Curtis gets bipartisan AIR safety bill passed in the US House
Created: 10 December 2020
Drones flown in a wildfire suppression area create additional hazards to fire fighting personne; and increase risk to structures and lives on the ground. When people fly drones into the fire fighting area, fire manager must ground their own drones and helicopters until the air space is clear.
Representative John Curtis, the Deputy Republican Leader of the National Parks, Forest, and Public Lands Subcommittee spoke on the floor today on behalf of his bipartisan bill, H.R. 5040, the
Aerial Incursion Repercussion (AIR) Safety Act.
Introduced last year with Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA), Senator Cortez-Masto (D-NV), and Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), the AIR Safety Act raises awareness on issues interfering with wildfire fighting by directing the Bureau of Land Management, USDA Forest Service, and Federal Aviation Administration to work with their State forestry partners to conduct a study on how drone trespassing has affected wildfire suppression and costs and recommend potential remedies. The legislation passed the House with a 382-6 vote on Thursday.