AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend the Class E airspace designated as a surface area, at Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison, CO. The proposal would increase the circular radius of the Class E surface area and add an extension to the west of the airport. Also, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace by adding an airspace area designated as an extension to a Class D or Class E surface area, to the southwest of the airport. Additionally, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface by significantly reducing the area around the airport, except to the west and southwest of the airport. Furthermore, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface by removing this area. This area is wholly contained within the Denver Class E6 en route airspace area and duplication is not necessary. Lastly, this action proposes several administrative changes to the airspace legal descriptions for the airport. These changes are necessary to accommodate airspace redesign for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before January 30, 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 (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No. FAA-2019-0341; Airspace Docket No. 18-ANM-4, 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 https://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 Class E airspace at Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison, CO, to ensure safety and management of 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-2019-0341; Airspace Docket No. 18-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 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 by amending Class E airspace at the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison, CO. The action proposes to amend the Class E airspace designated as a surface area by increasing the circular radius and adding an extension to the west of the airport. The airspace area would be defined as follows: That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.8-mile radius of the airport and within 1 mile each side of the 256° bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 5.7 miles west of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.

Also, this action proposes to amend the Class E airspace by adding a Class E airspace area designated an extension to Class D and Class E2 surface areas. This airspace area would be defined as follows: That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.4 miles each side of the 225° bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 14.1 miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.

Additionally, this action proposes a significant modification to the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface. The action would remove most of the area extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, from the northwest of the airport clockwise to the south of the airport. A small area would remain east of the airport and two larger areas would remain to the southwest and west of the airport. This airspace area would be defined as follows: That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to a 7-mile radius along the 052° bearing clockwise to the 107° bearing, and within 2.5 miles each side of the 254° bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 9.6 miles west of the airport, and within 8.1 miles north and 3.9 miles south of the 225° bearing, extending from 7.1 miles to 23.1 miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.

Furthermore, this action proposes to remove the Class E airspace extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This airspace area is wholly contained within the Denver Class E6 en route airspace area and duplication is not necessary.

Lastly, the action proposes administrative corrections to the airspace's legal descriptions. The geographic coordinates need to be updated to (lat. 38°32′04″ N, long. 106°55′54″ W) to match the FAA's aeronautical database. The Class E surface airspace should be full time; the following two sentences do not accurately represent the time of use for this airspace area and need to be removed: “This Class E airspace area is effective during specific dates and times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Airport/Facility Directory.”

Class E airspace designations are published in paragraphs 6002, 6004 and 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

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.

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 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.

ANM CO E2 Gunnison, CO [Amended]

Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°32′04″ N, long. 106°55′54″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 4.8-mile radius of the airport, and within 1 mile each side of the 256° bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 5.7 miles west of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.

Paragraph 6004 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as an Extension to a Class D or Class E Surface Area.

ANM CO E4 Gunnison, CO [New]

Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°32′04″ N, long. 106°55′54″ W)

That airspace extending upward from the surface within 1.4 miles each side of the 225° bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 14.1 miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.

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

ANM CO E5 Gunnison, CO [Amended]

Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, CO

(Lat. 38°32′04″ N, long. 106°55′54″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface extending from the 4.8-mile radius to a 7-mile radius along the 052° bearing clockwise to the 107° bearing, and within 2.5 each side of the 254° bearing, extending from the 4.8-mile radius to 9.6 miles west of the airport, and within 8.1 miles north and 3.9 miles south of the 225° bearing, extending from 7.1 miles to 23.1 miles southwest of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport.