Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) asked Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta in a letter dated today to keep in mind the needs of fire fighters and other providers of disaster relief as the FAA proceeds with its efforts announced last week (TRDaily, Oct. 19) to create a task force to develop recommendations for a registration process for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).  Sen. Shaheen noted her introduction on Oct. 7 of the Wildfire and Emergency Airspace Protection Act, which would make it a federal criminal offense to knowingly launch a drone for recreational purposes that interferes with fire or disaster response efforts.

“I applaud the FAA’s actions and encourage you to closely consider the impact of drones on disaster relief efforts and to seriously weigh the opinions of emergency responders throughout your process,” she said in the letter to Mr. Huerta.

Courtesy TRDaily