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Louisiana drone advisory committee reviews tougher penalties for drones at wildfires and multi‑state counter‑drone plans; vertiport rules discussed
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Summary
At a brief Nov. 15 meeting that lacked a quorum, the committee reviewed draft language to penalize drones that interfere with firefighting, reported on multi‑state talks and a MassDOT‑led MOU for counter‑drone data sharing, and urged development of state vertiport guidance.
Unidentified Speaker 1, the meeting leader, opened the Louisiana Advanced Aviation and Drone Advisory Committee’s Nov. 15 meeting with a review of the panel’s three new subcommittees and briefed members on several safety and coordination initiatives before adjourning for lack of a quorum.
The committee’s Public Safety subcommittee is drafting statutory language aimed at deterring drones from entering firefighting areas, the chair said, including consideration of escalating penalties for repeat offenders. "That has actually, caused, buildings and homes to actually be lost," the chair said when describing past incidents he said prompted the proposal. He added the working draft contemplates "second‑offense felonies" for interference with aircraft at active fires.
On counter‑drone technology, the chair described talks with other states, the Department of Homeland Security and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency about integrating disparate detections into a single operational picture. He said a vendor concept involving an encrypted "trust box" for raw counter‑drone data is under discussion and that MassDOT will lead drafting a memorandum of understanding to form a consortium of several states to normalize signals and share guidance.
"FAA was not gonna take any of the data until there was, like, a consortium came together," the chair said, and he said NORTHCOM has also been asked by Congress to develop a common operating picture and may provide funding or support.
The chair said the committee is exploring creation of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to steward the interoperable data and to solicit industry contributions for software development and research. Thomas Mule, a committee member who participated, emphasized the importance of local coordination and economic impacts and later urged prioritizing Louisiana companies in future procurement and investment decisions.
Thomas Mule also noted state emergency partners are treating the counter‑UAS threat with urgency. "GOSEP and LSP are taking the CUAS threat in the state extremely seriously and we're moving very fast," Mule said, adding major events next year, including the Super Bowl, factor into that urgency.
Because the meeting lacked a quorum, the committee did not take formal votes; the chair closed the session and asked members to attend the Dec. 19 meeting so the panel can finalize its package for the legislature and executive branch.
Next steps: the committee will finalize Public Safety subcommittee language with member Robert Moore, continue work on the multi‑state counter‑drone MOU, and pursue organizational options to manage shared counter‑drone data.
