile radius to 15.2 miles south of the airport, and that 
airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet about the surface within a 
35-mile radius of the Missoula International Airport.

[[Page 54794]]

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on October 4, 2019.
Byron Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2019-22255 Filed 10-10-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P