(NewsNation) — A Vermont legislator has proposed creating a state task force that would study “unidentified anomalous phenomena,” or UAPs, which have drawn increasing attention from members of Congress and UFO enthusiasts alike.
Sponsoring state Rep. Troy Headrick, I-Burlington, says he doesn’t consider himself a member of the UFO crowd. The continuing emergence of drone technology is what inspired him to file H.654, he said.
“I can see a future where a lot of things get delivered by drone. I can see a future where law enforcement might want to use drones for more surveillance, and I want to be committed to evidence-based policymaking if we’re asked to create those sorts of guardrail policies,” he told “Jesse Weber Live” on Monday.
The Vermont Airspace Safety and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force would be charged with examining reports of objects “operating in the atmosphere or underwater that cannot be readily attributed to a known or conventional source … or other anomalous objects exhibiting performance characteristics not consistent with currently understood technologies,” according to the bill.
The panel’s evaluations would be limited to incidents within the Green Mountain State. The 10-member task force would work with federal agencies and academic experts and hold an annual forum.
“As our radar capabilities increase, we’re seeing more and more of these anomalous phenomena that are not identifiable,” Headrick said. “I think it’s important to set up statewide systems where this reporting can be centralized.”
The bill has been assigned to a committee.
Drones have been at the forefront of air safety discussions, in part because of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Interest in UAPs has also risen as military videos surfaced showing objects in air or water with inexplicable abilities. A House Oversight Committee subpanel on federal secrets includes UAPs within its realm of focus.
A recent documentary feature, “The Age of Disclosure,” suggests the U.S. and its adversaries have secretly retrieved nonhuman craft and are in a race to reverse-engineer potentially powerful secrets.
