Document ID: FAA-2017-1032-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Establishment of Class E Airspace, Amendment of Class D Airspace, and Revocation of Class E Airspace: Tacoma, WA
Posted Date: 2018-02-02T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4863-4864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02021]

 ========================================================================
 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.
 
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 

  Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 23 / Friday, February 2, 2018 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 4863]]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1032; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-4]

Proposed Establishment of Class E Airspace, Amendment of Class D 
Airspace, and Revocation of Class E Airspace; Tacoma, 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 surface area 
airspace, and Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at Tacoma Narrows Airport, Tacoma, WA. This proposal also would 
remove Class E airspace designated as an extension at Tacoma Narrows 
Airport. Additionally, this action would update the geographic 
coordinates of the airport in Class D airspace, and make an editorial 
change to the Class D description replacing Airport/Facility Directory 
with the term Chart Supplement. These changes are necessary to 
accommodate airspace redesign for the safety and management of 
instrument flight rules (IFR) operations within the National Airspace 
System.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 19, 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-2017-1032; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-4, 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, amend Class D airspace, and 
remove E airspace at Tacoma Narrows Airport, Tacoma, WA to support 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-2017-1032; 
Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-4''. 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

[[Page 4864]]

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 modifying Class D airspace, 
establishing Class E surface area airspace, removing Class E airspace 
designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, and 
establishing Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at Tacoma Narrows Airport, Tacoma, WA.
    Class D airspace would be modified to add a small extension south 
of the airport within 1.7 miles each side of a 189[deg] bearing from 
the airport extending from the 4-mile radius to 5.3 miles south of the 
airport.
    Class E surface area airspace would be established coincident with 
the dimensions of the Class D airspace and effective during the hours 
when the Class D is not in effect to protect IFR operations 
continuously.
    Class E airspace designated as an extension would be removed as the 
extension north of the airport (within 1.8 miles each side of the 
009[deg] bearing from the Graye NDB extending from the 4-mile radius to 
.9 miles north of the NDB) protects no arrival aircraft within 1,000 
feet of the surface. Also, the extension to the south (within 1.8 miles 
each side of the 187[deg] bearing from Scenn OM extending from the 4-
mile radius to 1 mile south of the OM; excluding that airspace within 
the Tacoma, McChord AFB, WA, Class D airspace area) protects no arrival 
aircraft within 1,000 feet of the surface beyond 5.3 miles south of the 
airport. By eliminating the unnecessary airspace, the remaining 
extension to the south would be less than 2 nautical miles in length, 
and must be Class D.
    Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet would be 
established at Tacoma Narrows Airport within 4 miles each side of the 
007[deg] and 187[deg] bearings from the airport extending to 8 miles 
north and 7 miles south of the airport. This new airspace would 
duplicate the larger Seattle Class E airspace area, but would ensure 
sufficient airspace is designated for Tacoma Narrows Airport in case of 
any future modification.
    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 WA D Tacoma, WA [Amended]

Tacoma Narrows Airport, WA
    (Lat. 44[deg]16'05'' N, long. 122[deg]34'41'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,800 feet MSL within a 4-mile radius of Tacoma Narrows Airport, and 
within 1.7 miles each side of the 189[deg] bearing from the airport 
extending from the 4-mile radius to 5.3 miles south of the airport, 
excluding that airspace within the Tacoma, McChord AFB, WA, Class D 
airspace area. 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.

* * * * *

ANM WA E2 Tacoma, WA [New]

Tacoma Narrows Airport, WA
    (Lat. 44[deg]16'05'' N, long. 122[deg]34'41'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4-mile 
radius of the Tacoma Narrows Airport, and within 1.7 miles each side 
of the 189[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4-mile 
radius to 5.3 miles south of the airport, excluding that airspace 
within the Tacoma, McChord AFB, WA, Class D airspace area. 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.
* * * * *

ANM WA E4 Tacoma, WA [Removed]

Tacoma Narrows Airport, WA
    (Lat. 44[deg]16'05'' N, long. 122[deg]34'41'' W)

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

* * * * *

ANM WA E5 Tacoma, WA [New]

Tacoma Narrows Airport, WA
    (Lat. 44[deg]16'05'' N, long. 122[deg]34'41'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within 4 miles each side of the 007[deg] bearing from the Tacoma 
Narrows Airport extending to 8 miles north of the airport, and 
within 4 miles each side of a 187[deg] bearing from the airport 
extending to 7 miles south of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on January 25, 2018.
Shawn M. Kozica,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-02021 Filed 2-1-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P