Document ID: FAA-2017-0855-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Class D and E Airspace and Revocation of Class E Airspace; Amendments: Pocatello, ID
Posted Date: 2017-12-19T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 60130-60132]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27208]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-0855; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17]

Proposed Amendment of Class D and E Airspace and Revocation of 
Class E Airspace; Pocatello, ID

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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[[Page 60131]]

SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend controlled airspace at Pocatello 
Regional Airport, Pocatello, ID, by amending Class D airspace and Class 
E airspace designated as a surface area; removing Class E airspace 
designated as an extension to a Class D or E surface area; and amending 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. 
Also, this action would update the airport's geographic coordinates for 
the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect the FAA's 
current aeronautical database. Additionally, reference to the Pocatello 
VHF Omnidirectional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC) would be 
removed from the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above 
the surface description. This proposal would enhance the safety and 
management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 2, 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-2017-0855; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17, 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 7400.11A 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 D and Class E airspace at Pocatello Regional 
Airport, Pocatello, ID, 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-
2017-0855; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17) 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-2017-0855, Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-17.'' 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 Proposed 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:
    Amending Class D airspace at Pocatello Regional Airport, Pocatello, 
ID, by raising the vertical limit to 7,000 feet (from 6,900 feet) and 
increasing the airspace south of the airport to a 5.6-mile radius (from 
a 4.5-mile radius) to laterally protect IFR departures as they climb to 
700 feet above the surface, due to rising terrain;
    Amending Class E surface area airspace to be coincident with the 
Class D airspace area;
    Removing Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D 
or Class E surface area as it contains no arrival aircraft within 1,000 
feet of the surface, and is not necessary;
    Amending Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface to reduce the area southwest of the airport and slightly 
increase the area south of the airport. This redesign is necessary to 
ensure sufficient controlled airspace to contain IFR arrival aircraft 
within 1,500 feet above the surface and IFR departure aircraft until 
reaching

[[Page 60132]]

1,200 feet above the surface. The VORTAC navigation aid noted in the 
description would be removed, as it no longer defines the boundary of 
the airspace. In addition, this proposal would establish airspace 
extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface at the airport 
within 15 miles northwest and 5 miles southeast of a line extending 
from 15 miles southwest of the airport to 43 miles northeast of the 
airport. This would provide controlled airspace to support aircraft 
operations under IFR as aircraft transition between the en route and 
airport environments.
    Lastly, this proposal would update the airport's geographic 
coordinates for the associated Class D and E airspace areas to reflect 
the FAA's current aeronautical database, and would replace the outdated 
term ``Airport/Facility Directory'' with the term ``Chart Supplement'' 
in the Class D and Class E surface airspace legal descriptions. These 
modifications are 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 Class E 
airspace designations 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.

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 ID D Pocatello, ID [Amended]

Pocatello Regional Airport, ID
    (Lat. 42[deg]54'35'' N, long. 112[deg]35'45'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
7,000 feet MSL within a 4.5-mile radius of Pocatello Regional 
Airport from the airport 195[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 
168[deg] bearing, and within a 5.6-mile radius of the airport from 
the airport 168[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 195[deg] 
bearing. 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 ID E2 Pocatello, ID [Amended]

Pocatello Regional Airport, ID
    (Lat. 42[deg]54'35'' N, long. 112[deg]35'45'' W)

    That airspace within a 4.5-mile radius of Pocatello Regional 
Airport from the airport 195[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 
168[deg] bearing, and within a 5.6-mile radius of the airport from 
the airport 168[deg] bearing clockwise to the airport 195[deg] 
bearing. 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 ID E4 Pocatello, ID [Removed]

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

* * * * *

ANM ID E5 Pocatello, ID [Amended]

Pocatello Regional Airport, ID
    (Lat. 42[deg]54'35'' N, long. 112[deg]35'45'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within 7.8 miles northwest and 5 miles southeast of the 045[deg] 
bearing from Pocatello Regional Airport extending to 21 miles 
northeast of the airport, and within 7.8 miles northwest and 5 miles 
southeast of the 225[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 10.8 
miles southwest of the airport. That airspace extending upward from 
1,200 feet above the surface within 15 miles northwest and 5 miles 
southeast of the 045[deg] bearing from Pocatello Regional Airport 
extending to 43 miles northeast of the airport, and within 15 miles 
northwest and 5 miles southeast of the 225[deg] bearing from the 
airport extending to 15 miles southwest of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on December 11, 2017.
Brian J. Johnson,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2017-27208 Filed 12-18-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P