Political Quotes

“I thank Chairman Grijalva and Ranking Member Bishop for helping us move this bill along. Special thanks to my cosponsor, who shares a not-so-unique problem in our districts of wildfires and fighting those. Mr. Speaker, I obviously rise in support of the AIR Safety Act, which will examine risks and effects of drone incursions on wildland firefighting. In the last few years, Utah and the rest of the West have been battling extreme wildfires. Our Federal land managers and State and local partners need every tool available to them to put these fires out. When a wildfire breaks out, the FAA sets up a temporary flight restriction, or TFR, around the perimeter to allow aerial firefighters full access to the fire. Unfortunately, when people ignore these TFRs and fly their drones around the fire, fire management must ground their own drones and helicopters until the area is clear. This wastes valuable time and money, putting structures and, most importantly, lives at risk. The AIR Safety Act will direct the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, FAA, and State forestry partners to examine these risks and come up with ways to stop future problems. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.”