What’s that mysterious object flying over Vermont?
If a Burlington legislator’s bill becomes law, a 10-member panel will investigate whenever something unidentified appears in the skies. Rep. Troy Headrick (I-Burlington) introduced a bill this week that would set up the Vermont Airspace Safety and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Task Force.
The group would review reports of sightings of unexplained objects. It would be able to make recommendations to manage risks to the public or Vermont airspace.
The panel would look into reports of unknown objects in the air or waterways, including any that might exhibit “performance characteristics not consistent with currently understood technologies.” These include “instantaneous acceleration absent observable inertia or hypersonic velocity without a corresponding thermal signature or sonic boom,” according to the bill.
Headrick said Tuesday that he introduced the legislation on behalf of lobbyist Maggie Lenz. He said he at times does so whether he supports the bill or not, because lawmakers should help residents get issues they care about before the legislature. He said he was not yet prepared to speak to or support the bill.
Lenz , owner of Atlas Government Affairs, said she’s been fascinated by the issue, especially since a rash of reports in 2024 of objects over the skies of New Jersey. Most were drones or low-flying aircraft.
Those reports — and the government’s inability to provide credible information about them — cause Lenz to think a Vermont reporting and review system makes sense.
“I’m certain not saying that it’s aliens,” Lenz said Tuesday. “But I do think just having the conversation here in Vermont will begin to allow for it to be taken a little bit more seriously.”
The effort would mirror steps taken by the federal government to explore sightings of UFOs, more commonly referred to in the scientific communities as UAPs, or unidentified anomalous phenomena.
There’s an All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office within the U.S. Department of Defense, and in 2023 Congress passed the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Disclosure Act to standardize federal investigations of sightings.
The draft bill says Vermonters have reported sightings to police. The reports underscore the need for a coordinated response, the bill says.
In late 2024, Vermont media outlets reported residents said they saw unexplained lights in the night sky above their homes, including in East Montpelier.
Members of the task force would include the following members or someone designated by them: the the commissioner of public safety, the secretary of transportation; one member each appointed by the the House of Representatives and Senate; a representative of the Vermont National Guard; a representative of the Vermont Bureau of Criminal Investigation; a representative of the Vermont airport system or general aviation operations; an academic expert in aerospace or atmospheric science; an independent expert in radar or sensor systems; and a representative of the Vermont Intelligence Center.
The task force would have technical assistance from the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies, which bills itself as a “think tank of scientists, former military and law enforcement officials and other professionals” committed to scientific analysis of sightings. Lenz said she shared the bill with the nonprofit organization, which is not paying her for her work, and it was supportive.
The bill will be introduced in the House Government Operations Committee on Friday.
Its chair, Rep. Matt Birong (D-Vergennes), said he wants to better understand the goals behind the bill before deciding whether to give the idea further consideration. People clearly have concerns about flying objects such as drones, especially when they spot them near their properties and don’t know who is piloting them.
“There have been lots of news stories about objects that are not necessarily extraterrestrial, but are still unknown,” Birong said.
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