Alabama to criminalize drone flights over "critical infrastructure"

[Hawkwind]

Alabama legislature tries to pass bill to block pollution monitoring with drones

Alabama Legislature is trying to pass a bill (HB36 & SB45) that would make it illegal for environmentalists to use drones to monitor pollution.

dronedj.com

 

[OurAngryBadger]

Oh Susannah.

 

[allenface]

The key here is “try”. This hasn’t been voted on and it may not pass legal muster if it does pass. If no waivers are allowed however, (government agencies exempted) then I think a case can be made that provisions should be added to that affect or be open for legal challenge.

 

[sar104]

That looks like a quite remarkably blatant attempt to suppress public oversight, with not even a token effort to hide the motivation. They cannot, and have not, attempted to ban the same operation from a manned aircraft, and they don't even attempt to invoke a reasonable reason, such as infrastructure security. They are completely open about it - the companies operating these facilities simply don't want anyone watching them and they don't want to be held accountable for environmental issues. It's quite pathetic that it has political support.

 

[allenface]

That looks like a quite remarkably blatant attempt to suppress public oversight, with not even a token effort to hide the motivation. They cannot, and have not, attempted to ban the same operation from a manned aircraft, and they don't even attempt to invoke a reasonable reason, such as infrastructure security. They are completely open about it - the companies operating these facilities simply don't want anyone watching them and they don't want to be held accountable for environmental issues. It's quite pathetic that it has political support.

Nailed it!

 

[Hawkwind]

I have expressed my position against this bill to my Representative as well as fact that this may open the state up to legal issues by attempting to regulate airspace, which is reserved for the FAA.