June 21, 2016

Ranking Member DeFazio' Statement on FAA Rules for Commercial Drones

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Ranking Member Peter DeFazio released the following statement on the newly released FAA rules for commercial drones:

“As the number of drones in the United States continues to increase at dramatic rates, it is critical that the FAA safely integrate drones into our nation’s complex and congested airspace. Today, the FAA announced new rules that are intended to create certainty and predictability for safe authorized operations – to protect all users of the airspace as well as those of us on the ground.  These rules are a critical step to enhance public safety and better enable integration so that we will be able to obtain the benefits of this new technology. I am still reviewing the final rules, but I look forward to working with the FAA, industry experts, and aviation stakeholders to ensure the United States continues to be the global leader in aviation safety and innovation. While this is a significant step, it reinforces the fact that we need a comprehensive FAA bill to keep FAA moving forward on integrating drones.  Without Congress giving the agency new milestones, we are at risk of stifling innovation and creating undue safety risks.”