Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) wrote to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford and Amazon.com, Inc. CEO Andy Jassy 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.”

A copy of the letter sent to the Federal Aviation Administration can be accessed HERE. 

A copy of the letter sent to Amazon can be accessed HERE. 

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