Oregon senators: “Our constituents have expressed concerns about how the ongoing pause affects the local economies across the state where UAS testing takes place, and they seek a timely resolution”
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today asked the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and its designated administrator of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) test sites in Pendleton, McMinnville and Tillamook for an update about the recent suspension of all flight operations at those three Oregon locales.
The Oregon senators said their letter comes after operations at those three UAS test sites were paused on Sept. 11 due to concerns at the University of Alaska Fairbanks UAS test site, which serves as the FAA’s designated administrator to test and develop UAS technology, and to oversee operations for test sites across the West.
“While we understand that the pause was necessary due to the FAA’s concerns regarding safety practices, oversight, and documentation, the situation has disrupted flight activity at all other test sites that operate under the University of Alaska Fairbanks,” Wyden and Merkley wrote FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and Dr. Catherine F. Cahill, Director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft System Integration. “In Oregon, this pause delays testing and development for aerospace and defense contractors, federal customers, and commercial UAS companies who operate at the Pendleton UAS Range, Northwest UAV in McMinnville, and Tillamook UAS Test Range.”
Wyden and Merkley wrote that the testing pause has created significant uncertainty for Oregon communities, noting for example that the Pendleton UAS range generates roughly $2.4 million annually for the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport — roughly 82 percent of the airport’s total revenue at the airport.
“Our constituents have expressed concerns about how the ongoing pause affects the local economies across the state where UAS testing takes place, and they seek a timely resolution,” the senators wrote. “We appreciate the FAA’s efforts to review safety practices and conduct oversight. We also recognize the timeliness and importance of resuming operations at all test sites that have been impacted by the pause.”
The senators asked for responses to their letter by Oct. 7, given the significant economic uncertainty facing the test sites.
The entire letter is here.
