[Federal Register: February 27, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 39)]
[Notices]
[Page 9019-9020]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27fe02-132]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
on the Potomac Consolidated Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON)
Airspace Redesign
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for redesign of the airspace in
the Baltimore-Washington Area. The proposed action is to redesign the
airspace in the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area excluding noise
abatement procedures. This involves developing new routes, altitudes
and procedures to take advantage of the new Potomac Consolidated
TRACON, improved aircraft performance, and emerging air traffic control
technologies. The proposed action is not dependent on development at
any of the airports in the study area.
The airspace redesign study encompasses the area within a 75-
nautical mile radius centered on a radio navigational aid in
Georgetown, within the District of Columbia. The study area comprises
portions of five states--Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and
West Virginia--and the entire District.
[[Page 9020]]
This EIS is tiered from an earlier EIS that evaluated environmental
impacts that could result from a decision to physically consolidate the
four Baltimore-Washington metropolitan areas TRACONs into a new
building somewhere in the area. The first tier or ``building EIS''
resulted in FAA issuing a Record of Decision (ROD) on June 3, 1999. The
ROD documented the decision to consolidate four existing TRACONs into a
new facility at Vint Hill in Fauquier County, Virginia. Subsequent to
the ROD, the decision was made to consolidate the Richmond TRACON into
the PCT. However, the incorporation of the Richmond TRACON has no
effect on the scope of the airspace redesign.
The purpose of this airspace redesign is to take full advantage of
the benefits afforded by the newly consolidated TRACON facility by
increasing air traffic efficiency and enhancing safety in the
Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area.
Copies of the DEIS are available for review at major libraries in
the study area. A summary of the DEIS can be viewed on the Internet at
http://www.faa.gov/ats/potomac.
DATES: Written comments on the DEIS will be accepted until May 23,
2002. Written comments may be sent to: FAA Potomac TRACON Air Traffic
2400, Attention: Fred Bankert, 3699 Macintosh Drive, Warrenton, VA
20187. Oral or written comments may also be delivered at a series of
six public hearings that will be held in April 2002 and will be
announced separately.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Potomac Consolidated TRACON (800) 762-
9531, Email: 9-AEA-PCT-Comments@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A TRACON facility provides radar air traffic
control services to aircraft operating on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) procedures generally beyond 5 miles and
within 50 miles of the host airport at altitudes from the surface to
approximately 17,000 feet. These distances and altitudes may vary
depending on local conditions and infrastructural constraints such as
adequate radar and radio frequency coverage. The primary function of
the TRACON is to provide a variety of air traffic control services to
arrival, departure, and transient aircraft within its assigned
airspace. These services include aircraft separation, in flight traffic
advisories and navigational assistance. When fully operational, the
Potomac Consolidated TRACON will provide terminal radar air traffic
control services to the four major airports and a number of small
reliever airports located within the Baltimore-Washington area. It will
also provide service to the Richmond, VA airport.
This EIS considers four airspace redesign alternatives consisting
of a No Action Alternative and three other alternatives that address
changes in routes and altitudes for aircraft away from the close-in
airport environment. Changes to initial departure or final arrival
procedures are not proposed. Generally, aircraft would be three to five
miles from the departure/arrival airport before the changes that are
proposed for each alternative would take effect, with the exception of
the No Action Alternative, which considers no changes to the existing
airspace. None of the alternatives would produce significant
environmental impact. Additionally, current noise abatement procedures
at the airports would not be changed under any of the alternatives.
Dated: February 20, 2002 in Washington, DC.
Barbara Jo Cogliandro,
Air Traffic Manager, Potomac Consolidated TRACON.
[FR Doc. 02-4630 Filed 2-26-02; 8:45 am]
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