[4910-13-P]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Notice of Availability of the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment and
Mitigated Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision for Drone
Package Delivery in North Carolina
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces the availability of
the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and Mitigated Finding of No
Significant Impact and Record of Decision (FONSI/ROD) for Drone Package Delivery in
North Carolina.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning this action,
contact Nicholas Baker, Environmental Protection Specialist, Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Integration Office, Safety & Integration Division, Strategic Programs Branch,
AUS-430; telephone 1-202-267-4714; e-mail 9-FAA-Drone-Environmental@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final PEA evaluates the potential
environmental impacts of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) package delivery
operations in the state of North Carolina. The proposed action analyzed in the PEA is
UAS operators conducting commercial drone package deliveries under 14 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part 135 in North Carolina. The North Carolina Department
of Transportation is the project proponent.
The Draft PEA was submitted for review pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321 et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality NEPA Implementing Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508),
FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, Section 4(f) of

the Department of Transportation Act (49 U.S.C. 303), and section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470) on April 30, 2024. The FAA held a virtual
public meeting for the Draft PEA on May 21, 2024. The comment period for the Draft
PEA closed on May 30, 2024. The Final PEA includes public comments received during
the public comment period and the FAA’s responses.
The Final PEA and Mitigated FONSI/ROD are available to view and download
electronically at https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/nepa_and_drones/. The
documentation is available from any internet access, including from computers freely
available at public libraries.
Based on the analysis in the Final PEA, including mitigation measures that may
be used to prevent significant noise impacts, the FAA has determined there will not be
significant impacts to the human environment. As a result, an Environmental Impact
Statement has not been initiated. The FAA intends for this PEA to create efficiencies by
establishing a framework that can be used for “tiering,” when appropriate, to projectspecific actions that require additional analysis. As decisions on specific applications are
made, to the extent additional NEPA analysis is required, environmental review will be
conducted to supplement the analysis set forth in this PEA.

Issued in Washington, DC on July 16, 2024.

Derek W. Hufty,
Manager, General Aviation and Commercial Branch,
Emerging Technologies Division,
Office of Safety Standards, Flight Standards Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-15948 Filed: 7/18/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 7/19/2024]