[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4372 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4372
To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to
carry out a pilot program on developing and testing dynamic management
of special activity airspace, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 9, 2022
Mr. Thune (for himself and Ms. Sinema) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to
carry out a pilot program on developing and testing dynamic management
of special activity airspace, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Dynamic Airspace Pilot Program Act
of 2022''.
SEC. 2. DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF DYNAMIC SCHEDULING AND MANAGEMENT OF
SPECIAL ACTIVITY AIRSPACE.
(a) Sense of Congress on Special Activity Airspace Scheduling and
Management.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) where it does not conflict with safety, dynamic
scheduling and management of special activity airspace (also
referred to as ``dynamic airspace'') is expected to optimize
the use of the national airspace system for all stakeholders;
and
(2) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration and the Secretary of Defense should take such
actions as may be necessary to support ongoing efforts to
develop dynamic scheduling and management of special activity
airspace, including--
(A) the continuation of formal partnerships between
the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department
of Defense that focus on special activity airspace,
future airspace needs, and joint solutions; and
(B) maturing research within their federally funded
research and development centers, Federal partner
agencies, and the aviation community.
(b) Pilot Program.--
(1) Pilot program required.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration, in coordination with the
Secretary of Defense, shall establish a pilot program on
developing and testing dynamic management of special activity
airspace in order to accommodate emerging military training
requirements through flexible scheduling, along with increasing
access to special activity airspace used by the Department of
Defense for test and training.
(2) Testing of special activity airspace scheduling and
management.--Under the pilot program established under
paragraph (1), the Administrator and the Secretary shall
jointly test not fewer than three areas of episodic or
permanent special activity airspace designated by the Federal
Aviation Administration for use by the Department of Defense,
of which--
(A) at least one shall be over coastal waters of
the United States;
(B) at least two shall be over land of the United
States;
(C) access to airspace available for test and
training is increased to accommodate dynamic scheduling
of airspace to more efficiently and realistically
provide test and training capabilities to Department of
Defense aircrews; and
(D) any increase in access to airspace made
available for test and training shall not conflict with
the safe management of the national airspace system or
the safety of all stakeholders of the national airspace
system.
(c) Report by the Administrator.--
(1) In general.--Not less than two years after the date of
the establishment of the pilot program under subsection (b)(1),
the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report on the interim findings of the Administrator
with respect to the pilot program.
(2) Elements.--The report submitted under paragraph (1)
shall include the following:
(A) An analysis of how the pilot program
established under subsection (b)(1) affected access to
special activity airspace by nonmilitary users of the
national airspace system.
(B) An analysis of whether the dynamic management
of special activity airspace conducted for the pilot
program established under subsection (b)(1) contributed
to more efficient use of the national airspace system
by all stakeholders.
(d) Report by the Secretary.--Not less than two years after the
date of the establishment of the pilot program under subsection (b)(1),
the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a
report on the interim findings of the Secretary with respect to the
pilot program. Such report shall include an analysis of how the pilot
program affected military test and training.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, the Committee on Armed Services, and
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, the Committee on Armed Services, and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) The term ``special activity airspace'' means the
following airspace with defined dimensions within the National
Airspace System wherein limitations may be imposed upon
aircraft operations:
(A) Restricted areas.
(B) Military operations areas.
(C) Air Traffic Control assigned airspace.
(D) Warning areas.
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