I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5040 

To direct the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to study the 

effects of drone incursions on wildfire suppression, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 12, 2019 

Mr. CURTIS (for himself and Mr. HUFFMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Director of the Bureau of Land Management 

to study the effects of drone incursions on wildfire suppression, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Aerial Incursion Re5 percussion Safety Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘AIR Safety Act 

6 of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STUDY ON EFFECTS OF DRONE INCURSIONS ON 

2 WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION. 

3 (a) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Director of the Bureau 

4 of Land Management, in consultation with the Chief of 

5 the Forest Service, shall conduct a study on the effects 

6 of drone incursions on the suppression of wildfires with 

7 respect to lands managed by the Department of the Inte8 rior or the Department of Agriculture. 

9 (b) STUDY CONTENTS.—In conducting the study re10 quired under subsection (a), the Director shall— 

11 (1) determine, for each of the five most recently 

12 completed calendar years, the number of occurrences 

13 in which a drone incursion interfered with wildfire 

14 suppression and the effect of each such occurrence 

15 on— 

16 (A) the length of time required to achieve 

17 complete suppression; 

18 (B) the effectiveness of aerial firefighting 

19 responses; and 

20 (C) the amounts expended by the Federal 

21 Government; and 

22 (2) evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of 

23 various actions to prevent drone incursions, includ24 ing— 

25 (A) the use of reasonable force to disable, 

26 damage, or destroy a drone; 


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1 (B) the seizure of a drone, including sei2 zure with a net device; and 

3 (C) the dissemination of education mate4 rials relating to the effects of drone incursions 

5 on wildfire suppression. 

6 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 

7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall sub8 mit to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House 

9 of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 

10 Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the findings 

11 of the study required under subsection (a) and any rec12 ommendations of the Director relating to such findings. 

13 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 (1) DRONE.—The term ‘‘drone’’ means an un15 manned aircraft system owned by a private indi16 vidual or entity. 

17 (2) DRONE INCURSION.—The term ‘‘drone in18 cursion’’ means the operation of a drone within any 

19 airspace for which the Administrator of the Federal 

20 Aviation Administration has issued a temporary 

21 flight restriction because of a wildfire. 

22 (3) WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION.—The term ‘‘wild23 fire suppression’’ has the meaning given such term 

24 in section 46320(d) of title 49, United States Code. 

Æ 


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