Amid concerns brought to him by constituents, business owners and local aviation authorities, Rep. K. Joseph Shekarchi has written to United States Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, urging the federal government to formulate regulations for drone usage in Rhode Island. Shekarchi’s primary concern revolves around an increasing presence of drones near T.F. Green Airport.

“This is first and foremost to me a concern about public safety. It’s about the safety of those Rhode Island residents surrounding T.F. Green and the thousands of passengers and crew members who fly into and out of the airport on a daily basis,” said Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick in a statement. “We have been fortunate so far in that no incidents have occurred, but with so much confusion about regulations, or lack there of, the possibility for a tragedy to take place is far too great.”

Shekarchi’s intent is to formalize drone regulations and clear up the confusion regarding when and where it is legal to fly unmanned vehicles within Rhode Island airspace. Currently, the technology has outpaced local and federal aviation officials and regulations.

“I wrote to Secretary Foxx because this technology is not going away anytime soon, but, without proper and clear regulations, confusion regarding safe drone usage poses a distinct public threat. Clear regulations and laws will also protect the public from nefarious drone usage as well,” added Shekarchi. “I sincerely urge the federal government to get ahead of this developing issue before it becomes a problem at best and a tragedy at worst.”