BISMARCK — The North Dakota House on Thursday passed a final vote on a bill that would expand the Vantis system, a beyond line of sight drone network.
House Bill 1038 will now go to Gov. Kelly Armstrong to be signed into law.
The bill includes an emergency clause that means it would take effect immediately upon being signed by the governor, rather than on July 1 when other appropriations passed during the session will take effect.
The emergency clause is necessary because if North Dakota does not develop the security infrastructure necessary for a Federal Aviation Administration radar data enclave in a timely fashion, the FAA will invest in other test sites in the country, according to the bill’s primary sponsor Rep. Mike Nathe, R-Bismarck.
The bill came back to the House after the Senate altered it by splitting and voting down a $15 million drone replacement program originally included in the bill.
The Vantis system is a collaboration between the state, aerospace company Thales and the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Test Site at Grand Forks.
The bill allocates $11 million to develop an FAA radar enclave, which would allow the agency to share unfiltered radar data with the Vantis system. This would be the first time the FAA shared unfiltered radar data with an organization outside of the federal government, according to Frank Mattis, director of UAS Integration at Thales.
Northern Plains UAS Test Site Deputy Executive Director Erin Roesler said the system covers 3,000 square miles and with the FAA data would cover 56,000 square miles — an expansion that would cost the state $255 million to develop without the FAA’s assistance.
The hope, according to those in support of the bill, is that Vantis with the FAA’s data would become the guideline for a national drone infrastructure system.
The bill passed the House floor on an 84-3 vote with six lawmakers absent/not voting.