JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A handful of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) buzzed around the lawn of the Missouri State Capitol today for UAV Awareness Day, an event sponsored by Republican Rep. Ken Wilson to gin up support for his legislation codifying commercial drone use in the state.
Under current Missouri law, an individual may use a UAV on their own property for any purpose, but no regulations or codes exist for using a UAV for commercial purposes, effectively prohibiting the industry. Wilson has spent the last three years working on commercial UAV legislation in the House, and he told The Missouri Times that he was extremely confident that by next year, his bill would become law.
“This is technology that is just exploding,” Wilson said. “This time next year, we will have it. I’ve got the right people at the table. Seven out of 10 companies are small businesses. This is small business. It’s going to be a big industry, but it’s small businesses.”
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, Surdex Corporation, and Volt Aerial Robotics all took their various UAV systems to the Capitol lawn to demonstrate the precision and control they had over them. All three companies said that Missouri was an ideal state to grow because of its wide agricultural needs coupled with schools like Washington University and the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, which have top-ranked STEM programs.
UAV’s have broad uses, supporters say. They can be used to track and count livestock, monitor large fields for herbicide effectiveness, growth, and downed limbs on fence lines, water levels, and more. Law enforcement agencies can put UAV’s to work in search and rescue operations, large businesses like Amazon are exploring UAV delivery systems for their goods, and utility companies say UAV’s can help monitor power lines and assess repair needs.
The biggest loudest opponents of Wilson’s bill are lawmakers with concerns about individual privacy. Those officials say there’s little to stop someone from flying a UAV onto a neighbor’s property, to their window, or workplace. Wilson said he appreciates privacy concerns, but that they are being overblown in the face of new technology.
“We’re not going to ignore that,” Wilson said. “But does it make any difference if it’s a guy on a 40 foot ladder with a camera and a zoom lens or a guy flying a drone over your backyard fence and looking into your pool? Either way, it’s the act. We’re going to put language in that deals with the invasion of privacy that I think will satisfy people.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
