Overnight Regulation: NFL drones cleared for takeoff

Welcome to OVERNIGHT REGULATION, your daily rundown of news from Capitol Hill and beyond. It’s Wednesday evening here in Washington, where pope-mageddon is on.

Here’s what else is happening.

THE BIG STORY

It’s first and drones for the National Football League.

{mosads}Upon further review, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is granting the NFL permission to use drones to capture photos, video footage and broadcast live football games.

This comes after the NFL challenged the agency’s drone policy. 

The Hill’s Keith Laing reports on the growing pressure the FAA is facing to develop new drone regulations:

The flights were approved under a section of federal law that allows the Transportation Department to waive requirements for FAA approval for drone flights that are operated outside of restricted airspace and below 200 feet. 

“The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition in the Federal Register because the requested exemption would not set a precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to the petitioner,” the agency wrote in a letter to the NFL.

The FAA has approved more than 1,500 drone flights in the process of developing regulations for allowing a rapid expansion of the use of the devices in the U.S.

The agency has faced tremendous pressure to approve an expansion of non-military drone use from companies such as Amazon, which has said the technology can be used to make speedier online deliveries. 

Police and other law enforcement groups were also seeking approval to use the technology. http://bit.ly/1KBZAop

ON TAP FOR THURSDAY

Pope Francis will address Congress in a joint session of the House and Senate beginning at 10 a.m.

TOMORROW’S REGS TODAY

The Obama administration will publish 148 new regulations, proposed rules, notices and other administrative actions in Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register.

–The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) will propose stronger protections for human subjects who take part in research experiments.

Known as the common rule, human subjects would be better protected with new rules for researchers.

The public has until Dec. 7 to comment. http://bit.ly/1Vb179M

–The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will propose new safety requirements for power swings.

The rules will “ensure that applicable entities use protective relay systems that can differentiate between faults and stable power swings,” the agency writes.

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1KBOpfb

–The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will consider new guidelines for the use of investigational tobacco products.

The draft guidance it is issuing will apply to researchers.

The public has 60 days to comment. http://bit.ly/1Lx3JOF

NEWS RIGHT NOW

Pot: Pope Francis’s calls for criminal justice reform could give marijuana legalization advocates an unlikely ally in their fight to overhaul what they see as the nation’s outdated drug laws. http://bit.ly/1ix3nvL

Parks: The head of the nation’s leading park advocacy group is urging Congress to prevent a government shutdown that could cost millions in park revenue. http://bit.ly/1Wjc5fS

Complaints: Payday lenders say a drop in consumer complaints shows there is no need to regulate the industry. http://bit.ly/1R0wDqA

Brownfields: The Environmental Protection Agency is putting another $13.2 million towards a program to help communities clean up contaminated development sites, known as brownfields. http://bit.ly/1L6I8Oj

Fingerprints: One of the scariest parts of the massive cybersecurity breaches at the Office of Personnel Management just got worse: The agency now says 5.6 million people’s fingerprints were stolen as part of the hacks, The Washington Post reports. http://wapo.st/1OuFq5E

Clinton: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan on Wednesday to lower out-of-pocket health costs, including expanded coverage of sick visits to the doctor and tax credits for those with substantial medical bills, Reuters reports. http://reut.rs/1R0yonA

Volkswagen: Martin Winterkorn resigned as chief executive of Volkswagen on Wednesday, taking responsibility for an emissions cheating scandal, The New York Times reports. http://nyti.ms/1OuBJg9

BY THE NUMBERS

$42 million: How much the national parks stand to lose daily if there is a government shutdown.

450,000: Properties in the U.S. that are abandoned and contaminated.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Any attention the pope brings to mass incarceration… will boost marijuana reform efforts, because marijuana arrests are a gateway to the criminal justice system for many,” –Bill Piper, director of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance.

We’ll work to stay on top of these and other stories throughout the week, so check The Hill’s Regulation page (http://digital-staging.thehill.com/regulation) early and often for the latest. And send any comments, complaints or regulatory news tips our way, tdevaney@digital-staging.thehill.com or lwheeler@digital-staging.thehill.com. And follow us at @timdevaney and@wheelerlydia.

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