Sec. 1012. ELECTRIC PROPULSION AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS STUDY

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## SEC. 1012 ELECTRIC PROPULSION AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS STUDY ###

(a)In General Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall initiate a study assessing the safe and scalable operation and integration of electric aircraft into the national airspace system. ###

(b)Contents In conducting the study required under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall address— ####

(1)identification of the workforce technical capacity and competencies needed for the Administrator to certify aircraft systems specific to electric aircraft; ####

(2)the data development and collection required to develop standards specific to electric aircraft; ####

(3)the regulatory standards and guidance material needed to facilitate the safe operation and maintenance of electric aircraft, including— #####

(A)fire protection; #####

(B)high voltage electromagnetic environments; #####

(C)engine and human machine interfaces; #####

(D)reliability of high voltage components and insulation; #####

(E)lithium batteries for propulsion use; #####

(F)operating and pilot qualifications; and #####

(G)airspace integration; ####

(4)the airport infrastructure requirements to support electric aircraft operations, including an assessment of— #####

(A)the capabilities of airport infrastructure, including, to the extent practicable, the capabilities and capacity of the electrical power grid of the United States to support such operations, including cost, challenges, and opportunities for clean generation of electricity relating to such support, existing as of the date of enactment of this Act; #####

(B)aircraft operations specifications; #####

(C)projected operations demand by carriers and other operators; #####

(D)potential modifications to existing airport infrastructure; #####

(E)additional investments in new infrastructure and systems required to meet operations demand; #####

(F)management of infrastructure relating to hazardous materials used in hybrid and electric propulsion; and #####

(G)ability of such current and future airport infrastructure capabilities to adapt to meet the evolving needs of electric aircraft operations; and ####

(5)varying types of electric aircraft, including advanced air mobility aircraft and small or regional passenger or cargo aircraft. ###

(c)Considerations In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Comptroller General may consider the following: ####

(1)The potential for improvements to air service connectivity for communities through the deployment of electric aircraft operations, including by— #####

(A)establishing routes to small and rural communities; and #####

(B)introducing alternative modes of transportation for multimodal operations within communities. ####

(2)Impacts to airport-adjacent communities, including implications due to changes in airspace utilization and land use compatibility. ###

(d)Report to Congress Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the covered committees of Congress and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the results of the study conducted under subsection

(a)and recommendations for such legislation and administrative action as the Comptroller General determines appropriate. ###

(e)Definitions In this section: ####

(1)Electric aircraft The term “electric aircraft” means an aircraft with a fully electric or hybrid electric driven propulsion system used for flight. ####

(2)Advanced air mobility The term “advanced air mobility” means a transportation system that transports passengers and cargo by air between two points in the United States using aircraft with advanced technologies, including aircraft with hybrid or electric vertical take-off and landing capabilities, in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.