[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 66 (Friday, April 7, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 16953-16955]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06751]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-0071; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-3]


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace, Laurel, MS

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend Class E airspace at Laurel, MS, 
as the Tallahala Non-Directional Radio Beacon (NDB) has been 
decommissioned, requiring airspace reconfiguration at Hesler-Noble 
Field Airport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and 
management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport. 
This action also would update the geographic coordinates of the 
airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before May 22, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to: U. S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Bldg. Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; Telephone: 1-
800-647-5527, or 202-366-9826. You must identify the Docket No. FAA-
2017-0071; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-3, at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit and review received comments through the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. You may review the public 
docket containing the proposal, any comments received, and any final 
disposition in person in the Dockets Office between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    FAA Order 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed on line at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. For further information, you can contact the 
Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20591; telephone: 202-267-
8783. The Order is also available for inspection at the National 
Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the 
availability of FAA Order 7400.11A at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to 
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal-regulations/ibr_locations.html.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Fornito, Operations Support 
Group, Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, P.O. 
Box 20636, Atlanta, Georgia 30320; 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,

[[Page 16954]]

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 amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at Hesler-Noble Field Airport, Laurel, MS.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on this rule 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 and be submitted 
in triplicate to the address listed above. You may also submit comments 
through the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
    Persons 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 Docket 
No. FAA-2017-0071; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-3.'' The postcard will be 
date/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 notice may be changed in light of the 
comments received. 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 from and 
comments submitted through http://www.regulations.gov. Recently 
published rulemaking documents can also be accessed through the FAA's 
Web page at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/airspace_amendments/.
    You may review the public docket containing the proposal, any 
comments received, and any final disposition in person in the Dockets 
Office (see the 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 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, Georgia 30337.

Availability and Summary of Documents for Incorporation by Reference

    This document proposes to amend FAA Order 7400.11A, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and effective 
September 15, 2016. FAA Order 7400.11A is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11A lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA is considering an amendment to Title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 to modify Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet or more above the surface within a 8.4-mile radius 
(increased from 7.5 miles) of Hesler-Noble Field Airport, due to the 
decommissioning of the Tallahala NDB and cancellation of the NDB 
approach, and for continued safety and management of IFR operations at 
the airport. In addition, the FAA proposes to remove the 5-mile wide 
segment from the Tallahala NDB extending from the current 7.5-mile 
radius to 7 miles northwest of the NDB (excluding that airspace within 
the Hattiesburg, MS Class E airspace area). The geographic coordinates 
of the airport would be adjusted to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database.
    Class E airspace designations are published in Paragraph 6005 of 
FAA Order 7400.11A, dated August 3, 2016, and effective September 15, 
2016, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1. The Class E 
airspace designation listed in this document will be published 
subsequently in the Order.

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 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 would 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 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting 
Points, dated August 3, 2016, effective September 15, 2016, is amended 
as follows:

Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.

* * * * *

ASO MS E5 Laurel, MS [Amended]

Laurel, Hesler-Noble Field Airport, MS
    (Lat. 31[deg]40'23'' N., long. 89[deg]10'22'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within an 8.4-mile radius of Hesler-Noble Field Airport.


[[Page 16955]]


    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on March 27, 2017
Joey L. Medders,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, Eastern Service Center, Air 
Traffic Organization.
[FR Doc. 2017-06751 Filed 4-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P