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Warrantless Drone Use for Green Rules Moves Forward
Clear Facts
- Virginia Democrats are advancing a new bill letting the Department of Environmental Quality use drones without a warrant to enforce certain environmental laws.
- The change expands current drone exemptions, previously limited to emergencies like missing children or criminal suspects.
- The amendment was introduced by State Assemblyman Alfonso Lopez, who did not publicly comment on the legislation.
Virginia lawmakers are moving ahead with legislation that would expand the government’s ability to deploy drones without a warrant for environmental enforcement.
This measure allows the Department of Environmental Quality to access aerial surveillance for programs ranging from water protection to erosion control without judicial oversight.
According to the bill text, “Unmanned aircraft means an aircraft that is operated without the possibility of human intervention from within or on the aircraft.”
“Unmanned aircraft system means an unmanned aircraft and associated elements, including communication links, sensing devices, and the components that control the unmanned aircraft.”
Democratic State Assemblyman Alfonso Lopez brought the amendment forward, but he has not responded to questions from the public about the rationale or potential privacy concerns.
The amendment summary explains, “Adds the Department of Environmental Quality to the list of exceptions to the warrant requirement for the use of an unmanned aircraft system by public bodies for the implementation and enforcement of the Virginia Water Resources and Wetlands Protection Program, the Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Act, and erosion and sediment control in localities without a Virginia Erosion and Stormwater Management Program.”
Governor Abigail Spanberger, the first woman to hold Virginia’s highest office, has been marked as a moderate, yet her party has moved forward with a number of progressive bills.
Recent Democratic proposals also include embedding “transgender and queer” content in children’s school materials and expanding parole opportunities for convicted criminals.
Stay alert to government actions that may challenge Constitutional protections and voice your perspective on these new powers.
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