FAA to grant flight restrictions over NY’s ‘critical infrastructure sites’ amid drone activity

The FAA plans to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s “critical infrastructure sites,” according to a statement released Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The statement says this measure is precautionary, and there is no current threat to these sites.

Hochul says the state is continuing to monitor drone activity and is working closely with the federal government.

Gov. Hochul’s full statement:

“Since mid-November, New York has been carefully monitoring reports of drone activity and we have been communicating closely with our federal partners. I’ve spoken with Secretary Mayorkas multiple times and was just informed that he has coordinated with federal partners and the FAA plans to grant temporary flight restrictions over some of New York’s critical infrastructure sites — this action is purely precautionary; there are no threat to these sites. This is 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. Public safety is my top priority and I will stop at nothing to keep my constituents safe.”