[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 163 (Thursday, August 24, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 40078-40080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17753]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2017-0618; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASW-9]


Proposed Establishment of Class D Airspace; Burns Flat, OK; 
Revocation of Class D Airspace; Clinton-Sherman Airport, OK; and 
Amendment of E Airspace for the Following Oklahoma Towns: Burns Flat, 
OK; Clinton, OK; and Elk City, OK

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: This action proposes to establish Class D airspace at Clinton-
Sherman Airport, Burns Flat, OK; remove Class D airspace at Clinton-
Sherman Airport, Clinton-Sherman Airport, OK; and amend Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Clinton-
Sherman Airport, Burns Flat, OK; Clinton Municipal Airport, Clinton, 
OK; and Elk City Regional Business Airport, Elk City, OK. The FAA is 
proposing this action due to the decommissioning of the Sayre co-
located VHF omnidirectional range and tactical air navigation (VORTAC) 
facility, which provided navigation guidance for the instrument 
procedures to these airports. The VORTAC is being decommissioned as 
part of the VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) Minimum Operational Network 
(MON) Program.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 10, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590; telephone 
(202) 366-9826, or 1-800-647-5527. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2017-0618; Airspace Docket No. 17-ASW-9 at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit 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 online 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: Jeffrey Claypool, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5711.

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,

[[Page 40079]]

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 establish 
Class D airspace at Clinton-Sherman Airport, Burns Flat, OK; remove 
Class D airspace at Clinton-Sherman Airport, Clinton-Sherman Airport, 
OK; and amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the 
surface at Clinton-Sherman Airport, Burns Flat, OK; Clinton Municipal 
Airport, Clinton, OK; and Elk City Regional Business Airport, Elk City, 
OK, to enhance the safety and support the management of IFR operations 
at these airports.

Comments Invited

    Interested parties are invited to participate in this proposed 
rulemaking 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. Commenters wishing the FAA to 
acknowledge receipt of their comments on this notice must submit with 
those comments a self-addressed, stamped postcard on which the 
following statement is made: ``Comments to Docket No. FAA-2017-0618; 
Airspace Docket No. 17-ASW-9.'' 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 the 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 during normal 
business hours at the Federal Aviation Administration, Air Traffic 
Organization, Central Service Center, Operations Support Group, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

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 proposing an amendment to Title 14 Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 71 that would:
    Establish Class D airspace within a 4.7-mile radius of Clinton-
Sherman Airport, Burns Flat, OK, to replace the airspace designation of 
Clinton-Sherman Airport, Clinton-Sherman Airport, OK, and bring the 
airspace descriptions in line with the requirements of FAA Order 
7400.2L, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters;
    Remove Class D airspace at Clinton-Sherman Airport, Clinton-Sherman 
Airport, OK; and Modify Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface as follows:
    Within a 7.2-mile radius (reduced from an 8.2-mile radius) of 
Clinton-Sherman Airport, Burns Flat, OK, and remove the Burns Flat 
VORTAC and extensions to the south and north of the airport from the 
airspace description;
    Correcting the airspace header to Clinton, OK, (formerly Clinton 
Municipal Airport, OK) to comply with FAA Order 7400.2L, remove the 
extension south of Clinton Regional Airport (formerly Clinton Municipal 
Airport), add an extension 2 miles each side of the 359[deg] bearing 
from the airport from the 6.5-mile radius to 7 miles north of the 
airport, and update the name of the airport to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database; and
    Within a 6.5-mile radius (increased from a 6.4-mile radius) of Elk 
City Regional Business Airport (formerly Elk City Municipal Airport), 
Elk City, OK, remove the extension to the northeast of the airport, 
remove the Elk City RBN from the airspace description, and update the 
name and geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the 
FAA's aeronautical database.
    Airspace reconfiguration is necessary due to the decommissioning of 
the Sayre VORTAC as part of the VOR MON Program, and to bring the 
airspace and airspace descriptions into compliance with FAA Order 
7400.2L. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management 
of standard instrument approach procedures for IFR operations at these 
airports.
    Class D and E airspace designations are published in paragraph 5000 
and 6005, respectively, 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 D and E airspace designations 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, is 
non-controversial and unlikely to result in adverse or negative 
comments. 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, would 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.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71

    Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).

[[Page 40080]]

The Proposed Amendment

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me, 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 14 CFR 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 FAA Order 7400.11A, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 3, 2016, and 
effective September 15, 2016, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ASW OK D Burns Flat, OK [New]

Clinton-Sherman Airport, OK
    (Lat. 35[deg]20'23'' N., long. 99[deg]12'02'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
4,500 feet within a 4.7-mile radius of Clinton-Sherman Airport. This 
Class D airspace area is effective during the specific dates and 
times established in advance by a Notice to Airmen. The effective 
date and time will thereafter be continuously published in the Chart 
Supplement.
* * * * *

ASW OK D Clinton-Sherman Airport, OK [Removed]

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

* * * * *

ASW OK E5 Burns Flat, OK [Amended]

Clinton-Sherman Airport, OK
    (Lat. 35[deg]20'23'' N., long. 99[deg]12'02'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 7.2-mile radius of Clinton-Sherman Airport.
* * * * *

ASW OK E5 Clinton, OK [Amended]

Clinton Regional Airport, OK
    (lat. 35[deg]32'18'' N., long. 98[deg]55'58'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.5-mile radius of Clinton Regional Airport, and within 2 
miles each side of the 359[deg] bearing from the airport extending 
from the 6.5-mile radius to 7 miles north of the airport.
* * * * *

ASW OK E5 Elk City, OK [Amended]

Elk City Regional Business Airport, OK
    (Lat. 35[deg]25'51'' N., long. 99[deg]23'39'' W.)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.5-mile radius of Elk City Regional Business Airport.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 16, 2017.
Walter Tweedy,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2017-17753 Filed 8-23-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P