The U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) extended the mandatory compliance date of the lithium battery final rule published on August 6, 2014 from February 6, 2015 until August 7, 2015. However, the extension does not apply to shipments offered for air transport.
On January 30, 2015, PRBA, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the Food Marketing Institute and National Retail Federation filed a request with PHMSA for a six month extension to the current mandatory compliance date. The extension was requested because it had become apparent that the six month transitional period adopted in the final rule did not provide sufficient time, particularly for the retail industry, to compile the detailed lithium battery information necessary for compliance. The letter from the industry associations also noted that the retail businesses and their suppliers have been working diligently to develop information technology systems and business processes to identify consumer products impacted by the regulation but will take additional time to implement.
A copy of the notice of extension that will be published in the Federal Register is available on PHMSA’s website: