Category: Press Releases

PRBA Transportation Committee Meets to Consider List of Regulatory Challenges Impacting Transport of Lithium Batteries and Lithium Battery-Powered Products

PRBA’s Transportation Committee met on June 21, 2022 to consider a lengthy list of domestic and international regulatory challenges impacting the transport of lithium batteries. On the international front, the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods is meeting this week in Geneva, Switzerland to address a litany of lithium battery…
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EPA Request for Information on Best Practices for Battery Recycling and Labeling

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published today a Request for Information (RFI) soliciting public comment on the scope and prioritization of battery collection, best practices for the collection of batteries for recycling, programs to promote battery recycling through the development of voluntary battery labeling schemes, and communication/education materials for battery producers and consumers regarding…
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New York Passes Right-To-Repair Bill

The New York General Assembly passed on June 3, 2022 A7006-B after the New York Senate passed the identical Senate version of the bill, S4104A, on June 1, 2022. The bill, titled the Digital Fair Repair Act, has now been sent to Governor Kathy Hochul, and if signed, will take effect one year after her…
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U.S. Postal Service Issues Rule Prohibiting Air Shipments of “Pre-owned, Damaged, or Defective” Lithium Battery-Powered Devices

The United States Postal Service (“USPS”) published today in the Federal Register an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that revises their Mailing Standard  and, among other things, prohibits the mailing by air of “pre-owned, damaged, or defective electronic devices” that contain or are packed with lithium batteries. The IFR also mandates new package markings for such products and requires mailers…
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U.S. DOT Issues Safety Advisory on Transport of Waste Lithium Batteries

The U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued this week a Safety Advisory Notice for the Disposal and Recycling of Lithium Batteries in Commercial Transportation due to the large number of recent incidents involving shipments of these batteries – many of which were undeclared or the shippers failed to fully comply with the U.S. hazardous…
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New York City Adopts Comprehensive Amendments to Fire Code Impacting the Management, Storage, and Charging of Battery Powered Industrial Trucks, Equipment, and Mobility Devices

New York City has become the first jurisdiction in the U.S. to adopt new fire code requirements applicable to the storage, handling, and charging of micromobility devices that are generally aligned with the new requirements that will appear in the 2024 International Fire Code (IFC). New York City also expanded these requirements beyond what is…
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California Legislature to Consider Collection and Recycling Mandates for Portable Batteries and Electronic Devices

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) battery bill (AB 2440) has been introduced in the California Assembly and focuses on the collection and recycling of portable batteries and electronic devices with embedded batteries. The short, three-page bill – Battery and Battery-Embedded Product Recycling and Fire Risk Reduction Act of 2022 – is a placeholder for what is…
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U.S. Department of Transportation Agrees PRBA’s Petition for Rulemaking on Lithium Batteries and Materials of Trade has Merit

The U.S. Department of Transportation has agreed that PRBA’s petition for rulemaking on lithium batteries and the Materials of Trade provisions in the U.S. hazardous materials regulations (HMR) merits consideration in a future rulemaking. This means the Agency will consider authorizing larger quantities of lithium batteries to be transported under the Materials of Trade provisions,…
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