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.
At least 14 infants were killed when a fire broke out at a state-run hospital in Pakistan's capital Islam...
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time bein...
Russia and Ukraine are preparing another major prisoner exchange, with officials from both sides working to fin...
Oil prices fell after the U.S. expanded economic sanctions on Iran, as Tehran vowed to retaliate and warned it had tools to respond, raising concerns over potential disruption to regional oil supplies.
Kyiv has recently received a small number of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing Russian ballistic missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. It comes as Britain and France pledged stronger military support for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that Kyiv wants peace but will not surrender to Russia, as foreign leaders joined Independence Day events marking 35 years since Ukraine’s independence.
Only four commodity vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, following 13 transits a day earlier, as disruptions continue to restrict traffic through the key energy chokepoint.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told allied foreign ministers Washington will focus on sanctions and other pressure on Iran “for the time being”, Axios reports. Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have resumed talks on a temporary shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia and Ukraine are preparing another major prisoner exchange, with officials from both sides working to finalise lists of people who could be released, Russia's state news agency TASS said Wednesday.
Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has acknowledged that few teenagers used Instagram’s “Take a Break” feature before it became a default setting, as Meta faces a major U.S. trial over child safety.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 26th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump has formally sent a landmark nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, opening a new phase in a deal that has already sparked debate over nuclear proliferation and Riyadh's ambitions.
The Trump administration has temporarily suspended some visa appointment scheduling at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world as part of a new training initiative for consular staff, adding another layer to the administration's broader immigration policy overhaul.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment