Proposed Rules. Notice of availability; request for comments

Agency: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT)
Action: Notice of availability; request for comments
Citation: FR Doc. 2016-13331 · Docket No. FAA-2016-4000

Summary

This document announces the availability of the FAA National Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, Part 2. The report was developed in response to Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-95). The report and recommendations contained therein have been developed collaboratively with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) and the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS) labor unions and with input from stakeholders. The FAA seeks comments on this report.

Dates

Send comments on or before July 22, 2016.

Supplementary Information

Background Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-95) requires the FAA to develop a plan for realigning and consolidating facilities in an effort to support the transition to NextGen and reduce costs where such cost reductions can be implemented without adversely affecting safety. To address Section 804 requirements, the FAA formed a collaborative workgroup of representatives from the FAA and NATCA and PASS labor unions to develop a comprehensive process to analyze different realignment and consolidation scenarios. The collaborative process takes into account the following factors and criteria when prioritizing facilities for realignment analysis: NextGen readiness; the Terminal Automation program schedule; operational and airspace factors; existing facility conditions and workforce impacts; industry stakeholder input; costs and benefits associated with each potential realignment alternative; facilities and engineering planning and priorities; and employee career development. The collaborative workgroup developed the guiding principles and criteria for evaluating existing Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) operations. The principles support the goals of developing operationally viable realignment and consolidation scenarios, capturing recommendations, and outlining next steps. The workgroup has developed a repeatable and defensible four-step process to evaluate facility TRACON operations and prioritize for analysis; determine an initial set of realignment scenarios and a set of alternatives for each scenario; collect facility and operational data and document system requirements; document facility, equipment, infrastructure, operational and safety data; capture qualitative workforce considerations, including training, transition, facility, and potential workforce impacts of potential realignments; consider potential impacts on operations, airspace modifications, route/fixes changes, arrival/departure procedures, intra/inter-facility coordination, and pilot community interaction; collect and consider industry stakeholder input; quantify benefits and cost of potential realignments; and develop a recommendation for each realignment scenario. The recommendations contained in the report entitled “FAA National Facilities Realignment and Consolidation Report, Part 2” primarily consist of legacy sites. Legacy sites are those sites that were determined by the FAA to be realigned prior to enactment of Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and workgroup establishment. A copy of this report has been placed in the docket for this notice. The docket may be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov. A copy of the report has also been made available on the FAA's Web site at http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/recently_published/. The realignment recommendations outlined in the Part 2 report are the result of a collaborative process that involved a multi-disciplinary team of FAA management, labor, field facilities, finance, and subject matter experts. The Section 804 process serves as a stable foundation for future realignment analyses and recommendations. The process aims to maximize operational, administrative, and maintenance efficiencies, support transition to NextGen, and deliver the highest value to stakeholders. The FAA is requesting comments on this report pursuant to Section 804 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The agency will consider all comments received on or before July 22, 2016. Following a 60-day comment review period, the final report along with public comments will be submitted to Congress. The FAA continues to analyze data collected from facilities across the United States and evaluate possible realignment scenarios. Issued in Washington, DC, on May 31, 2016. Jim Pasto, Terminal Facilities Execution Team, Implementation Manager, Federal Aviation Administration. [FR Doc. 2016-13331 Filed 6-6-16; 8:45 am]