FAA bans drones from flying over critical infrastructure in NY, including 17 LI power substations

ALBANY — The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily banned the flying of drones around 30 critical infrastructure locations across the metropolitan area — more than half of which are power substations on Long Island.

The temporary no-fly zones were put in place late Thursday as a safeguard in response to the rash of drone sightings on the Island and in New York City, among other areas, officials said.

The temporary restrictions were granted at the request of federal security partners, the FAA said in a statement. 

They only apply to drones and not manned aviation like airplanes or helicopters, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The restrictions are routinely requested in areas where the presence of drones could be unsafe or pose a security risk, according to the department.

New York State has been monitoring reports of drone activity since mid-November, Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement late Thursday. Hochul, who has been coordinating with the Biden-Harris administration, said the restricted areas are "purely precautionary" and that there are no threats to the sites.

Most of the 30 protected sites are substations, which are high-voltage electric-system facilities used as part of the power grid, including 17 on Long Island. The substations are in Oceanside, Roslyn Heights, Levittown, Melville, Calverton, Setauket, Shoreham, Holtsville, Lynbrook, Hicksville, Northport, Ridge and Holbrook, as well as two in Commack and two in Glenwood Landing.

 Additional restrictions will be added as needed, according to the governor's office and the FAA. 

 The FAA added additional sites on Friday but a list of specific locations was not immediately available.

Since the beginning of the year, Nassau County police have received 141 reports of drone sightings — 117 of which have been reported since Nov. 1, Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a news conference Thursday calling for federal authority to ticket drone operators and take down devices.

Hochul has also called on Congress to pass legislation giving states and local law enforcement authority and resources to manage this evolving technology. 

Along with the temporary restrictions, the federal government earlier this week provided what the governor said was a state-of-the-art drone detection system.

"While we have not detected any public safety or national security threats, we will continue aggressively monitoring the situation," she said.

 New restrictions will be posted on the FAA's website here. 

Here is the list of the 30 protected locations:

• Farragut Substation — Brooklyn
• E. 13th St. Substation — New York
• EF Barrett Substation — Oceanside
• Goethals Substation — Staten Island
• Fresh Kills Substation — Staten Island
• Roslyn Substation — Roslyn Heights
• Newbridge Rd. Substation — Levittown
• Ruland Rd. Substation — Melville
• Hunts Point Compressor Station — Bronx
• Riverhead Substation — Calverton
• Point Jefferson Substation — Setauket
• Shoreham Substation — Shoreham
• Pilgrim Substation — Commack
• Holbrook Substation — Holtsville
• Lake Success Substation — New Hyde Park
• East Garden City Substation — Garden City
• Electric Control Center — New York
• Gas Control Center — Bronx
• Far Rockaway Substation — Far Rockaway
• Glenwood Substation — Glenwood Landing
• Valley Stream Substation — Lynbrook
• Hauppauge Substation — Commack
• New South Rd. Substation — Hicksville
• Millwood Substation — New Castle
• Astoria Complex — Queens
• Northport Substation — Northport
• Brookhaven Substation — Ridge
• Sprain Brook Substation — Yonkers
• Holtsville GT Substation — Holbrook
• Shore Rd. Substation — Glenwood Landing