[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 7, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 26406-26407]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11395]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2016-9549; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-5]


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace, Alexander City, AL

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 Alexander 
City, AL, due to the decommissioning of the Alexander City non-
directional beacon (NDB), which requires airspace reconfiguration at 
Thomas C Russell 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 July 24, 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-2016-
9549; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-5, 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, 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 at Thomas C Russell Field Airport, 
Alexander City,

[[Page 26407]]

AL to ensure the safety and management of IFR operations at the 
airport.

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-2016-9549; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASO-5.'' 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 through the 
internet at 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, GA 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 amend Class E airspace extending upward 
from 700 feet or more above the surface within a 7.7-mile radius of 
Thomas C Russell Field Airport, Alexander City, AL. The segment 
extending from the 7.7-mile radius of the airport to 7 miles south of 
the Alexander City NDB would be removed due to the decommissioning of 
the Alexander City NDB and cancellation of the NDB approach, and for 
continued safety and management of IFR operations at the airport. The 
geographic coordinates of the airport also would be adjusted to 
coincide with the FAAs 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 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 7400.11A, Airspace Designations and Reporting 
Points, dated August 3, 2016, and 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 AL E5 Alexander City, AL [Amended]

Thomas C. Russell Field Airport, AL
    (Lat. 32[deg]54'53'' N., long. 85[deg]57'47'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 7.7-mile radius of Thomas C. Russell Field Airport.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on May 19, 2017.
Ryan W. Almasy,
Manager, Operations Support Group, Eastern Service Center, Air Traffic 
Organization.
[FR Doc. 2017-11395 Filed 6-6-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P