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States sue FAA over environmental review for drone delivery rules
The lawsuit, filed Sept. 28 in the Second Circuit, challenges the FAA’s late-July environmental determination for drone delivery expansion, including noise impacts.
A group of 15 states and Harris County, Texas, sued the US Federal Aviation Administration over how the agency evaluated environmental impacts tied to expanded commercial drone package delivery rules, according to Insurance Journal.
The states, including New York, California, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Michigan, said the FAA violated the law by failing to adequately analyze potential environmental impacts, and they challenged a determination the FAA completed in late July. The complaint also alleges the determination did not adequately address potential safety risks or other environmental impacts.
The legal challenge was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Insurance Journal reports the FAA has not immediately responded to a request for comment.
The FAA is expected to issue a regulatory proposal that is not yet finalized, which would allow certified drone operators to fly beyond the visual line of sight and reduce the need for long, sometimes costly, waiver processes. The article notes drone delivery operations are already underway in states including California, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, and Utah under the waiver process, and that the environmental review included noise impacts from an average of 1,150 drone deliveries from a single hub.