WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Drones, drones, everywhere….or at least in a few places

Although 36 states introduced legislation to define and regulate drones in 2014, only three states were able to enact those bills into law. Washington was not one of them.

Many states feel compelled to act because the federal government has yet to pass comprehensive legislation regulating drones. And technology isn’t slowing down – if anything it’s speeding up!

Drone technology is opening many doors – for law enforcement, for government and for the private sector. Opposing arguments to drones lie in both the state and federal right to privacy. No one wants businesses, the government, or law enforcement using drones to conduct warrantless searches and suspicionless fishing expeditions. At the same time, law enforcement and the military are charged with ensuring public safety. And drones can allow both the public and private sector to do their jobs more efficiently, effectively and with less impact on the environment.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took a step forward by approving the first commercial drone flights. BP Energy Corporation of America has been given permission to survey pipelines, roads and equipment at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska. They will be using a small drone called the Puma that is 4.5 feet long with a 9 foot wingspan. The FAA says they are also considering granting permission to filmmaking companies to film over the Arctic Ocean and Alaska.

Most of the private sector demand for drones is for small ones, weighing less than 55 pounds. The FAA said they expect to propose rules for these smaller drones by the end of the year. The FAA is supposed to provide access to U.S. skies for commercial drones by September 2015. But, it’s looking unlikely they will meet that deadline — FAA officials are trying for the third time to draft regulations that the White House and the Dept of Transportation will accept.

To learn more about proposed legislation affecting drones here in Washington state, see this Advance post.