Proposed Rule2023-03585
Establishment of Class E Airspace; Ellsworth, Augusta, and Waterville, ME
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 24, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
This action proposes to establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for Maine Coast Memorial Heliport, Ellsworth, Maine; Maine General Medical Center/Augusta Heliport, Augusta, Maine; Maine General Medical Center-Waterville Heliport, Waterville, Maine, as instrument approach procedures have been designed for each heliport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 37 (Friday, February 24, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 37 (Friday, February 24, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 11833-11835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03585]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2023-0099; Airspace Docket No. 22-ANE-12]
RIN 2120-AA66
Establishment of Class E Airspace; Ellsworth, Augusta, and
Waterville, ME
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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[[Page 11834]]
SUMMARY: This action proposes to establish Class E airspace extending
upward from 700 feet above the surface for Maine Coast Memorial
Heliport, Ellsworth, Maine; Maine General Medical Center/Augusta
Heliport, Augusta, Maine; Maine General Medical Center-Waterville
Heliport, Waterville, Maine, as instrument approach procedures have
been designed for each heliport. Controlled airspace is necessary for
the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations
in the area.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 10, 2023.
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 Docket No. FAA-
2023-0099; Airspace Docket No. 22-ANE-12 at the beginning of your
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>.
FAA Order JO 7400.11G Airspace Designations and Reporting Points
and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at <a href="http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/">www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/</a>. For further information, contact the Rules
and Regulations Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; Telephone: (202) 267-
8783.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Fornito, Operations Support
Group, Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 1701
Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; Telephone: (404) 305-6364.
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 establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet
above the surface for Maine Coast Memorial Heliport, Ellsworth, Maine,
and Maine General Medical Center/Augusta Heliport, Augusta, Maine, and
Maine General Medical Center-Waterville Heliport, Waterville, Maine, to
support IFR operations in the area. Controlled airspace is necessary
for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR)
operations in the area.
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 a 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 (Docket No. FAA-
2023-0099; Airspace Docket No. 22-ANE-12) and be submitted in
triplicate to the Docket Management Facility (see ADDRESSES section for
the address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the
internet at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">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-2023-0099; Airspace Docket No. 22-ANE-12.'' The postcard
will be dated/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 document may be changed in light of the
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="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. Recently published rulemaking
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at
<a href="http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/">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 for federal
holidays. An informal docket may also be examined between 8:00 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except federal holidays at the office
of the Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, Room
350, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337.
Incorporation by Reference
Class E airspace designations are published in Paragraph 6005 of
FAA Order JO 7400.11, This document proposes to amend FAA Order JO
7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, which is
incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 on an annual basis. This
document proposes to amend the current version of that order, FAA Order
JO 7400.11G, dated August 19, 2022, and effective September 15, 2022.
These updates would be published subsequently in the next update to FAA
Order JO 7400.11. FAA Order JO 7400.11G is publicly available as listed
in the ADDRESSES section of this document.
FAA Order JO 7400.11G lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas,
air traffic service routes, and reporting points.
The Proposal
The FAA proposes an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to establish Class
E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for Maine
Coast Memorial Heliport, Ellsworth, Maine; Maine General Medical
Center/Augusta Heliport, Augusta, Maine; and Maine General Medical
Center-Waterville Heliport, Waterville, Maine, as instrument approach
procedures have been designed for each heliport. Controlled airspace is
necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules
(IFR) operations in the area.
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 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
[[Page 11835]]
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.
Lists 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 Federal Aviation
Administration Order JO 7400.11G, Airspace Designations and Reporting
Points, dated August 19, 2022, and effective September 15, 2022, is
amended as follows:
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
ANE ME E5 Ellsworth, ME [Established]
Maine Coast Memorial Heliport, ME
(Lat. 44[deg]32'48'' N, long. 68[deg]25'03'' W)
Point in Space Coordinates
(Lat. 44[deg]33'09'' N; long. 68[deg]25'17'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 6.0-mile radius of the point in space coordinates for Maine
Coast Memorial Heliport.
ANE ME E5 Augusta, ME [Established]
Maine General Medical Center/Augusta Heliport, ME
(Lat. 44[deg]21'43'' N, long. 69[deg]46'47'' W)
Point in Space Coordinates
(Lat. 44[deg]21'44'' N; long. 69[deg]47'35'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 6.0-mile radius of the point in space coordinates for Maine
General Medical Center/Augusta Heliport.
ANE ME E5 Waterville, ME [Established]
Maine General Medical Center-Waterville Heliport, ME
(Lat. 44[deg]33'58'' N, long. 69[deg]38'52'' W)
Point in Space Coordinates
(Lat. 44[deg]33'23'' N; long. 69[deg]38'30'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 6.0-mile radius of the point in space coordinates for Maine
General Medical Center-Waterville Heliport.
Issued in College Park, Georgia, on February 15, 2023.
Lisa Burrows,
Manager, Airspace & Procedures Team North, Eastern Service Center, Air
Traffic Organization.
[FR Doc. 2023-03585 Filed 2-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 24, 2023.
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