[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 87 (Friday, May 4, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19650-19653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-09105]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1033; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-19]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Moses Lake, 
WA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify Class D airspace, Class E 
surface area airspace, Class E airspace designated as an extension, and 
Class E

[[Page 19651]]

airspace extending upward from 700 and 1,200 feet above the surface at 
Grant County International Airport (formerly Grant County Airport), 
Moses Lake, WA. This action also proposes to remove the Notice to 
Airmen (NOTAM) part-time status of Class E airspace designated as an 
extension, and update the airport name and geographic coordinates for 
the airport 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 at the airport. 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 June 18, 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-2017-1033; Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-19, 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, 2200 
S 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198-6547; telephone (206) 231-2253.

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 surface airspace at Grant County 
International Airport, Moses Lake, WA, to support standard instrument 
approach procedures under 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-2017-1033; 
Airspace Docket No. 17-ANM-19''. 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 St., Des Moines, WA 
98198-6547.

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 modifying Class D airspace, Class E 
surface area airspace, Class E airspace designated as an extension, and 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, and 
removing Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the 
surface at Grant County International Airport, Moses Lake, WA.
    Class D airspace would be modified to a 5.3-mile radius (from a 
5.7-mile radius) of the airport, and the excluded area southeast of the 
airport would be re-defined as ``within an area bounded by a line 
beginning at the point where the 147[deg] bearing from the airport 
intersects the 5.3-mile radius of the airport to lat. 47[deg]09'59'' N, 
long. 119[deg]14'55'' W, to the point where the 103[deg] bearing from 
the airport intersects the airport 5.3-mile radius, thence clockwise 
along the 5.3-mile radius of the airport to the point of beginning.''
    Class E surface area airspace would be modified to be coincident 
with the dimensions of the Class D airspace, and would be effective 
during the hours when the Class D is not in effect to protect IFR 
operations continuously.
    Class E airspace designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E 
surface

[[Page 19652]]

area would be modified by removing the segments extending to the 
northeast (within 2.2 miles each side of the Moses Lake VOR/DME 050 
radial extending from the 5.7-mile radius of the airport to 13.5 miles 
northeast of the VOR/DME, and within 3.5 miles each side of the Moses 
Lake VOR/DME 063[deg] radial extending from the 5.7-mile radius of the 
airport to 12.9 miles northeast of the VOR/DME). Also, the segment 
extending north of the airport would be enlarged to within 4.2 miles 
west and 3.9 miles east of the 339[deg] bearing from Grant County 
International Airport extending from the airport 5.3-mile radius to 
15.3 miles north of the airport (from within 1.8 miles each side of the 
Ephrata VORTAC 156[deg] radial extending from the 5.7-mile radius of 
Grant County Airport to 2.7 miles southeast of the VORTAC), excluding 
the Ephrata Municipal Airport, WA, Class E surface area airspace. Also, 
a small extension south of the airport would be added within 1.0 mile 
each side of the airport 162[deg] bearing extending from the 5.3-mile 
radius of the airport to 5.9 miles south of the airport. This proposal 
would also remove the NOTAM part-time status of Class E airspace 
designated as an extension, which would be in effect continuously.
    Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet would be modified 
to within a 7.1-mile (from a 16.6-mile) radius of Grant County 
International Airport, and within 3.8 miles southwest and 9-miles 
northeast of a 336[deg] bearing extending from the airport to 27.5 
miles northwest of the airport, and within 4 miles north and 8 miles 
south of the 069[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 22.3 miles 
east of the airport, and within 8 miles east and 4 miles west of the 
162[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 22 miles south of the 
airport, and within 4-miles northwest and 8 miles southeast of the 
223[deg] bearing from the airport extending to 21.5 miles southwest of 
the airport (from a 16.6-mile radius of the Ephrata VORTAC). Also, the 
Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface at 
the airport would be removed as it is wholly contained within the 
larger Spokane Class E en route airspace area, and duplication is not 
necessary.
    Additionally, this action proposes to update the airport name from 
Grant County Airport to Grant County International Airport, and the 
geographic coordinates for the associated Class D and Class E airspace 
areas to match the FAA's aeronautical database.
    Finally, 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''. An editorial change also would be 
made removing the city associated with the airport name in the airspace 
designation to comply with a recent change to FAA Order 7400.2L, 
Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters, dated October 12, 2017.
    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 Moses Lake, WA [Amended]

Grant County International Airport, WA
    (Lat. 47[deg]12'31'' N, long. 119[deg]19'09'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
3,700 feet MSL within a 3-mile radius of Grant County International 
Airport, excluding that airspace within an area bounded by a line 
beginning at the point where the 147[deg] bearing from the airport 
intersects the 5.3-mile radius of the airport to lat. 47[deg]09'59'' 
N, long. 119[deg]14'55'' W, to the point where the 103[deg] bearing 
from the airport intersects the airport 5.3-mile radius, thence 
clockwise along the 5.3-mile radius of the airport to the point of 
beginning. 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 Moses Lake, WA [Amended]

Grant County International Airport, WA
    (Lat. 47[deg]12'31'' N, long. 119[deg]19'09'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 5.3-
mile radius of Grant County International Airport, excluding that 
airspace within an area bounded by a line beginning at the point 
where the 147[deg] bearing from the airport intersects the 5.3-mile 
radius of the airport to lat. 47[deg]09'59'' N, long. 
119[deg]14'55'' W, to the point where the 103[deg] bearing from the 
airport intersects the airport 5.3 mile radius, thence clockwise 
along the 5.3-mile radius of the airport to the point of beginning. 
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.
* * * * *

ANM WA E4 Moses Lake, WA [Amended]

Grant County International Airport, WA
    (Lat. 47[deg]12'31'' N, long. 119[deg]19'09'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within 4.2 miles 
west and 3.9 miles

[[Page 19653]]

east of the 339[deg] bearing from Grant County International Airport 
extending from the airport 5.3-mile radius to 15.3 miles north of 
the airport, and within 1.0 mile each side of the airport 162[deg] 
bearing extending from the 5.3-mile radius of the airport to 5.9 
miles south of the airport, excluding that airspace within the 
Ephrata Municipal Airport, WA, Class E surface area.

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

* * * * *

ANM WA E5 Moses Lake, WA [Amended]

Grant County International Airport, WA
    (Lat. 47[deg]12'31'' N, long. 119[deg]19'09'' W)

    That airspace upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 
7.1-mile radius of Grant County International Airport, and within 
3.8 miles southwest and 9-miles northeast of a 336[deg] bearing 
extending from the airport to 27.5 miles northwest of the airport, 
and within 4 miles north and 8 miles south of the 069[deg] bearing 
from the airport extending to 22.3 miles east of the airport, and 
within 8 miles east and 4 miles west of the 162[deg] bearing from 
the airport extending to 22 miles south of the airport, and within 
4-miles northwest and 8 miles southeast of the 223[deg] bearing from 
the airport extending to 21.5 miles southwest of the airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on April 23, 2018.
B.G. Chew,
Acting Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2018-09105 Filed 5-3-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


