AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

This action proposes to revoke the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ambassador Field, Big Sandy, TX; and establish and amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at several Texas airports. The FAA is proposing this action as the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning of the Quitman VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation aid, which provided navigation information for the instrument procedures these airports, as part of the VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) Program. The names and geographic coordinates of several airports would also be updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

DATES:

Comments must be received on or before July 23, 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-2020-0551/Airspace Docket No. 20-ASW-6, 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 fedreg.legal@nara.gov 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 revoke the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ambassador Field, Big Sandy, TX; establish Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Fox Stephens Field-Gilmer Municipal Airport, Gilmer, TX; Gladewater Municipal Airport, Gladewater, TX; and Winnsboro Municipal Airport, Winnsboro, TX; and amend the Class E airspace upward from 700 above the surface at Wood County Airport-Collins Field, Mineola/Quitman, TX, contained within the Mineola, TX, airspace legal description, and at Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, Mount Pleasant, TX, to support instrument flight rule 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-2020-0551/Airspace Docket No. 20-ASW-6.” 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:

Removing the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ambassador Field, Big Sandy, TX, as the instrument procedures at this airfield have been cancelled so the airspace is no longer required;

Establishing Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.4-mile radius of Fox Stephens Field-Gilmer Municipal Airport, Gilmer, TX. (This airspace was previously contained within the Big Sandy, TX, airspace legal description.)

Establishing Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.4-mile radius of Gladewater Municipal Airport, Gladewater, TX. (This airspace was previously contained within the Big Sandy, TX, airspace legal description.)

Amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.4-mile (increased from a 6.3-mile) radius of Wood County Airport-Collins Field, Mineola/Quitman, TX, contained within the Mineola, TX, airspace legal description; adding an extension 3.8 miles east and 5.7 miles west of the 182° bearing from Wood County Airport-Collins Field extending from the 6.4-mile radius to 21.3 miles south of Wood County Airport-Collins Field; removing the city associated with the Mineola-Wisener Airport, Mineola, TX, and Wood County Airport-Collins Field to comply with changes to FAA Order 7400.2M, Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters; and updating the name and geographic coordinates of the Wood County Airport-Collins Field (previously Mineola-Quitman Airport) to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

Amending the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface to within a 6.6-mile (increased from a 6.4-mile) radius of Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, Mount Pleasant, TX; removing the Quitman VORTAC and Mount Pleasant RBN and the associated extensions from the airspace legal description, as they are no longer required; and removing Winnsboro Municipal Airport, Winnsboro, TX, from the Mount Pleasant, TX, airspace legal description as the airspace no longer adjoins the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport airspace; and updating the name and geographic coordinates of the Mount Pleasant Regional Airport (previously Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport) to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database.

And establishing Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.3-mile radius of Winnsboro Municipal Airport, Winnsboro, TX. (This airspace was previously contained within the Mount Pleasant, TX, airspace legal description but is being separated as the Winnsboro Municipal Airport airspace and Mount Pleasant Regional airspace no longer adjoin.)

This action is the result of airspace reviews caused by the decommissioning of the Quitman VOR, which provided navigation information for the instrument procedures these airports, as part of the VOR MON Program.

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 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

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.

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 Big Sandy, TX [Removed]

ASW TX E5 Gilmer, TX [Establish]

Fox Stephens Field-Gilmer Municipal Airport, TX

(Lat. 32°41′53″ N, long. 94°56′56″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.4-mile radius of Fox Stephens Field-Gilmer Municipal Airport.

ASW TX E5 Gladewater, TX [Establish]

Gladewater Municipal Airport, TX

(Lat. 32°31′44″ N, long. 94°58′19″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.4-mile radius of Gladewater Municipal Airport.

ASW TX E5 Mineola, TX [Amended]

Mineola-Wisener Airport, TX

(Lat. 32°40′36″ N, long. 95°30′39″ W)

Wood County Airport-Collins Field, TX

(Lat. 32°44′32″ N, long. 95°29′47″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.3-mile radius of Mineola-Wisener Airport, and within a 6.4-mile radius of Wood County Airport-Collins Field, and within 3.8 miles east and 5.7 miles west of the 182° bearing from the Wood County Airport-Collins Field extending from the 6.4-mile radius of Wood County Airport-Collins Field to 21.3 miles south of Wood County Airport-Collins Field.

ASW TX E5 Mount Pleasant, TX [Amended]

Mount Pleasant Regional Airport, TX

(Lat. 33°06′49″ N, long. 94°57′42″ W)

That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 6.6-mile radius of Mount Pleasant Regional Airport.

ASW TX E5 Winnsboro, TX [Establish]

Winnsboro Municipal Airport, TX

(Lat. 32°56′20″ N, long. 95°16′44″ W)

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