Proposed Amendment of United States Area Navigation Route (RNAV) Q-15; Western United States

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to amend United States Area Navigation route (RNAV) Q-15 in order to safely segregate overflight, arrival and departure traffic, and military operations in the high altitude airspace between Las Vegas, NV and Phoenix, AZ.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before October 14, 2021.

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-2021-0676; Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-33 at the beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov . FAA Order 7400.11E, 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 Rules and Regulations 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 7400.11E at NARA, email: fr.inspection@nara.gov or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html .

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Christopher McMullin, Rules and Regulations Group, Office of Policy, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: (202) 267-8783.

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 the 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 modify the route structure as necessary to preserve the safe and efficient flow of air traffic within the National Airspace System (NAS).

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 (FAA Docket No. FAA-2021-0676; Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-33) and be submitted in triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the internet at https://www.regulations.gov .

Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments on this action must submit with those comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: “Comments to FAA Docket No. FAA-2021-0676; Airspace Docket No. 21-AWP-33.” The postcard will be date/time stamped and returned to the commenter.

All communications received on or before the specified comment closing date will be considered before taking action on the proposed rule. The proposal contained in this action may be changed in light of comments received. All comments submitted will be available for examination in the public docket both before and after the comment closing date. A report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel concerned with this rulemaking will be filed in the docket.

Availability of NPRM

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 ADDRESSES section for 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 office of the Operations Support Group, Western Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020. FAA Order 7400.11E is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11E lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points.

Background

One of the main responsibilities of the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) (ZLA) is separating and sequencing en route, arrival, and departure traffic in the vicinity of Las Vegas, NV. The operational complexity of this airspace is affected not only by traffic volume, but by the airspace limitations imposed by the large amount of Special Use Airspace (SUA) in the Desert Southwest.

RNAV route Q-13 is the primary route utilized for Phoenix, AZ (PHX) arrivals from the Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and the Pacific Northwest, including Alaska and Canada. The letter of agreement (LOA) between ZLA and Albuquerque ARTCC (ZAB) requires that aircraft handed off to ZAB at or below FL290. There has been a significant increase in traffic filing Q-13 traveling northwest, which has caused increased complexity for arrivals landing at PHX.

RNAV route Q-15 currently terminates at CHILY, just west of Prescott Regional airport (PRC) Prescott, AZ. The intention of extending Q-15 from CHILY to NABOB is to provide air traffic controllers, through automation and industry outreach, one direction airways in that area for Q-13 and Q-15 between waypoints where both would intersect between NABOB and HOUZZ. This proposal would allow traffic traveling southeast from HOUZZ to NABOB to utilize RNAV route Q-13 and traffic traveling northwest to utilize RNAV route Q-15, allowing for a smoother traffic flow in that area.

The Proposal

The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend RNAV route Q-15 in order to safely segregate overflight, arrival and departure traffic, and military operations in the high altitude airspace between Las Vegas, NV and Phoenix, AZ. The full legal description are included in the Rule section below.

Q-15: Q-15 currently extends from CHILY to LOMIA. The FAA proposes to add an extension to the route from NABOB to CHILY. The rest of the route will remain unchanged.

RNAV routes are published in paragraph 6009 of FAA Order 7400.11E dated July 21, 2020 and effective September 15, 2020, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The RNAV route listed in this document would 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 proposed regulation only involves an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. It, therefore: (1) Is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a “significant rule” under Department of Transportation (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, will 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

In consideration of the foregoing, 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 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 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 2006 United States Area Navigation Routes.

Q-15 NABOB, AZ to LOMIA, NV [Amend]

NABOB, AZ FIX

(Lat. 34°19′40.60″ N, long. 111°18′53.90″ W)

CHILY, AZ WP

(Lat. 34°42′48.61″ N, long. 112°45′42.27″ W)

DOVEE, NV WP

(Lat. 35°26′51.07″ N, long. 114°48′00.94″ W)

SOTOO, NV WP

(Lat. 36°17′22.55″ N, long. 116°13′14.12″ W)

HOUZZ, NV WP

(Lat. 36°36′43.75″ N, long. 116°36′37.60″ W)

FUULL, NV WP

(Lat. 37°16′52.93″ N, long. 117°10′13.96″ W)

SKANN, NV WP

(Lat. 37°22′52.68″ N, long. 117°15′54.53″ W)

LOMIA, NV WP

(Lat. 39°13′11.57″ N, long. 119°06′22.95″ W)