[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 111 (Tuesday, June 9, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 35231-35233]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12319]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0384; Airspace Docket No. 19-AAL-15]
RIN 2120-AA66

Proposed Amendment of Class D and Class E Airspace; Bethel, AK

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to modify the Class D and Class E surface
area at Bethel Airport, Bethel AK, by redefining the Hangar Lake
exclusion area and eliminating the use of the VORTAC in the
descriptions. This action also proposes to remove Class E airspace as
an extension to the Class D and Class E surface area and modify the
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at
the Airport. After a biennial 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 airport. This
action would also update the geographical coordinates and make a minor
editorial change replacing the outdated term Airport/Facility Directory
with the term Chart Supplement.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before July 24, 2020.

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<PHONE_NUMBER>. You must identify FAA Docket No.
FAA-2020-0384; Airspace Docket No. 19-AAL-15, at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://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
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>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<PHONE_NUMBER>.

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 Bethel Airport, Bethel, AK, 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-2020-0384;
Airspace Docket No. 19-AAL-15''. 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 7400.11D, 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.

The Proposal

    The FAA is proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to modify the description of the Class D
and Class E surface area, remove the Class E as an extension to the
Class D and Class E and modify the Class E airspace extending upward
from 700 feet AGL at Bethel Airport, Bethel AK.
    The Class D and Class E surface area would be modified so that the
Hangar Lake exclusion area would be described as that area within .7
miles of the Hangar Lake ARP and eliminate the use of the VORTAC in the
definition. This would ensure that a change in the status of the nav-
aid, in the future, would have no effect on the description and not
require additional rulemaking.
    The FAA proposes eliminating the Class E airspace extensions to the
Class D and Class E surface area, as these are no longer required for
approaches.
    In addition, the FAA proposes to modify the Class E airspace
extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within 6.6 miles of
the Airport versus 16.8 miles and removing the procedure turn
maneuvering area from the Bethel Airport to 22.8 miles north, as it is
no longer required for the approaches. The use of the term Airport
Facility/Directory would be replaced with Chart Supplement and the
geographical coordinates updated to match the FAA database.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000,
6002, 6004, 6005 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 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.

* * * * *

AAL AK D Bethel, AK [Amended]

Bethel Airport, AK
    (Lat. 60[deg]46'43'' N, long. 161[deg]50'14'' W)

Hangar Lake

    (Lat. 60[deg]48'17'' N, long. 161[deg]43'15'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including
2,600 feet MSL

within a 4.1-mile radius of the Bethel Airport, AK, excluding that
portion below 1,100 feet MSL within .7-mile radius of Hangar Lake
SPB. 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.

* * * * *

AAL AK E2 Bethel, AK [Amended]

Bethel Airport, AK
    (Lat. 60[deg]46'43'' N, long. 161[deg]50'14'' W)
Hangar Lake
    (Lat. 60[deg]48'17'' N, long. 161[deg]43'15'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.1-
mile radius of the Bethel Airport, AK, excluding that portion below
1,100 feet MSL within .7-mile radius of Hangar Lake SPB. 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.

* * * * *

AAL AK E4 Bethel, AK [Removed]

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

* * * * *

AAL AK E5 Bethel, AK [Amended]

Bethel Airport, AK
    (Lat. 60[deg]46'43' N, long. 161[deg]50'14'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 6.6-mile radius of the Bethel Airport, AK, and that
airspace 8 miles east and 4 miles west of the 211[deg] radial from
the airport extending from the 6.6-mile radius to 22 miles south of
the Airport.

    Issued in Seattle, Washington, on June 1, 2020.
Shawn M. Kozica,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-12319 Filed 6-8-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P