Revocation of Class E Airspace and Amendment of Class E Airspace; Lone Rock, WI

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Final rule.

SUMMARY:

This action revokes the Class E surface airspace at Tri-County Regional Airport, Lone Rock, WI, and amends the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Tri-County Regional Airport and Richland Airport, Richland Center, WI. This action is the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning of the Lone Rock VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. The names and geographic coordinates of the airport are also being updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

DATES:

Effective 0901 UTC, June 17, 2021. The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under Title 1 Code of Federal Regulations part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order 7400.11 and publication of conforming amendments.

ADDRESSES:

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 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 7400.11E at NARA, email fedreg.legal@nara.gov or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.

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 revokes the Class E surface airspace at Tri-County Regional Airport, Lone Rock, WI, and amends the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Tri-County Regional Airport and Richland Airport, Richland Center, WI, which is contained within the Lone Rock, WI, airspace legal description, to support instrument flight rule operations at this airport.

History

The FAA published a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register (85 FR 75267; November 25, 2020) for Docket No. FAA-2020-1059 to revoke the Class E surface airspace at Tri-County Regional Airport, Lone Rock, WI, and amend the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Tri-County Regional Airport and Richland Airport, Richland Center, WI. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. No comments were received.

Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6002 and 6005, respectively, 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 Class E airspace designations listed in this document will be published subsequently in the Order.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

This document amends 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.

The Rule

This amendment to 14 CFR part 71:

Revokes the Class E surface airspace at Tri-County Regional Airport, Lone Rock, WI, as the weather reporting and communications requirements of FAA Order 7400.2M, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters, are no longer being met to retain this airspace;

Amends the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.5-mile (increased from a 6.4-mile) radius of Tri-County Regional Airport, Lone Rock, WI; removes the city associated with the airport to comply with changes in FAA Order 7400.2M; and updates the geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database;

And amends the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.4-mile (decreased from a 7.3-miles) radius of Richland Airport, Richland Center, WI, which is contained within the Lone Rock, WI, airspace legal description; and updates the name (previously Richland Center Airport) and geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

This action is the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning of the Lone Rock VOR, which provided navigation information for the instrument procedures these airports, as part of the VOR MON Program.

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 only affects air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this rule, when promulgated, does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

Environmental Review

The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1F, “Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures,” paragraph 5-6.5.a. This airspace action is not expected to cause any potentially significant environmental impacts, and no extraordinary circumstances exist that warrant preparation of an environmental assessment.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

• Airspace
• Incorporation by reference
• Navigation (air)

Adoption of the Amendment

In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 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 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.

AGL WI E2 Lone Rock, WI [Remove]

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

AGL WI E5 Lone Rock, WI [Amended]

Tri-County Regional Airport, WI

(Lat. 43°12′43″ N, long. 90°10′47″ W)

Richland Airport, WI

(Lat. 43°17′00″ N, long. 90°17′54″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.5-mile radius of the Tri-County Regional Airport, and within a 6.4-mile radius of the Richland Airport.