H.C.R. 3
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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor expresses support for
11 the development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems, technologies, and businesses in the
12 state of Utah.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . expresses support for the development of Unmanned Aircraft Systems,
16 technologies, and businesses in the state; and
17 . recognizes the significant economic benefits that Unmanned Aircraft Systems and
18 their technological development can bring to the state.
19 Special Clauses:
20 None
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22 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23 WHEREAS, the state of Utah has excellent resources that can be used to further
24 advance the research, development, and use of technology to benefit and support Utahns and
25 Americans with the safe use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS);
26 WHEREAS, UAS can be designed for gathering information necessary to protect
27 human life in search and rescue operations; aiding in the management of resources, including
28 marine mammal and fisheries research; providing humanitarian assistance; providing a
29 platform for scientific research; and other private and public sector activities;
30 WHEREAS, for example, the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
31 Integration used a UAS to assist the United States Coast Guard Cutter Healy and the Russian
32 tanker Renda in delivering fuel to Nome, Alaska, in 2012;
33 WHEREAS, since the 1990s, the list of potential uses for UAS has expanded
34 exponentially;
35 WHEREAS, approximately 90% of the known commercial uses of UAS are for
36 agriculture and public safety;
37 WHEREAS, some of the uses of UAS will be disaster response, critical infrastructure,
38 law enforcement, and natural resource monitoring;
39 WHEREAS, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricts the use of UAS by
40 public agencies to conduct routine flights over urban or populated areas, heavily trafficked
41 roads, or open-air assemblies of people, as well as the discharge or dropping of objects while in
42 flight, and the operation of UAS without the capability of pilot intervention;
43 WHEREAS, the FAA has set up a roadmap for integration of UAS into the National
44 Airspace System (NAS);
45 WHEREAS, in order to integrate UAS safety into the NAS, four main components of
46 UAS operation will need to be researched: pilot and crew requirements; control station
47 functionality and certification; data link certification requirements and operability; and
48 unmanned aircraft certification requirements, airworthiness standards, measures of
49 performance, and continued airworthiness standards;
50 WHEREAS, Utah, with the various academic levels of expertise in the these areas, is
51 well positioned to help the FAA develop these standards;
52 WHEREAS, the state of Utah is prepared to work with the FAA to promote the
53 establishment of safe UAS ranges in Utah;
54 WHEREAS, these efforts will help develop procedures for the safe operation of UAS in
55 the NAS;
56 WHEREAS, it is estimated that integration of UAS into NAS will have a significant
57 positive impact on the national economy, including the creation of more than 34,000
58 manufacturing jobs and more than 70,000 new jobs in the first three years;
59 WHEREAS, by 2025, total job creation is estimated at 103,776;
60 WHEREAS, the manufacturing jobs created will be high paying and require technical
61 baccalaureate degrees;
62 WHEREAS, in addition to direct jobs created by the manufacturing process, income
63 generated through newly created jobs will be spread to local communities;
64 WHEREAS, as new jobs are created, additional money is spent at the local level,
65 creating additional demand for local services and creating more jobs;
66 WHEREAS, tax revenue to the states from 2015-2025, the first 11 years following
67 integration, are estimated at $635 billion;
68 WHEREAS, Utah has a very strong relationship with the national UAS industry players
69 already working within the state;
70 WHEREAS, Utah has a strong and established history with defense integration
71 initiatives;
72 WHEREAS, the United States Army has located its UAS technology center at Utah's
73 Dugway Proving Ground;
74 WHEREAS, the United States Air Force has chosen Hill Air Force Base's Ogden Air
75 Logistics Center as its Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) center for the Air Force's
76 Predator UAS;
77 WHEREAS, Utah has a substantial academic UAS body of expertise among its five
78 universities that partnered together for the FAA's UAS Site Award bid;
79 WHEREAS, this academic partnership, with its diverse levels and types of expertise, is
80 unparalleled by another state;
81 WHEREAS, Utah State University's Space Dynamic Lab has a 50-year history of
82 developing satellite imaging and mapping technologies that can serve UAS civil and
83 commercial applications;
84 WHEREAS, Utah Valley University (UVU) brings expertise in aviation science and has
85 one of the largest aviation programs in the United States;
86 WHEREAS, UVU's College of Aviation and Public Services is located at the Provo
87 Airport and is a natural place to start the development and evaluation of the civil applications
88 of UAS;
89 WHEREAS, the University of Utah brings expertise in computer and visualization
90 technology and is a leading research and development institution supporting data collection,
91 management, and presentation technologies;
92 WHEREAS, Utah State University brings expertise in imaging and mapping
93 capabilities and spaceflight technologies through its Space Dynamics Lab and research;
94 WHEREAS, Weber State University brings expertise in aerospace industries applied
95 sciences through its Utah Center for Aeronautical Innovation and Design;
96 WHEREAS, Brigham Young University brings expertise in UAS guidance and control
97 technologies;
98 WHEREAS, at the forefront of such research are two academic spin-out companies,
99 Lockheed Martin Procerus Technologies and SAR, which provide auto pilots and miniature
100 Synthetic Aperture Radars for UAS;
101 WHEREAS, the FAA has yet to determine and set its certification requirements for
102 civil and commercial UAS operators;
103 WHEREAS, working in collaboration with the Utah academic partners, and with its
104 expertise in aviation and public services curriculum and training, UVU can assist the FAA in
105 establishing its UAS operator certification requirements and program;
106 WHEREAS, Utah's university partners could collaboratively establish a certification
107 and training center to help the FAA determine a suitable commercial application of UAS into
108 the NAS;
109 WHEREAS, Utah is uniquely positioned to help the FAA meet some of its initiatives
110 and challenges, including data collection and management;
111 WHEREAS, the FAA needs comprehensive data on safe integration of UAS into the
112 NAS in a variety of environments;
113 WHEREAS, Utah, with its diverse topography, geography, climates, and infrastructure
114 of proven research and development is optimally positioned to provide the FAA the rich,
115 meaningful, and diverse data it seeks to successfully integrate UAS into NAS;
116 WHEREAS, Utah provides operational conditions in congested airspace, in various
117 climate conditions, at various altitudes, all in a diversity of geographical terrain;
118 WHEREAS, UAS may present a substantial risk to privacy, but neither the FAA nor
119 any other state or federal agency currently has specific statutory authority to regulate privacy
120 matters relating to unmanned aircraft systems;
121 WHEREAS, the UAS Advisory Board, appointed by the Governor, is addressing issues
122 and concerns of responsible management and privacy;
123 WHEREAS, Utah's legislative and executive branches are supportive of UAS initiatives
124 and their application among other industries and government agencies;
125 WHEREAS, with an already established UAS infrastructure and a complex of potential
126 launch and recovery areas that could match the complexity and maturity of the intended UAS
127 applications, Utah has the ability to expand and respond quickly to FAA needs now and in the
128 future; and
129 WHEREAS, it is expected that Utah will provide a national model for other states to
130 follow:
131 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
132 Governor concurring therein, expresses support for the development of Unmanned Aircraft
133 Systems, technologies, and businesses in the state.
134 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize the
135 significant economic benefits that Unmanned Aircraft Systems and their technological
136 development can bring to the state.
137 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Federal
138 Aviation Administration and the members of Utah's congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
as of 1-27-14 10:14 AM