FAA imposes temporary drone bans over 22 New Jersey utility sites, plans similar action in New York; no threats reported, measures deemed precautionary.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said it was temporarily barring drone flights over 22 utility locations in New Jersey and plans to impose similar restrictions at sites in New York.
The FAA said the decision to bar drones for 30 days at the New Jersey sites was made in an abundance of caution at the request of federal security agencies after the FAA barred flights over two locations in New Jersey in November.
A frenzy of concern about drones in New Jersey and surrounding states has prompted a dramatic spike in the number of people in the area pointing lasers at airplanes flying overhead, which is illegal and can be dangerous, the FAA said on Wednesday.
U.S. agencies have repeatedly said that the spike in drone sightings does not pose national security risks and that they appear to be mostly aircraft, stars or hobbyist drones.
The locations subject to the temporary ban across New Jersey include PSE&G electrical switching stations, substations, generating stations, a utility command center and other facilities in places including Elizabeth, Edison, South Brunswick, Camden, Metuchen and Bridgewater.
The FAA plans to temporarily bar drone flights over critical infrastructure locations in New York, the state's governor said late on Thursday.
Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement she had spoken to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and he told her the FAA planned to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York's critical infrastructure sites.
"This action is purely precautionary; there are no threats to these sites," Hochul said.
The FAA, which did not immediately comment, is expected to post the New York sites by Friday. The FAA also said on Thursday that it was extending prohibitions on drones over President-elect Donald Trump's golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, through Jan. 31.
The Department of Homeland Security said the restrictions "do not impact manned aviation including airplanes and helicopters. While DHS and our federal partners continue to see no evidence of a threat, the purpose of the TFR is to discourage drone flights around these areas, as requested by the critical infrastructure partners."
The FAA said on Wednesday that reports are up 269% to 59 in the first half of December, compared with eight in the same period last year. The FAA said it has received dozens of new laser reports from pilots in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania airspace.
The FBI in New Jersey warned people on Wednesday not to shoot at suspected drones or point lasers at them, warning that "there could be dangerous and possibly deadly consequences if manned aircraft are targeted mistakenly" as drones.
Officials have repeatedly said that most of the large fixed-wing sightings involved manned aircraft, and came after Trump on Monday called for more federal comment on the reported sightings.
There are about 1 million registered drones flying about 42 million flights annually.
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A major naval operation ended Monday in the Baltic Sea, involving 12 warships and 19 teams of divers and underwater drone operators from 13 NATO countries.
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EU approves 17th Russia sanctions, blacklisting almost 200 shadow‑fleet ships, 30 evasion firms and 75 defence figures, banning missile chemicals and arming Brussels to strike Kremlin hybrid and operations.
China has threatened legal action against entities that support U.S. restrictions on Chinese semiconductors, escalating tensions after Washington warned companies against using Huawei’s advanced AI chips.
Google announced a new “AI Mode” for its search engine in the United States, aiming to make searching feel more like talking to an expert who can answer almost any question.
Elon Musk confirmed he plans to stay as Tesla’s chief executive for at least five more years. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, Musk said despite pressure over his ties to Donald Trump’s administration, he remains committed to leading the electric car company.
Severe drought in Syria this year is threatening about 75% of local wheat crops, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns, risking food shortages for millions.
A major naval operation ended Monday in the Baltic Sea, involving 12 warships and 19 teams of divers and underwater drone operators from 13 NATO countries.
China has threatened legal action against entities that support U.S. restrictions on Chinese semiconductors, escalating tensions after Washington warned companies against using Huawei’s advanced AI chips.
Google announced a new “AI Mode” for its search engine in the United States, aiming to make searching feel more like talking to an expert who can answer almost any question.
Elon Musk confirmed he plans to stay as Tesla’s chief executive for at least five more years. Speaking at the Qatar Economic Forum, Musk said despite pressure over his ties to Donald Trump’s administration, he remains committed to leading the electric car company.
Severe drought in Syria this year is threatening about 75% of local wheat crops, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns, risking food shortages for millions.
A major naval operation ended Monday in the Baltic Sea, involving 12 warships and 19 teams of divers and underwater drone operators from 13 NATO countries.
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