Category: News & Press Releases

As part of PRBA’s continuing work on developing a new TRANSCAER program on lithium ion batteries, PRBA will host a workshop on Lithium ion Battery Emergency Response and Safety during CHEMTREC’s International Hazmat Summit. The Summit will be held in New Orleans September 12 – 14, 2022 with the workshop scheduled for…
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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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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The United States Lithium Battery Air Safety Advisory Committee met on May 4, 2022 to continue its work on lithium battery air transport safety. This Federal Advisory Committee meets regularly to provide advice and recommendations to improve on the safe air transport of lithium batteries. PRBA Executive Director George Kerchner and several individuals from…
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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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The United States Coast Guard issued on March 10, 2022 a “Marine Safety Alert on Lithium Batteries” in response to an August 19, 2021 fire involving a container of undeclared, waste lithium batteries that was en route to a port in Virginia and intended for a maritime voyage to a port in China via…
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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…
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