FACILITATING INTERAGENCY COOPERATION FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT AUTHORIZATION IN SUPPORT OF FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS AND UTILITY RESTORATION.

SEC. 2204. FACILITATING INTERAGENCY COOPERATION FOR UNMANNED AIRCRAFT AUTHORIZATION IN SUPPORT OF FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS AND UTILITY RESTORATION.(a) Firefighting Operations.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall enter into agreements with the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, as necessary, to continue the expeditious authorization of safe unmanned aircraft system operations in support of firefighting operations consistent with the requirements of section 334(c) of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).(b) Utility Restoration.—The Administrator shall enter into agreements with the Secretary of Energy and with such other agencies or parties, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as are necessary to facilitate the expeditious authorization of safe unmanned aircraft system operations in support of service restoration efforts of utilities.(c) Definition of Utility.—In this section, the term “utility” shall at a minimum include the definition in section 3(4) of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2602(4)).