Small UAV Coalition Congratulates Secretary Chao

The Small UAV Coalition congratulates Elaine Chao on being confirmed as the 18^th Secretary of Transportation. Secretary Chao takes office at a pivotal time for the commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry – as she said during her confirmation hearing, “drones are poised to become a major commercial force.” The Coalition looks forward to working with her to ensure that the United States continues its leadership in this rapidly developing technology.

Continued growth of the U.S. commercial UAS industry is contingent upon the aggressive development and implementation of progressive, risk-based regulations. In line with a recent presidential memorandum, the Coalition encourages Secretary Chao to review the pending notice of proposed rulemaking for operations over people – originally scheduled to be released by the end of 2016 – and publish it for public comment as soon as possible.

In the near-term, the Coalition looks forward to working with Secretary Chao and the new Administration to ensure that efforts to support American businesses and spur economic growth by streamlining the regulatory process do not inhibit rapidly developing sectors – like the commercial UAS industry – that need a forward-leaning regulatory framework under which to innovate, create jobs, and compete in the global economy.

The Coalition also agrees with Secretary Chao that “we need a national consensus on our approach to drones, rather than a patchwork of state regulations.” The Coalition continues to work with the Administration, Congress, and state and local leaders to develop an approach to regulations that will ensure the safety of our skies and support industry and innovation.

For more information on the Small UAV Coalition, please visit www.smalluavcoalition.org, contact [email protected], and follow @smallUAVs on Twitter.