The entire drone industry is growing worldwide and domestically as the police state surveillance grid thickens. Now, worse then cameras on every street corner, citizens have other eyes to fear, the ones in the sky.

Tethered high altitude blimps, research platforms, and straight out drones (both military and private) in the skies over the US have changed our nation forever, as this newly proposed test site will be the earmark for getting this $10-100 million a year industry into full swing.

Over 30 states have applied now to possibly become the first state in the US to host a drone training site as Nevada shows confidence in winning the bid. “We think we have quite a bit to offer. … I’m optimistic about the proposal,” said Steve Hill, executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Office Economic Development, which is spearheading a statewide effort to put together a winning bid. “We just see this as a real opportunity for Nevada to get in on the ground floor of something where we really can be a center for an industry that is growing.”, as reported by the Las Vegas Sun.

In fact, Nevada is so excited about the possibility of winning the contract that they have stepped up their game. The Las Vegas Sun continues;

Hill, who is co-chairing the team drafting Nevada’s bid, chose his words as diplomatically as one must when part of a formal, national bidding process that won’t conclude until the end of the year.

But the truth is, Nevada has been making the hard sell to the federal government for more than a year, enlisting help from the state’s universities, its defense contractors, its military officials and its congressional delegation.

The six FAA drone sites under development have their roots in a law Congress passed in early 2012 to reauthorize FAA programs. Nevada’s chief focus during the drawn-out process of passing that bill was the potential cessation of service to rural airports and the interruption of funds to support rampant expansion at McCarran International Airport.

But alongside those provisions was a direction to the FAA to develop standards for licensing operators to fly drones in commercial airspace by the end of September 2015.

The states selected as hosts to the test sites will get an early jump on that clearance – and with it, a chance to attract the best UAV developers and manufacturers to set up shop in the Silver State.

Although the FAA has no military connection this will likely set a precedence in the US for a militarized state in the future.