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On June 23, APGA joined the American Public Power Association, American Gas Association, and Interstate Natural Gas Association of America in a letter to Congress in support of the inclusion of legislation introduced by Senator Inhofe (R-Okla.) as part of legislation reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Senator Inhofe’s legislation would require the FAA to establish a process by which owners and operators of crucial infrastructure, such as public gas systems, may incorporate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) into their regulatory compliance, safety, emergency response, and operational activities. Several public gas systems are already using UAVs and more may do so in the future.

In the letter, APGA and the other groups state that, “Unmanned aerial vehicles are a new technology that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our public safety and system reliability efforts. Moreover in exigent circumstances such as natural disasters or security related events, UAVs will allow for faster response, while providing a persistent capacity that will aid personnel in assessing dangerous situations.” The letter further states that safety and reliability of the facilities represented by those who signed the letter are critical to our nation’s energy economy and that the use of UAV technologies will improve both safety and reliability of those facilities.

It is anticipated that action on the FAA reauthorization legislation may occur soon after Congress returns from its July 4 recess. A copy of the letter referenced in this article is available on the APGA website at www.apga.org. For questions on this article please contact Dave Schryver of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at dschryver@apga.org.