The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has temporarily banned drone flights over certain “critical infrastructure facilities” in New York.
“This action is purely precautionary and there is no threat to these sites,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said in a statement Thursday. The ban will last until January 18th.
“While no public safety or national security threats have been detected, we urge Congress to pass legislation that would give state and local law enforcement the authority and resources necessary to manage this evolving technology. “Public safety is my top priority and I will stop at nothing to protect the safety of my constituents,” she added.
The FAA issued a similar month-long ban on drone use in parts of New Jersey early Thursday.
The ban comes amid reports of drone sightings in New Jersey and New York in recent weeks. Hochul said earlier this week that the Biden-Harris administration had sent a drone detection system to the state, NewsNation reported.
U.S. officials maintain that the drones do not belong to the U.S. military or belong to any foreign government. The Department of Homeland Security, FBI, Department of Defense, and FAA issued a joint statement on drones earlier this week amid growing concerns.
As the number of sightings continues to grow, lawmakers and residents are demanding more government transparency and answers about what these objects are.
Sightings in New York closed the runway at Stewart International Airport for about an hour last week. That’s because more than 40 million Americans are expected to travel by air during the upcoming holidays, but the closure does not appear to have affected air traffic. At the time, Hochul said the sightings had gone “too far.”
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