马萨诸塞州交通厅致函叫停亚马逊无人机配送：Westborough 项目须先获航空许可并举行公听会
马萨诸塞州交通厅10月22日致函亚马逊，要求其无人机配送项目在获得交通厅航空处颁发的批准证书之前不得推进，且批准前必须举行公开听证会。信函由航空处处长 Denise Garcia 签署，指出在确认飞行不存在安全威胁之前，州政府须先完成可持续性审查，而交通厅尚未收到亚马逊提交的任何此类审查申请。
信中还表示，航空处将参考联邦航空局无人机配送环境审查方式相关未决诉讼的裁决结果，马萨诸塞州已与多个州一道加入该诉讼。交通厅另称，已听到社区对该项目在公共安全、隐私与监控方面的担忧，这些担忧可能影响州政府的审批决定。
代理州交通厅长 Phillip Eng 表示，交通厅已明确亚马逊必须先获得航空处批准才能推进，州政府将仔细审查其计划，亚马逊须证明其运营不会对公共安全构成风险，并将对周边社区和环境的安全影响降到最低。亚马逊 Prime Air 无人机配送拟以其位于 Westborough 的 Otis Street 设施为基地，服务半径7.5英里，覆盖 Westborough、Shrewsbury、Grafton、Worcester 等全部或部分地区的15个城镇。本周早些时候，Westborough 镇特别镇民大会已高票通过限制无人机飞行的地方法规。
Massachusetts DOT Tells Amazon to Hold Off on Westborough Drone Deliveries: Aviation Approval and Public Hearing Required First
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation wrote to Amazon on October 22 requiring the company to obtain a certificate of approval from the department's Aeronautics Division before moving forward with its drone delivery program, with a public hearing required before any approval is granted. The letter, signed by Aeronautics Division Administrator Denise Garcia, states that Massachusetts must complete a sustainability review to ensure there is no threat to safety before permission to fly can be granted, and that the department has not received any such request for review from Amazon.
The letter also said the division will take into account the outcome of pending litigation over the Federal Aviation Administration's approach to environmental review for drone delivery, which Massachusetts has joined along with several states. MassDOT said separately that it has heard public safety, privacy and surveillance concerns from the community about the proposed program and that these concerns could affect the state's approval determination.
Interim Transportation Secretary Phillip Eng said MassDOT has made clear that Amazon must obtain approval from the Aeronautics Division before moving forward, that the state will carefully scrutinize its plans, and that Amazon will need to demonstrate that its operations will not pose a risk to public safety and will minimize safety impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and the environment. Amazon's Prime Air drone delivery would operate from its Otis Street facility in Westborough, serving properties within a 7.5-mile radius covering all or parts of 15 communities, including Westborough, Shrewsbury, Grafton and Worcester. Earlier this week, a Westborough special town meeting voted overwhelmingly to pass a bylaw restricting drone flights.
来源：GSM·美国（原文链接）
图片来源：马萨诸塞州 Westborough 镇政厅，作者 John Phelan，CC BY 3.0，来源 Wikimedia Commons
