Request for Emergency Processing of Collection of Information by the Office of Management and Budget; Emergency Clearance To Revise Information Collection 2120-0768, Part 107 Authorizations and Waivers, 47289-47290 [2017-21878]

Download as PDF asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices a foreseeable need for additional capacity at PHL, the airport sponsor, the City of Philadelphia, has elected to postpone several of the major components of CEP, including construction of the new southern runway and the extension of Runway 8/ 26. In support of this decision, the FAA is suspending the ROD for the PHL CEP. Projects currently underway will continue to completion. As circumstances change and new projects are proposed, environmental analyses for those projects will be conducted in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). DATES: Applicable upon publication in the Federal Register. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan L. McDonald, Environmental Protection Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Harrisburg Airports District Office, 3905 Hartzdale Drive, Suite 508, Harrisburg, PA 17011. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2003, the City of Philadelphia, the airport sponsor, who owns and operates PHL, asked FAA to consider ways to accommodate existing and forecasted aviation demands. PHL was one of the airports contributing to delays throughout the national airspace system, with delays approaching 20 minutes per average annual operation. Operations (aircraft takeoffs and landings) at PHL were increasing and forecasted to reach 555,112 in 2016 and 699,799 in 2025. Delays at PHL were attributed to airfield configuration deficiencies and operational constraints; particularly in poor weather conditions. The purpose of the CEP was to enhance airport capacity in order to accommodate current and future aviation demand in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area during all weather conditions. The FAA signed the ROD for the CEP on December 30, 2010. The CEP was designed to provide PHL with five runways connected by a redesigned and more efficient taxiway system. Under CEP, Runway 17/35 would remain as a 6,500-foot-long crosswind runway. Runway 8/26 would be extended 2,000 feet to the east, for a total length of 7,000 feet with an Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) constructed at the east end of the runway. Runway 9L/27R would remain at its current length (9,500 feet) and location. Runway 9R/27L would be extended to the east by 1,500 feet, to a total length of 12,000 feet, and would be renamed Runway 9C/27C. A new 9,103foot-long runway, Runway 9R/27L, would be constructed 1,600 feet south of Runway 9C/27C (existing 9R/27L). All existing navigational aids would be VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:58 Oct 10, 2017 Jkt 244001 relocated as necessary, or new navigational aids installed as required to meet the approach criteria for the particular runway end. The CEP included upgrades and reconfigurations to the existing terminal complex, and the addition of a new commuter terminal east of Runway 17/35. An automated people mover (APM) was to be constructed to transport passengers between terminals and parking facilities. The CEP would also have required the relocation or expansion of many of the other airport facilities, including cargo, general aviation (corporate), maintenance, fuel, training facilities, and deicing facilities. The FAA’s Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) was also to be relocated. In order to accommodate the CEP, several offairport facilities and properties needed to be acquired or, in some cases, relocated. The City of Philadelphia has actively worked to implement the various components of the CEP since 2010. To date, the City has acquired several parcels of land, constructed taxiway improvements, and begun work on extending Runway 9R/27L. During this period, changes in both the aviation industry and aviation activity have resulted in reductions in the number of operations at PHL. Although enplanements at PHL have remained steady, the number of aircraft takeoffs and landings has decreased. In 2016, annual operations at PHL were 394,022; nearly 30 percent lower than forecasted. This decrease in operations is attributed to airlines using larger planes that can seat more passengers, general aviation activity shifting to other regional airports, and consolidations within the airline industry, such as the merger of US Airways and American Airlines. This unforeseen drop in operations has resulted in the airport sponsor realigning its capital improvement program to address more immediate needs at the airport, and indefinitely deferring the construction of the southern runway and the Runway 8/26 extension. For these reasons, implementation of the ROD for the PHL CEP is being suspended. Projects currently underway at PHL will continue to completion. As circumstances change and new projects are proposed, environmental analyses for the projects will be conducted in accordance with NEPA. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan McDonald, Environmental Protection Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Harrisburg Airports District Office, 3905 Hartzdale Drive, PO 00000 Frm 00119 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 47289 Suite 508, Camp Hill, PA 17011, Telephone (717) 730–2841. Issued in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, October 3, 2017. Lori Pagnanelli, Manager, Harrisburg Airports District Office. [FR Doc. 2017–21880 Filed 10–10–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration [Docket No.: FAA–2017–0975] RIN 2120–0768 Request for Emergency Processing of Collection of Information by the Office of Management and Budget; Emergency Clearance To Revise Information Collection 2120–0768, Part 107 Authorizations and Waivers Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of Agency request for OMB emergency information collection processing and request for comments. AGENCY: FAA hereby gives notice it is submitting the following Information Collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Emergency processing under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations. FAA requests that OMB authorize the proposed collection of information identified below on, or before October 16, 2017, for a period of 180 days. ADDRESSES: A copy of this individual information collection request (ICR), with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by calling FAA’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) Program Manager: Casey Nair (tel. (202) 267–0369) or via email at Casey.Nair@faa.gov. Comments regarding these information collection requirements should include the title and OMB control number listed below and should be sent directly to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FAA Desk Officer. Comments may also be sent via email to OMB at oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Casey Nair, FAA’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) Program Manager, tel. (202) 267–0369 or via email at Casey.Nair@faa.gov. SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\11OCN1.SGM 11OCN1 47290 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 195 / Wednesday, October 11, 2017 / Notices asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: The FAA Seeks Emergency Clearance to Revise its Existing Information Collection 2120–0768, Part 107 Authorizations and Waivers under 14 CFR part 107. OMB Control Number: 2120–0768. Form Number(s): N/A. Affected Public: Businesses and Small UAS operators under 14 CFR part 107. Frequency of Submission: One submission per operation. Respondent Universe: small UAS operators under 14 CFR part 107. Reporting Burden: Total Estimated Responses: 124,000 authorization requests 2017 with a 35% increase per year every year after. Total Estimated Annual Burden: The FAA estimates that using the LAANC based method for authorizations will require five minutes per transaction. Therefore, the FAA estimates the total time burden using LAANC to be approximately 10,400 hours for authorizations. That number increases to 14,400 in 2018 and 18,954 in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Status: Emergency Review. Description: Under 14 CFR 107.41, ‘‘no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization from Air Traffic Control (ATC).’’ [14 CFR 107.41.] Since the promulgation of part 107, the FAA has received an extremely high volume of airspace authorization requests for UAS operations. From September 2016 to July 2017 the Agency received 20,566 authorization requests. Of these, the Agency has processed 14,334 and continues to have over 6,000 authorizations in the processing queue. Requests have steadily increased over time, and the FAA expects the queue will exceed 25,000 pending authorizations within the next 6 months. The volume of these authorization requests has dramatically increased the time between submission and approval of those authorization requests. Currently, airspace authorization requests may be in queue sixty to ninety days before receiving a response. The time necessary to process these requests has resulted in an increase in safety reports due to noncompliant operations. Today there are an average of 250 safety reports a month, or approximately 1,500 over a six-month period, associated with a potential risk of an incident between manned aircraft and a UAS. In addition, because of the lengthy queue for processing through the authorization VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:58 Oct 10, 2017 Jkt 244001 Web site, Air Traffic Controllers routinely receive calls from UAS operators seeking approval to operate. These calls create distractions for Air Traffic Control management and in some cases can impact the controllers managing manned traffic creating a potential safety hazard. To mitigate these potential hazards, the FAA is seeking to implement the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) system. Using the LAANC system, the FAA will be able to grant near-real time authorizations for the vast majority of operations. Implementation of the LAANC system is vital to the safety of the National Airspace System because it would (1) encourage compliance with 14 CFR 107.41 by speeding up the time to process authorization requests (2) reduce distraction of controllers working in the Tower, and (3) increase public access and capacity of the system to grant authorizations. LAANC is expected to dramatically reduce the incidence of noncompliant operations. The FAA estimates a minimum of 30% reduction in noncompliant operations would result in 450 fewer safety reports over the next six months. As provided under 5 CFR 1320.13, Emergency Processing, DOT is requesting emergency processing for this new collection of information as specified in the PRA and its implementing regulations. DOT cannot reasonably comply with normal clearance procedures because the use of normal clearance procedures is reasonably likely to result in further distraction to Air Traffic Controllers and further non-compliant operations. Due to the pressing safety consideration of reducing safety reports due to noncompliant UAS operations, the FAA cannot wait the normal 90 days of public comment. Therefore, FAA is requesting OMB approval of this collection of information 7 days after publication of this Notice in the Federal Register. Upon OMB approval of its Emergency clearance request, FAA will follow the normal clearance procedures for the information collection associated with LAANC. Also included in the request for processing for the purposes of transparency are non-substantive changes to the Web site portal for requesting airspace authorizations. These changes include new branding of the Web site portal DroneZone and improvements to the external customer experience. It’s expected that operations that are relatively simple will go through LAANC’s automated approval process while more complex operations that require a more thorough review by PO 00000 Frm 00120 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 FAA subject matter experts (SME) will go through the FAA’s DroneZone electronic portal. Again, these changes will create greater access to airspace authorizations and decrease the number of non-compliant operations. Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b), 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FAA informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520. Issued in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2017. Casey Nair, LAANC Program Manager. [FR Doc. 2017–21878 Filed 10–10–17; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–13–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Highway Administration Notice of Rescission of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the I–94 East-West Corridor Project in the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of Transportation. ACTION: Notice of rescission of the Record of Decision. AGENCY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the ROD for the proposed I–94 East-West Corridor (70th Street to 16th Street) Project in the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin is rescinded effective with this notice. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bethaney Bacher-Gresock, Major Project Environmental Manager, Federal Highway Administration, 525 Junction Road, Suite 8000, Madison, Wisconsin, 53717–2157, Telephone: (608) 662– 2119. SUMMARY: The FHWA, as the lead Federal agency, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) signed a ROD on September 9, 2016 for the I–94 East-West Corridor (70th Street to 16th Street) Project; it is hereby rescinded. The purpose of the project was to address the deteriorated infrastructure condition of I–94, including obsolete roadway and bridge design, and thereby maintain a state of good repair and improve safety along approximately 3.5 miles of I–94. The proposed project included modernizing SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: E:\FR\FM\11OCN1.SGM 11OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 195 (Wednesday, October 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47289-47290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21878]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

[Docket No.: FAA-2017-0975]
RIN 2120-0768


Request for Emergency Processing of Collection of Information by 
the Office of Management and Budget; Emergency Clearance To Revise 
Information Collection 2120-0768, Part 107 Authorizations and Waivers

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Agency request for OMB emergency information 
collection processing and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: FAA hereby gives notice it is submitting the following 
Information Collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Emergency processing under the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (PRA) and its implementing regulations. FAA requests that OMB 
authorize the proposed collection of information identified below on, 
or before October 16, 2017, for a period of 180 days.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this individual information collection request 
(ICR), with applicable supporting documentation, may be obtained by 
calling FAA's unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) Low Altitude 
Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) Program Manager: 
Casey Nair (tel. (202) 267-0369) or via email at Casey.Nair@faa.gov. 
Comments regarding these information collection requirements should 
include the title and OMB control number listed below and should be 
sent directly to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget, 725 Seventeenth Street NW., 
Washington, DC 20503, Attention: FAA Desk Officer. Comments may also be 
sent via email to OMB at oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Casey Nair, FAA's unmanned aircraft 
systems (UAS) Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability 
(LAANC) Program Manager, tel. (202) 267-0369 or via email at 
Casey.Nair@faa.gov.

[[Page 47290]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: The FAA Seeks Emergency Clearance to Revise its Existing 
Information Collection 2120-0768, Part 107 Authorizations and Waivers 
under 14 CFR part 107.
    OMB Control Number: 2120-0768.
    Form Number(s): N/A.
    Affected Public: Businesses and Small UAS operators under 14 CFR 
part 107.
    Frequency of Submission: One submission per operation.
    Respondent Universe: small UAS operators under 14 CFR part 107.
    Reporting Burden:
    Total Estimated Responses: 124,000 authorization requests 2017 with 
a 35% increase per year every year after.
    Total Estimated Annual Burden: The FAA estimates that using the 
LAANC based method for authorizations will require five minutes per 
transaction. Therefore, the FAA estimates the total time burden using 
LAANC to be approximately 10,400 hours for authorizations. That number 
increases to 14,400 in 2018 and 18,954 in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
    Status: Emergency Review.
    Description: Under 14 CFR 107.41, ``no person may operate a small 
unmanned aircraft in Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within 
the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace 
designated for an airport unless that person has prior authorization 
from Air Traffic Control (ATC).'' [14 CFR 107.41.] Since the 
promulgation of part 107, the FAA has received an extremely high volume 
of airspace authorization requests for UAS operations. From September 
2016 to July 2017 the Agency received 20,566 authorization requests. Of 
these, the Agency has processed 14,334 and continues to have over 6,000 
authorizations in the processing queue. Requests have steadily 
increased over time, and the FAA expects the queue will exceed 25,000 
pending authorizations within the next 6 months. The volume of these 
authorization requests has dramatically increased the time between 
submission and approval of those authorization requests. Currently, 
airspace authorization requests may be in queue sixty to ninety days 
before receiving a response. The time necessary to process these 
requests has resulted in an increase in safety reports due to non-
compliant operations. Today there are an average of 250 safety reports 
a month, or approximately 1,500 over a six-month period, associated 
with a potential risk of an incident between manned aircraft and a UAS. 
In addition, because of the lengthy queue for processing through the 
authorization Web site, Air Traffic Controllers routinely receive calls 
from UAS operators seeking approval to operate. These calls create 
distractions for Air Traffic Control management and in some cases can 
impact the controllers managing manned traffic creating a potential 
safety hazard. To mitigate these potential hazards, the FAA is seeking 
to implement the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability 
(LAANC) system. Using the LAANC system, the FAA will be able to grant 
near-real time authorizations for the vast majority of operations. 
Implementation of the LAANC system is vital to the safety of the 
National Airspace System because it would (1) encourage compliance with 
14 CFR 107.41 by speeding up the time to process authorization requests 
(2) reduce distraction of controllers working in the Tower, and (3) 
increase public access and capacity of the system to grant 
authorizations. LAANC is expected to dramatically reduce the incidence 
of noncompliant operations. The FAA estimates a minimum of 30% 
reduction in noncompliant operations would result in 450 fewer safety 
reports over the next six months.
    As provided under 5 CFR 1320.13, Emergency Processing, DOT is 
requesting emergency processing for this new collection of information 
as specified in the PRA and its implementing regulations. DOT cannot 
reasonably comply with normal clearance procedures because the use of 
normal clearance procedures is reasonably likely to result in further 
distraction to Air Traffic Controllers and further non-compliant 
operations. Due to the pressing safety consideration of reducing safety 
reports due to non-compliant UAS operations, the FAA cannot wait the 
normal 90 days of public comment. Therefore, FAA is requesting OMB 
approval of this collection of information 7 days after publication of 
this Notice in the Federal Register. Upon OMB approval of its Emergency 
clearance request, FAA will follow the normal clearance procedures for 
the information collection associated with LAANC.
    Also included in the request for processing for the purposes of 
transparency are non-substantive changes to the Web site portal for 
requesting airspace authorizations. These changes include new branding 
of the Web site portal DroneZone and improvements to the external 
customer experience. It's expected that operations that are relatively 
simple will go through LAANC's automated approval process while more 
complex operations that require a more thorough review by FAA subject 
matter experts (SME) will go through the FAA's DroneZone electronic 
portal. Again, these changes will create greater access to airspace 
authorizations and decrease the number of non-compliant operations.
    Under 44 U.S.C. 3507(a) and 5 CFR 1320.5(b), 1320.8(b)(3)(vi), FAA 
informs all interested parties that it may not conduct or sponsor, and 
a respondent is not required to respond to, a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501-3520.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on October 4, 2017.
Casey Nair,
LAANC Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 2017-21878 Filed 10-10-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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