New York Gov. Kathy Hochul enacts law targeting lithium-ion batteries. Here's what it does.
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill on Thursday aimed at getting dangerous lithium-ion batteries off the streets and out of homes.
According to FDNY data, this year alone in the city there have been 110 investigations connected to lithium-ion battery fires that resulted in 50 injuries and one death.
Hochul, who was joined by FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh and other city and state leaders, put pen to paper and turned eight pieces of legislation into law.
"These batteries don't catch on fire like kindling. They explode like a grenade," Hochul said. "Greedy manufacturers that put profit over safety and flood the market with cheap, malfunctioning batteries. Here in New York, that ends today."
New law targets sales of new batteries
The legislation prohibits the sale of batteries not up to manufacturing standards, requires retailers to provide manuals for the batteries and requires training materials for first responders for incidents involving the batteries.
Dave Morkal, a retired FDNY battalion chief, has already been educating fire departments across the country on the topic.
"It does feel good to have these conversations, but I am concerned that some of this could go bad for firefighters in the future," Morkal said.
What about batteries already purchased?
Morkal said even if the new legislation makes purchasing illegal batteries impossible, there are fears among fire servicemembers about the ones that are already out there.
"Even with enforcement and legislation, there's just too big a market for them, I think. They'll still be there," Morkal said.
The fires are near impossible to put out and even once they are, the damage remains. Two weeks ago, the second floor of a building in Midwood, Brooklyn was somebody's home. That is, until a charging lithium battery went up in flames.
"We have to go to the point of sale or the point of re-sale. It is a real challenge when you're talking about each individual bike," said Jackie Bray, commissioner of the New York State Department of Homeland Security.