New York Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed that drone flights have been banned over “critical infrastructure” in the state amid reports of drones flying over New Jersey and New York in the past several weeks.
Drones have drawn national attention after local officials and residents have expressed alarm over recent sightings in New Jersey, prompting federal officials to take action.
“This action is purely precautionary; there are no threat to these sites,” Hochul said. “This is in addition to the state-of-the-art drone detection system delivered to us by the Biden-Harris Administration earlier this week.”
The decision was made after she spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moved to issue “temporary flight restrictions” over those sites.
Exceptions on drone flights include law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security operations, firefighting, disaster response missions, drones used in “support of event” operations, and commercial drone operations with a valid work reason. People who are operating drones for commercial purposes must also have an approved federal waiver while the ban is in effect, the FAA notices said.
Areas where drones cannot be flown in New York state include Glenwood Landing, New Hyde Park, Garden City, Lynbrook, two areas in Commack, Oceanside, Roslyn Heights, multiple areas in the Bronx, areas in Staten Island, New Castle, Holtsville, areas in Queens, Shoreham, Hicksville, Yonkers, Northport, Setauket, Far Rockaway, areas in Brooklyn, areas in Manhattan, and Ridge, according to a review of the notices sent by the FAA by The Epoch Times.
In New Jersey, the temporary restrictions on drone flight operations were implemented in the following municipalities in the state: Bayonne, Branchburg, Bridgewater, Burlington, Camden, Cedar Grove, Clifton, Edison, Elizabeth, Evesham, Gloucester City, Hancocks Bridge, Hamilton, Harrison, Jersey City, Kearny, Metuchen, North Brunswick, Sewaren, South Brunswick, Westhampton, and Winslow, according to an Epoch Times review.
Hochul in her statement said the FAA restrictions in New York come “in addition to the state-of-the-art drone detection system delivered to us by the Biden-Harris Administration earlier this week.”
“While we have not detected any public safety or national security threats, we will continue aggressively monitoring the situation as we call on Congress to pass legislation to give states and local law enforcement the authority and resources they need to manage this evolving technology,” she said. “Public safety is my top priority and I will stop at nothing to keep my constituents safe.”
Federal officials and the White House have said the increase in drone sightings does not pose any national security risk and appears to be mostly aircraft, stars, or hobbyist drones, although several lawmakers have sounded the alarm that some drones may have nefarious intent.
House Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told reporters this week he believes some are being operated by the Chinese Communist Party, namely those seen near military bases.
Some lawmakers, including Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), as well as President-elect Donald Trump have suggested that the federal government take down the drones. In an interview on Sunday, Mayorkas said that federal officials are limited in their authority in how to handle drone sightings, responding to a question about shooting the drones down.
