Proposed Rule2021-25608
Proposed Amendment of VOR Federal Airways V-7, V-341, and V-493; in the vicinity of Menominee, MI
Primary source
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Published
November 26, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
The FAA proposes to amend VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airways V-7, V-341, and V-493, in the vicinity of Menominee, MI. The airway amendments are necessary due to the planned decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Menominee, MI, VOR/Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) which these airways utilize for navigation guidance. The Menominee VOR is being decommissioned as part of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (VOR MON) program.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 225 (Friday, November 26, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 225 (Friday, November 26, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 67377-67379]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25608]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR 71
[Docket No. FAA-2021-0994; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-14]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Amendment of VOR Federal Airways V-7, V-341, and V-493;
in the vicinity of Menominee, MI
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to amend VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR)
Federal airways V-7, V-341, and V-493, in the vicinity of Menominee,
MI. The airway amendments are necessary due to the planned
decommissioning of the VOR portion of the Menominee, MI, VOR/Distance
Measuring Equipment (DME) which these airways utilize for navigation
guidance. The Menominee VOR is being decommissioned as part of the
FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (VOR MON) program.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before January 10, 2022.
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:
(800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify FAA Docket No.
FAA-2021-0994; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-14 at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FAA Order JO 7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points,
and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at <a href="https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/">https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/</a>. 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. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is also available for inspection at the
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on
the availability of FAA Order JO 7400.11F at NARA, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#660014480f0815160305120f0908260807140748010910"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="93f5e1bdfafde0e3f6f0e7fafcfdd3fdf2e1f2bdf4fce5">[email protected]</span></a> or go to <a href="https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html">https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jesse Acevedo, 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
[[Page 67378]]
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 airway structure as necessary to preserve the safe and
efficient flow of air traffic within the National Airspace System.
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-2021-0994; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-14) 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 <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>.
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-2021-0994; Airspace Docket No. 21-AGL-14.'' 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 NPRMs
An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded through the
internet at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at <a href="https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/">https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/</a>.
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, Central
Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood
Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.
Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference
This document proposes to amend FAA Order JO 7400.11F, Airspace
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10, 2021 and effective
September 15, 2021. FAA Order JO 7400.11F is publicly available as
listed in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order JO 7400.11F
lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service
routes, and reporting points.
Background
The FAA is planning decommissioning activities for the VOR portion
of the Menominee VOR/DME with a proposed effected date of September 8,
2022. The Menominee VOR was one of the candidate VORs identified for
discontinuance by the FAA's VOR MON program and listed in the Final
policy statement notice, ``Provision of Navigation Services for the
NextGen Transition to Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) (Plan for
Establishing a VOR MON),'' published in the Federal Register of July
26, 2016 (81 FR 48694), Docket No. FAA-2011-1082. Although the VOR
portion of the Menominee VOR/DME is planned for decommissioning, the
co-located Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) of the navigational aid
is being retained.
The airways affected by the Menominee VOR are V-7, V-341, and V-
493. With the planned decommissioning of the Menominee VOR, the
remaining ground-based navigational aid coverage in the area is
insufficient to enable the continuity of these affected airways. As
such, the proposal would result in airway segments being removed for V-
7 and V-493, and the creation of an airway gap in V-341. To overcome
the removed airway segments and the gap in the airway, instrument
flight rules (IFR) traffic may use adjacent VOR Federal airways V-78,
V-133, V-217, and V-271, or receive air traffic control radar vectors
to navigate through or around the affected area. Additionally, IFR
pilots equipped with Area Navigation capabilities may also file point
to point through the affected area using fixes that will remain in
place. Visual flight rules pilots, who elect to navigate through the
affected area, may utilize the ATC services listed previously.
The Proposal
The FAA is proposing an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to amend three
VOR Federal airways. The proposed airway amendments are described
below.
V-7: V-7 extends between the Dolphin, FL, VOR/Tactical Air
Navigation (VORTAC) and the Muscle Shoals, AL, VORTAC; between the
Pocket City, IN, VORTAC and the intersection of the Chicago Heights,
IL, VORTAC 358[deg] radial and the Badger, WI, VOR/DME 117[deg] radial;
and between the Green Bay, WI, VORTAC and the Sawyer, MI, VOR/DME. The
airspace below 2,000 feet MSL outside the United States is excluded and
the portion outside the United States has no upper limit. The FAA
proposes to remove the segment of the airway that extends between the
Green Bay, WI, VORTAC and Sawyer, MI, VOR/DME. Additionally, upon
review of the V-7 airway, the FAA has determined that the airway lies
wholly within the United States; therefore, the FAA also proposes to
remove the below 2,000 MSL exclusionary language and no upper limit
language for the portion outside the United States. The unaffected
portions of the existing airway would remain as charted.
V-341: V-341 extends between the Cedar Rapids, IA, VOR/DME and the
Houghton, MI, VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the segment of the
airway between the Green Bay, WI, VORTAC and the Iron Mountain, MI,
VOR/DME. The resulting airway would extend between the Cedar Rapids,
IA, VOR/DME and the Green Bay, WI, VORTAC; and between the Iron
Mountain, MI, VOR/DME and the Houghton, MI, VOR/DME.
V-493: V-493 extends between the Livingston, TN, VOR/DME and the
Appleton, OH, VORTAC; and between the Menominee, MI, VOR/DME and the
Rhinelander, WI, VOR/DME. The FAA proposes to remove the segment of the
airway from the Menominee, MI, VOR/DME and the Rhinelander, WI, VOR/
DME. The resulting airway would extend between the Livingston, TN,
[[Page 67379]]
VOR/DME and the Appleton, OH, VORTAC.
All of the navigational aid radials in the airway descriptions
below are stated in True degrees.
Domestic VOR Federal airways are published in paragraph 6010(a) of
FAA Order JO 7400.11F, dated August 10, 2021, and effective September
15, 2021, which are incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The VOR
Federal airways listed in this document would be published subsequently
in FAA JO 7400.11.
FAA Order JO 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
0
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.
Sec. 71.1 [Amended]
0
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO
7400.11F, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 10,
2021, and effective September 15, 2021, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6010(a), Domestic VOR Federal airways.
* * * * *
V-7 [Amended]
From Dolphin, FL; INT Dolphin 299[deg] and Lee County, FL,
120[deg] radials; Lee County; Lakeland, FL; Cross City, FL;
Seminole, FL; Wiregrass, AL; INT Wiregrass 333[deg] and Montgomery,
AL, 129[deg] radials; Montgomery; Vulcan, AL; to Muscle Shoals, AL.
From Pocket City, IN; INT Pocket City 016[deg] and Terre Haute, IN,
191[deg] radials; Terre Haute; Boiler, IN; Chicago Heights, IL; to
INT Chicago Heights 358[deg] and Badger, WI, 117[deg] radials.
* * * * *
V-341 [Amended]
From Cedar Rapids, IA; Dubuque, IA; Madison, WI; Oshkosh, WI; to
Green Bay, WI. From Iron Mountain, MI; Sawyer, MI; to Houghton, MI.
* * * * *
V-493 [Amended]
From Livingston, TN; Lexington, KY; York, KY; INT York 030[deg]
and Appleton, OH, 183[deg] radials; to Appleton.
* * * * *
Issued in Washington, DC.
Michael R. Beckles,
Acting Manager, Rules and Regulations Group.
[FR Doc. 2021-25608 Filed 11-24-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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