[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5346-5347]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01586]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2019-0787; Airspace Docket No. 19-ASW-11]
RIN 2120-AA66
Proposed Amendment of Class E Airspace; Sweetwater, TX
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 areas extending
upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth at Avenger
Field Airport, Sweetwater, TX. The FAA is proposing this action as the
result of an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the
Sweetwater non-directional radio beacon (NDB). The geographic
coordinates for the airport and the name of the airport would 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-2019-0787; Airspace Docket No. 19-ASW-11, 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: Rebecca Shelby, Federal Aviation
Administration, Operations Support Group, Central Service Center, 10101
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5857.
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 Avenger Field Airport, in support
of standard instrument approach procedures for IFR operations at the
airport.
Comments Invited
Interested parties are invited to participate in this proposed
rulemaking by submitting such written data, views,
[[Page 5347]]
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-
0787; Airspace Docket No. 19-ASW-11.'' 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/">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 Class E airspace extending
upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.6-mile radius of the
Avenger Field Airport, Sweetwater, TX, and within 2 miles each side of
the 174[deg] bearing from the airport extending from the 6.6-mile
radius to 12.1 miles southeast of the airport, and by removing the
Sweetwater NDB and associated extension from the airspace legal
description; and removing the city associated with the airport from the
airspace legal description to comply with FAA Order 7400.2L, Procedures
for Handling Airspace Matters and updating the geographic coordinates
of the airport to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. This
action would enhance safety and the management of IFR operations at the
airport.
Class E airspace designations are published in paragraph 6005 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 designation 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 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).
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 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward from 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
ASW TX E5 Sweetwater, TX [Amended]
Avenger Field Airport, TX
(Lat. 32[deg]28'03'' N, long 100[deg]27'00'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 6.6-mile radius of the Avenger Field Airport, and within 2
miles each side of the 174[deg] bearing from the airport extending
from the 6.6-mile radius to 12.1 miles southeast of the airport.
Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 23, 2020.
Steve Szukala,
Acting Manager, Operations Support Group, ATO Central Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2020-01586 Filed 1-29-20; 8:45 am]
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