Private drone takedowns at power plants—with immunity from lawsuits
H.R. 9232 — Critical Infrastructure Airspace Defense Act · Filed by Matt Van Epps (R-TN) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jun 9, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill allows private owners and operators of critical infrastructure facilities (like power plants and electrical substations) to detect, track, and shoot down drones that threaten their facilities, provided they complete federal training and certification. The bill also creates a $250 million grant program to help these facilities purchase and install anti-drone systems, and shields facility operators from civil or criminal liability for actions taken under this authority.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to authorize private drone countermeasures at critical infrastructure sites and fund anti-drone technology. However, the broad liability shield for private operators is a significant secondary provision that insulates them from accountability—a carve-out that may exceed the stated public-safety purpose.
What the text implies
- Liability shield (Section 5) exempts private security personnel from civil and criminal liability except for gross negligence or willful misconduct—a very high bar. This may allow collateral damage (e.g., a drone shot down over a populated area) without meaningful recourse for injured citizens.
- The bill delegates real-time airspace enforcement to private actors without explicit coordination requirements beyond 'mandatory coordination protocols' with the FAA. Gaps in coordination could create safety hazards or conflicts with manned aircraft.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Defense contractors and counter-UAS technology manufacturers; Electric utilities and power system operators; Private security firms and contractors