FAA Bans Drones Over 30 Critical New York Infrastructure Areas

NEW YORK — The Federal Aviation Administration has temporarily enacted no-fly zones for drones around 30 critical infrastructure locations across New York, including 19 on Long Island, Newsday has reported.

The zones include 10 in Nassau, and nine each in Suffolk and New York City, as well as two upstate, the outlet reported.

Officials told the outlet that the ban is to safeguard them in response to increased sightings in the region since last week.

In a statement, the agency said, “At the request of federal security partners, the FAA published 30 temporary flight restrictions prohibiting drone flights over critical New York infrastructure.”

Patch has reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office for comment.

Hochul has previously said that the state has been monitoring drone sightings since mid-November, and the federal government has been called in to help monitor them.

In Nassau, there were 55 reports of drone sightings in the county since Friday, bringing the total since Nov. 1 to 79, a police spokesperson told Patch on Monday.

In Suffolk last week, Suffolk police collected 16 sighting reports of drones on Dec. 12, but the locations were not specified. More sightings were recorded over the weekend in Port Jefferson.

A police spokesperson declined Friday to speak about the number of drones reported since then.

There was also an unconfirmed report at Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, a spokesman told Patch.

Nassau and Suffolk officials said they are working with the state on the issue.

The rash of sightings began in New Jersey, and have since spread to Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New York.

According to Newsday, the following locations are included in the ban:

In Nassau County:

• EF Barrett Substation, Oceanside
• Roslyn Substation, Roslyn Heights
• Newbridge Rd. Substation, Levittown
• Ruland Rd. Substation, Melville
• Glenwood Substation, Glenwood Landing
• Valley Stream Substation, Lynbrook
• Lake Success Substation, New Hyde Park
• East Garden City Substation, Garden City
• New South Rd. Substation, Hicksville
• Shore Rd. Substation, Glenwood Landing

In Suffolk County:

• Riverhead Substation, Calverton
• Point Jefferson Substation, Setauket
• Shoreham Substation, Shoreham
• Pilgrim Substation, Commack
• Holbrook Substation, Holtsville
• Hauppauge Substation, Commack
• Northport Substation, Northport
• Brookhaven Substation, Ridge
• Holtsville GT Substation, Holbrook

Upstate:

• Millwood Substation, New Castle
• Sprain Brook Substation, Yonkers

In New York City:

• Goethals Substation, Staten Island
• Fresh Kills Substation, Staten Island
• Hunts Point Compressor Station, Bronx
• Electric Control Center, New York
• Gas Control Center, Bronx
• Far Rockaway Substation, Far Rockaway
• Astoria Complex, Queens
• Farragut Substation, Brooklyn
• E. 13th St. Substation, New York

For more in Newsday, click here.