CAMBRIA & SOMERSET COUNTY, Pa (WJAC) — On Thursday, Governor Shapiro signed new legislation into law, setting the stage for our region and our state to become the nation’s leader in drone technology.
Glenn Ponas, the executive director of Aerium Avionics, says this new law will do for drones what the interstate highway system did for the trucking industry.
Senator Wayne Langerholc — who sponsored the legislation — says the new law is a major step forward for the commonwealth as it allows Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary to enter into collaborative agreements with surrounding states, with the intent to further drone education and research.
Officials say those agreements would also help advance workforce development centered in Cambria and Somerset counties.
Aerium Avionics says it will allow goods and material to be seamlessly sent across state lines and beyond the operator’s visual line of sight.
Officials say those in other states will not have to reinvent the wheel because they can partner with companies operating in our region for the training and infrastructure needed.
Not just those companies, but you have all the other ancillary services and jobs that come with that, which means tremendous economic activity for our area. It means more people working in high paying family sustaining jobs and people living here, which then increases the real estate taxation. I mean, it just goes down the line. It’s just a big, big win for our area.
Sen. Langerholc says the legislation passed the state Senate unanimously and he could not be prouder of this bipartisan effort.