CRAMER: FAA Rules Will Help North Dakota’s Growing Drone Industry

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Kevin Cramer  released the following statement  on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) final rule issued Tuesday for commercial uses of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones:

“These long-overdue rules include guidelines similar to what is in the House FAA reauthorization bill.  They focus, as they should, on the safe integration of drones into national airspace.  They also provide flexibility for  technology advances in the drone industry.  These final rules encourage the continued growth of North Dakota as a leader in unmanned aircraft. This is especially important in Grand Forks, which is the home to an FAA unmanned aircraft test site, Grand Sky - the nation’s first UAS business and aviation park, and the University of North Dakota College of Aerospace Sciences. This industry offers great promise for a number of industries, including agriculture and energy applications important to North Dakota. I’ll continue to urge the FAA to implement reasonable rules in a timely manner as we move to larger UAS and ensure this rule works.”