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Public Involvement and Environmental Review for Drone Operations
Skip to main content USA Banner Public Involvement and Environmental Review for Drone Operations In 2012, Congress first charged the FAA with integrating unmanned aircraft—commonly referred to as drones—into the National Airspace System (NAS). The FAA has engaged in a phased, incremental approach to integrating drones into the NAS and continues to work toward full integration of drones into the NAS. From 2017 through 2020, the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program focused on testing and evaluating the integration of drone operations into the NAS. This work continues under the UAS BEYOND program which focuses on the remaining challenges of UAS integration, including beyond visual line of sight operations, societal and economic benefits of UAS operations, and community engagement.Jump to:Environmental Documents for Public ReviewCompleted NEPA ReviewsEnvironmental ReviewSigned into law on January 1, 1970, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is the United States’ basic national charter for protection of the environment. NEPA is a procedural law that requires the FAA to consider environmental impacts of its actions in decision making. NEPA does not impose any limits, prohibit certain kinds of actions, or mandate a particular outcome.NEPA established the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) within the Executive Office of the President to ensure federal agencies meet their obligations under NEPA. CEQ oversees NEPA implementation, principally through issuing guidance and regulations that implement NEPA’s procedural requirements. The FAA’s policies and procedures for compliance with NEPA and CEQ’s regulations are contained in FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures.NEPA applies to major federal actions, which are essentially any activity or decision subject to federal control and responsibility. NEPA reviews must be completed for actions that could cause reasonably foreseeable effects on the human environment, whether the actions are taken by the agency itself, or the actions are taken by airspace users seeking FAA authorization. There are three levels of NEPA review:Categorical Exclusion (CATEX)CATEX means a category of actions that an agency has determined normally does not have asignificant effect on the human environment. The FAA’s list of CATEXs is contained in FAA Order 1050.1F. If a proposed action falls within the scope of a CATEX and there are no extraordinary circumstances, an environmental asses...
Drone use by N.Y. police increases, but there's pushback
The use of drones by law enforcement has become a critical tool to help solve crimes and keep the public safe. But the use of the technology is getting some pushback from some people who say they’re a violation of privacy and other rights. Law enforcement essentially has the green light in most areas of New York state to use drones as it sees fit. There are FAA guidelines for unmanned aircraft technology, but the use of drones by police agencies is taking off. “What these systems have allowed us to do is to give them a view that has never been seen before," said Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Matthew Whiting, who is part of the Drone Response Team. “It allows us to give that overall picture [and] see things on a flat plane, as opposed to trying to just see it in front of them.” In Monroe County, drones are used for such police work as missing person searches, assisting the fire bureau, tracking suspects, documentation of larger crime scenes and more. Depending on the drone, features include cameras with wide angles, zoom and record capability, thermal imaging and heat sensor technology. They can see through smoke and steam, have infrared capabilities and can deliver emergency items. Just this past weekend, police say a drone helped police capture a suspected burglar in Monroe County. “To the best of my knowledge, it turned out to be the suspect who still had property on his person that was from that burglary," Whiting said. While the drones serve their purpose for police departments and sheriff’s offices across the state, the New York City Police Department is fielding some complaints about the unmanned aircraft. "We believe that drones shouldn’t be used for First Amendment-protected activities,” said Daniel Schwarz, a senior privacy and technology strategist for the New York Civil Liberties Union. “So no drones at protests.” The organization is among the groups taking issue with the NYPD’s plans for drones at Western Indian American Day over the Labor Day holiday. This comes as the NYCLU calls on lawmakers to restrict the use of drones. "I think drones can have a place in the toolbox for law enforcement,” Schwarz said. “And we’re not looking to fully ban their use overall. We just believe we need to have an open conversation on the rights, restrictions and limitations for this technology. And so far this hasn’t happened.” The NYCLU recently released a report detailing a rapid increase in the use of drones. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office has 21. “We ar...
Pittsburgh police intercept over a dozen unauthorized drones at ... - MSN
Authorities in Pittsburgh intercepted more than a dozen unauthorized drones during the NFL Draft, despite repeated public warnings and airspace restrictions. The FBI, state police, and local ...
Bay County drone operator convicted of interfering with police
Ray Rocha, who flies a drone over Bay County emergency scenes, will be allowed to fly again after he was accused of interfering with a police operation.
