News

UAV bill introduced in House would give more control to local officials

A U.S. Congressman from Minnesota has introduced legislation intended to give more control to state and local officials who regulate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s).

Jason Lewis says the Drone Innovation Act addresses the operation of drones flying below 200 feet.

“So on the one hand we have a national airspace that we want to preserve for interstate commerce, and there’s a federal rule there.  But I want to maintain the local control over the traditional things like a common law nuisance or privacy and property rights.  And that’s the middle ground (or) balance the bill hopes to strike.”

Lewis recently visited a farmer in his district who uses multiple drones for crop scouting.

The Congressman tells Brownfield he wants to preserve those rights, and calls UAV’s a game-changer and key asset for agriculture going forward.

“I want to make certain that if there are regulations for the local level, so property owners and farmers have the expedited route of appeal if you will.  I’m sure there’d be a problem with that (if it wasn’t available), and that’s very important.”

The Drone Innovation Act, introduced in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, is not the first legislation attempting to empower local authorities to regulate drones.

The Drone Federalism Act introduced last month would establish a similar process for federal, state, local and tribal governments to work together to manage the use of recreational and commercial drones.