[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5350-5352]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01575]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2019-1044; Airspace Docket No. 19-ASW-19]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; McAlester, Henryetta, and 
Poteau, OK

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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[[Page 5351]]

SUMMARY: This action proposes to amend the Class E surface area 
airspace at McAlester Regional Airport, McAlester, OK, and the Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Henryetta 
Municipal Airport, Henryetta, OK; McAlester Regional Airport; and 
Robert S. Kerr Airport, Poteau, OK. The FAA is proposing this action as 
the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning of the 
McAlester VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid, which 
provided navigation information for the instrument procedures at these 
airports. The geographic coordinates of the McAlester Regional Airport 
would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. 
Airspace redesign is necessary for the safety and management of 
instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at these airports.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 16, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on this proposal to the U.S. Department of 
Transportation, Docket Operations, West Building Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590; telephone 
(202) 366-9826, or (800) 647-5527. You must identify FAA Docket No. 
FAA-2019-1044/Airspace Docket No. 19-ASW-19 at the beginning of your 
comments. You may also submit comments through the internet at https://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 7400.11D, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed online at https://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 7400.11D at NARA, email [email protected] 
or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

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, 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 the Class E surface area airspace at McAlester 
Regional Airport, McAlester, OK, and the Class E airspace extending 
upward from 700 feet above the surface at Henryetta Municipal Airport, 
Henryetta, OK; McAlester Regional Airport; and Robert S. Kerr Airport, 
Poteau, OK, to support 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-2019-1044/
Airspace Docket No. 19-ASW-19.'' 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 https://www.regulations.gov. Recently published rulemaking 
documents can also be accessed through the FAA's web page at https://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 7400.11D, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and effective 
September 15, 2019. FAA Order 7400.11D is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11D 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 by:
    Amending the Class E surface area airspace at McAlester Regional 
Airport, McAlester, OK, by adding an extension within 1 mile each side 
of the 020[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 4-mile 
radius to 4.1 miles north of the airport; and updating the geographic 
coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical 
database;
    Amending the Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface to within a 6.3-mile radius (decreased from a 7.1-
mile radius) at Henryetta Municipal Airport, Henryetta, OK; and 
removing the Henryetta Medical Center Heliport and associated airspace 
from the Henryetta, OK, airspace legal description as the instrument 
procedures at the heliport have been cancelled and the airspace is no 
longer required;
    Amending the Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 feet 
above the surface at McAlester Regional

[[Page 5352]]

Airport, McAlester, OK, by removing the McAlester VORTAC and associated 
extensions from the airspace legal description; removing the Wampa LOM 
and associated extension from the airspace legal description as it is 
no longer required; removing the McAlester Regional Health Center 
Heliport and associated airspace contained within the McAlester, OK, 
airspace legal description as the instrument procedures at the heliport 
have been cancelled and the airspace is no longer required; removing 
the exclusionary language from the airspace legal description as it is 
no longer required; adding an extension 2 miles each side of the 
020[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 6.5-mile radius to 
10.4 miles north of the airport; and adding an extension 2 miles each 
side of the 200[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 6.5-
mile radius to 10.5 miles south of the airport; and updating the 
geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database;
    And amending the Class E airspace area extending upward from 700 
feet above the surface at Robert S. Kerr Airport, Poteau, OK, by 
removing the Rich Mountain VORTAC and associated extension from the 
airspace legal description as it is no longer required; removing the 
Eastern Oklahoma Medical Center Heliport and associated airspace 
contained within the Poteau, OK, airspace legal description as the 
instrument procedures at the heliport have been cancelled and the 
airspace is no longer required; and removing the city associated with 
Robert S. Kerr Airport in the header of the airspace legal description 
to comply with changes to FAA Order 7400.2M, Procedures for Handling 
Airspace Matters.
    These actions are the result of airspace reviews caused by the 
decommissioning of the McAlester VOR, which provided navigation 
information for the instrument procedures at these airports.
    Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6002 and 
6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11D, dated August 8, 2019, and 
effective September 15, 2019, which is incorporated by reference in 14 
CFR 71.1. The Class E airspace designations listed in this document 
will be published subsequently in the Order.
    FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, is 
published yearly and effective on September 15.

Regulatory Notices and Analyses

    The FAA has determined that this 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 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).

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 7400.11D, 
Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 8, 2019, and 
effective September 15, 2019, is amended as follows:

Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as a Surface Area.

* * * * *

ASW OK E2 McAlester, OK [Amended]

McAlester Regional Airport, OK
    (Lat. 34[deg]52'57'' N, long. 95[deg]47'01'' W)

    Within a 4-mile radius of McAlester Regional Airport, and within 
1 mile each side of the 020[deg] degree bearing from the airport 
extending from the 4-mile radius to 4.1 miles north of the airport.

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

* * * * *

ASW OK E5 Henryetta, OK [Amended]

Henryetta Municipal Airport, OK
    (Lat. 35[deg]24'25'' N, long. 96[deg]00'57'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.3-mile radius of Henryetta Municipal Airport.
* * * * *

ASW OK E5 McAlester, OK [Amended]

    McAlester Regional Airport, OK
    (Lat. 34[deg]52'57'' N, long. 95[deg]47'01'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.5-mile radius of McAlester Regional Airport, and within 2 
miles each side of the 020[deg] bearing from the airport extending 
from the 6.5-mile radius to 10.4 miles north of the airport, and 
within 2 miles each side of the 200[deg] bearing from the airport 
extending from the 6.5-mile radius to 10.5 miles south of the 
airport.
* * * * *

ASW OK E5 Poteau, OK [Amending]

Robert S. Kerr Airport, OK
    (Lat. 35[deg]01'18'' N, long. 94[deg]37'17'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.4-mile radius of Robert S. Kerr Airport.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 22, 2020.
Steve Szukala,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-01575 Filed 1-29-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P