On September 20th, 2021, United States Representatives Garret Graves (R-LA) and Greg Stanton (D-AZ) introduced new legislation (H.R. 5315) which would authorize $200 million in grants for various federal agencies and local municipalities to utilize drones for the inspection of critical infrastructure. 

Read more about the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act in Transportation Today’s online publication here: https://transportationtodaynews.com/news/24023-stanton-graves-introduce-drones-in-infrastructure-inspection-bill/

If you are or are planning on becoming a licensed commercial UAV pilot, be sure to read our article on the New 2021 FAA Drone Rules and Regulations, which will make it easier for state and local agencies to potentially access and utilize these funds.

How Does It Work?

In the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act, grants would be authorized by the Department of Transportation and could be used to fund up to 80% of the costs of a service contract with a licensed provider, the purchase price of equipment, or program development costs associated with developing an internal drone program.

How Can the Funds Be Used?

Specifically, this bill would provide $100 million in grants for state, local, and tribal government agencies to contract with professional aerial imaging businesses (like ProAerial Media) to provide inspection services and data acquisition in the near term. These organizations already have licensed, insured, and experienced pilots on staff who can perform aerial inspections and mapping surveys of various types of critical infrastructure immediately. There is an additional $100 million earmarked for training, enabling employees of those organizations to begin to use drones in their operations in the future.

Many state and local governments already employ drones for managing their critical infrastructure assets and other hard-to-reach places that would otherwise involve a high level of risk to human life. These agencies and organizations already employing UAV technology are not only minimizing the risk to their employees, but they’re also saving a lot of money. The fraction of time a drone is able to complete an inspection of, for example, a bridge, can save a municipality hundreds if not thousands of manhours each year.

What is Critical Infrastructure?

Critical Infrastructure is defined by Wikipedia as; “a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and economy.” Read Wikipedia article. The most frequently associated types of critical infrastructure facilities include; Bridges, Roads, Dams, Power Plants, Telecommunications Equipment, Water Treatment, and Public Health Centers. 

We will update this article as new information becomes available and the bill progresses through the legislative process. For more information on the various industries currently employing UAVs, read our article “Utilizing Drone Inspection Services: Overview by Industry.”

ProAerial Media provides aerial imaging acquisition services of critical infrastructure across the southwest US as well as for commercial and residential real estate, surveying and inspections, and special events. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel to see our video work, and our Instagram feed to view our photography (@proaerialmedia). If you’re ready to fly, you can always book a flight from the ProAerial Media Website.

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