Review - FAA UAS Facility NPRM – Critical Infrastructure Qualifications

The FAA recently published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would allow critical infrastructure facilities to apply to the agency for designation as a unmanned aircraft flight restrictions (UAFR) zone, in accordance with the requirements of § 2209, of the FAA Extension, Safety and Security Act of 2016 {PL 114-190 (130 STAT. 634)}. This post looks at the critical infrastructure requirements that a facility must meet to successfully apply for such a designation. 

Earlier posts about this NPRM include: 

PHMSA Publishes UAS Facility Restriction NPRM, and 

FAA UAS Facility NPRM – UAFR Descriptions. 

The FAA was specifically tasked with establishing a process for critical infrastructure facilities to request UAFR designation. The problem faced by the FAA is that there are no current definitions of critical infrastructure that would help the FAA select the critical infrastructure facilities that would justify limiting access to the National Air Space. 

To deal with this problem, the FAA is proposing to establish specific criteria for each critical infrastructure sector to identify those facilities. Those criteria are outlined in Subpart C of the proposed Part 74. They include: 

• Chemical Sector (§ 74.81) 

• Commercial Facilities Sector (§ 74.82), 

• Communications Sector (§ 74.83), 

• Critical Manufacturing Sector (§ 74.84), 

• Dams Sector (§ 74.85), 

• Defense Industrial Base Sector (§ 74.86), 

• Emergency Services Sector (§ 74.87), 

• Energy Sector (§ 74.88), 

• Financial Services Sector (§ 74.89), 

• Food and Agriculture Sector (§ 74.90), 

• Government Services and Facilities Sector (§ 74.91), 

• Healthcare and Public Health Sector (§ 74.92), 

• Information Technology Sector (§ 74.93), 

• Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector (§ 74.94), 

• Transportation Systems Sector (§ 74.95), 

• Water and Wastewater Systems Sector (§ 74.96) 

For more information on these sector criteria, including a detailed look at the chemical sector requirements, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/faa-uas-facility-nprm-critical-infrastructure - subscription required.