Sens. Markey, Warren, Reps. McGovern, Trahan Demand FAA, Amazon Study Impacts of Amazon’s Westborough, Mass. Drone Program Before Launching Drone Delivery

Lawmakers argue the FAA and Amazon are bypassing crucial, site-specific environmental review process, limiting local input Letter to the FAA (PDF) | Letter to Amazon (PDF) Washington (October 14, 2026) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Jim McGovern (MA-02) and Lori Trahan (MA-03) today wrote to Bryan Bedford, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Andy Jassy, Chief Executive Officer of Amazon, urging Amazon to work with the FAA to conduct an Environmental Assessment of its proposed drone delivery facility in Westborough, Massachusetts, before launching operations there. Communities have raised concerns about the Amazon Prime Air drone delivery program’s impact on the environment and residents’ quality-of-life, including noise pollution, health and safety, and privacy. In the letters, the lawmakers wrote , “Despite the noise and environmental risks of Amazon’s drone operations, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized operators such as Amazon to deploy their fleets without completing a site-specific Environmental Assessment (EA) of their impact on the surrounding communities. This decision is especially problematic in Massachusetts localities, given the differences between it and previously studied communities, local opposition, and the inadequate treatment of the risks associated with transporting hazardous-materials.” The lawmakers continued , “An independent resident survey, with more than 1,200 responses as of early October 2026, found 92 percent of respondents opposed the proposed Westborough facility. At a state level, Massachusetts is one of 15 states currently suing the FAA for its nationwide FONSI. In other words, Amazon is now trying to quickly move drone operations into Massachusetts under a streamlined regulatory process the state itself is challenging. These are precisely the community-specific noise, safety, and quality-of-life concerns a site-specific EA and comment period exist to surface and address.” The lawmakers urged , “These concerns — applying the FONSI to a community different from those previously assessed by the FAA, significant local opposition, and the limited evaluation of hazardous material risks — warrant requiring Amazon to complete a site-specific EA, with a public comment period, before the FAA authorizes Prime Air operations in Massachusetts.” ###