Fifteen US states and Harris County, Texas, have challenged the Federal Aviation Administration’s environmental review for commercial drone package-delivery rules, arguing the agency did not properly assess the impact of a nationwide expansion of low-altitude deliveries. The petition was filed in the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and targets the FAA’s programmatic environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact for future drone delivery approvals.
The coalition includes New York, California, Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said the review lacked meaningful information on where operations would take place and did not adequately address safety risks and other environmental effects.
The FAA completed the assessment in July and planned to use it as the basis for reviewing individual operator applications, though additional site-specific analysis may still be required. The dispute could slow the rollout of commercial drone delivery networks if the court finds the national review insufficient under federal environmental law.
Noise concerns have already surfaced in places such as Richardson, Texas, where residents have complained about Amazon Prime Air drone flights. Amazon defended the service and said fewer than 1% of inquiries this year concerned noise.