Senators Blackburn and Braun Make Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act Bipartisan in the Senate
Today, U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer announced that the Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act now has bipartisan support in the Senate with the addition of Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Mike Braun (R-IN) as cosponsors. The bill would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate a final consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and other micromobility devices to protect against the risk of fires caused by such batteries. In New York City alone, FDNY reports rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have caused more than 600 fires since 2021, resulting in more than 300 injuries, 29 deaths & damage to hundreds of structures. In 2023, there were 268 e-bike and e-mobility device battery fires in NYC, a dramatic increase from the 44 that occurred in 2020.
“Far too many innocent lives are being lost due to fires caused by faulty and improperly manufactured lithium-ion batteries used in e-bikes and other micromobility devices. I am thrilled to announce that this commonsense solution now has bipartisan support in the Senate, bringing us one step closer to stopping preventable fires in New York and across the country,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I encourage my congressional colleagues to pass this bipartisan bill and create the first-ever mandatory consumer product safety standard for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used in micromobility devices.”
“The fires, injuries and death caused by cheap, dangerous lithium-ion batteries are spiking across New York, and federal action is needed to protect consumers and also our brave firefighters who are on the front lines responding to these unpredictable, and often times, very dangerous lithium battery fires,” said Senator Schumer. “This is not a partisan issue and I’m glad our Republican colleagues see the urgent need for federal safety action to keep the public and firefighters safe from the growing number of low-quality, dangerous lithium-ion batteries; I urge swift passage of the bipartisan Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act.”
This bill is also bipartisan in the House and recently passed out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 42–0. Representative Torres leads the bill in the House, and it is cosponsored by U.S. Reps. Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Pat Ryan (NY-18), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Anthony D’Esposito (NY-4), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Colin Allred (TX-32), Grace Meng (NY-06), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Nicholas Langworthy (NY-23), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Andre Carson (IN-07), Troy Carter (LA-02), Gregory Meeks (NY-05), and Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11).