[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 135 (Monday, July 19, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 37939-37941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15221]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0536; Airspace Docket No. 21-ASO-20]
RIN 2120-AA66


Proposed Establishment of Class D Airspace, and Amendment of 
Class E Airspace; Gulf Shores, AL

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 and amend 
Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface for 
Jack Edwards National Airport, Gulf Shores, AL, as a new air traffic 
control tower will service the airport. This action would also update 
the airport's name and geographic coordinates under the existing Class 
E airspace. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and 
management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations in the area.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 2, 2021.

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 20590-0001; 
Telephone: (800) 647-5527, or (202) 366-9826. You must identify the 
Docket No. FAA-2020-0536; Airspace Docket No. 21-ASO-20, at the 
beginning of your comments. You may also submit comments through the 
internet at https://www.regulations.gov.
    FAA Order 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and 
subsequent amendments can be viewed on line 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 7400.11E at NARA, email [email protected] 
or go to https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  John Fornito, Operations Support 
Group, Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation Administration, 1701 
Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; 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 establish Class D airspace and amend

[[Page 37940]]

Class E airspace for Jack Edwards National Airport, Gulf Shores, AL.

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on 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 (Docket No. FAA-
2020-0536 and Airspace Docket No. 21-ASO-20) and be submitted in 
triplicate to DOT Docket Operations (see ADDRESSES section for the 
address and phone number). You may also submit comments through the 
internet at https://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 FAA 
Docket No. FAA-2020-0536; Airspace Docket No. 21-ASO-20''. 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 document may be changed in light of the 
comments received. All comments submitted will be available for 
examination in the public docket both before and after the comment 
closing date. 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 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 7400.11E, Airspace 
Designations and Reporting Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective 
September 15, 2020. FAA Order 7400.11E is publicly available as listed 
in the ADDRESSES section of this document. FAA Order 7400.11E lists 
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and 
reporting points.

The Proposal

    The FAA proposes an amendment to 14 CFR part 71 to establish Class 
D airspace for Jack Edwards National Airport, Gulf Shores, AL, as a new 
air traffic control tower will service the airport. Also, an airspace 
evaluation resulted in increasing the radius of the existing Class E 
airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to 6.8 miles 
from 6.5 miles. In addition, the FAA proposes to update the name and 
geographic coordinates of the airport to coincide with the FAA's 
aeronautical database. Finally, the city name would be removed from the 
airspace header under the existing Class E airspace to comply with the 
7400.M.
    Class D and Class E airspace designations are published in 
Paragraphs 5000, and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order 7400.11E, dated 
July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, 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.
    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. 
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.

List 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 7400.11E, Airspace Designations and Reporting 
Points, dated July 21, 2020, and effective September 15, 2020, is 
amended as follows:

Paragraph 5000 Class D Airspace.

* * * * *

ASO AL D Gulf Shores, AL [New]

Jack Edwards National Airport, AL
    (Lat. 30[deg]17'23' W'' N, long. 87[deg]40'18'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from the surface to and including 
2,000 feet MSL, within a 4.3-mile radius of Jack Edwards National 
Airport, excluding that airspace within Restricted Area R-2908. 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.

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

* * * * *

[[Page 37941]]

ASO AL E5 Gulf Shores, AL [Amended]

Jack Edwards National Airport, AL
    (Lat. 30[deg]17'23' W'' N, long. 87[deg]40'18'' W)

    That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface 
within a 6.8-mile radius of Jack Edwards National Airport, excluding 
that airspace within Restricted Area R-2908.

    Issued in College Park, Georgia, on July 13, 2021.
Matthew N. Cathcart,
Manager, Airspace & Procedures Team North, Eastern Service Center, Air 
Traffic Organization.
[FR Doc. 2021-15221 Filed 7-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P