A Drone’s Eye View of Nuclear Peril

In the sagebrush-dotted wilds of Nevada, where the sun blisters the sand while the wind whispers secrets to the Joshua trees, two congressional critters—Susie Lee, a Democrat lass from the southern reaches, and Mark Amodei, a Republican gent from the north—have teamed up with a posse of lawmakers to lasso a newfangled bill. They’re callin’ it the Nuclear Ecosystem Drone Defense Act, a mouthful fit aimed square at keepin’ them buzzin’, whirrin’ contraptions—drones, they say—away from the nation’s nuclear lairs.

Now, Miss Susie, with her heart rooted in Southern Nevada’s dusty trails, reckons the U.S. Department of Energy’s got about as much power to shoo off these sky varmints as a one-legged man in a footrace. She’s talkin’ ‘bout places like the Nevada National Security Site, where Uncle Sam keeps his atomic arsenal polished and primed.

Up jumps Mark Amodei, a fella who’s seen the elephant and heard the owl in Northern Nevada’s rugged sprawl. He painted a picture bleak as a moonless night–the Department is hog-tied and helpless, watchin’ these mechanical hawks snatch secrets outta the air.

If the NEDD Act takes root, the Energy folks’ll get to rustle up a drone herd—testin’ tricks to outfox the enemy’s flock. It’s a regular hoedown of high-tech and high stakes, and it’ll be a sight to see–Nevada’s own, Democrat and Republican alike, ridin’ herd on a threat buzzin’ louder than a rattler in a rainstorm.

Time’ll tell if this legislative lariat snags the prize or stirs up more desert dust.