Legislation aimed at preventing lithium-ion battery fires close to passing into law, FDNY says
NEW YORK — A federal bill that could help prevent lithium-ion battery fires is finally nearing the finish line, according to the New York City Fire Department.
It's something the department has pushed for in Washington, D.C. for years.
Lithium-ion battery safety standard bill stalled
Since 2019, there have been 900 lithium-ion battery fires and 33 deaths, and members of the FDNY have taken five trips to Washington to push for change.
"The missing piece was the federal component," FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said.
The department now says that change is closer than ever in the form of legislation requiring a national safety standard for the batteries.
"Prior to this bill getting signed, there is no safety standard. You can really make these in your basement and then sell them as if they're a high-quality product. You have no idea what you're getting," FDNY Chief Fire Marshal Daniel Flynn said.
It's been a year and a half since New York's United States senators announced legislation to require the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to create a safety standard. They were joined by a father whose 8-year-old daughter died one of the fires.
The bill stalled for months, but now Sen. Chuck Schumer says he's confident the legislation will pass into law as part of the budget bill before the end of the year.
How would the new lithium-ion battery law work?
"Right now, there's no authority to regulate these imported batteries. We give the federal authorities the ability to do so, and they will determine whether they regulate them right at the port of entry, which probably makes the most sense, or before they are sold," Schumer said.
Under the law, the federal government will be able to penalize anyone selling batteries in the U.S. that don't meet the government's safety standard.
The FDNY says the legislation will allow the government to issue recalls of unsafe batteries, an issue highlighted in a CBS News New York interview in November with the close friend of a man who died earlier this year in a Harlem fire, which officials say was started by a lithium-ion battery.
"We do recalls for cars all the time because we know that it can have consequences. And if this can also have deadly consequences for people, then we should do our best to ensure they're off the street," the friend said.
Meanwhile, the FDNY says the number of lithium-ion battery fires so far this year is about the same as last year, but deaths are down and structural fires are down. They believe more people are charging batteries outside.