Summary

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration, working with the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service, to study how drones entering temporary flight restriction airspace during wildfires affect federal wildfire suppression. The study must count recent drone incidents, estimate impacts on suppression time, response delays, and federal costs, evaluate public education efforts and approved counter‑UAS systems, and deliver findings and recommendations to Congress within 18 months of enactment. The law does not itself impose new penalties or authorize funding; it directs an interagency study and a written report to congressional committees to inform future policy decisions.

Key Points

• Mandates an interagency study led by the FAA with Interior and the Forest Service on drone incursions into wildfire temporary flight restriction airspace.
• Study must document recent drone incidents and estimate impacts on suppression time, response delays, and federal costs.
• Requires evaluation of public education campaigns intended to prevent drone interference with firefighting aircraft.
• Requires assessment of approved counter‑UAS systems and their use during wildfire responses.
• Report with findings and recommendations must be delivered to specified congressional committees within 18 months.
• Does not create new penalties, operational authorities, or explicit funding in itself—it's an informational/reporting measure.
• Focuses specifically on wildfires occurring on federal lands and airspace under TFRs.
• Provides congressional decisionmakers with data to consider future policy or regulatory changes related to drones and wildfire response.

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