Sponsor
Alice Costandina Titus
Representative · D-NV
Representative · D-NV
This bill strengthens safety for battery transport and incident response through clearer rules, lower state-of-charge limits, improved testing, and grants for suppression and monitoring, but it raises compliance costs and administrative burdens for shippers and manufacturers, adds federal spending, and may create short-term trade, equity, and implementation challenges.
Transportation workers, carriers, first responders, and the public will face a lower risk of lithium‑ion battery fires during shipment and incidents because the bill limits state-of-charge, strengthens UN-style impact testing, clarifies 'thermal runaway', and funds validated suppression and verification methods.
Volunteer and career fire departments and local governments can obtain federal grants to buy specialized suppression equipment, containment blankets, diagnostics, and related tools, improving responder safety and reducing property/business disruption from battery incidents.
PHMSA-funded testing and a focus on PFAS-free suppression approaches, plus funding for environmental monitoring and runoff control, should accelerate adoption of less-toxic suppression methods and reduce long‑term environmental and cleanup harms to communities.
Shippers, small manufacturers, and businesses that move battery-powered goods will face higher compliance and logistical costs (testing, SoC management, repackaging, special approvals), which can raise prices and delay shipments.
Taxpayers will bear new federal spending to fund PHMSA testing and competitive grant programs (including an explicit authorization up to $10 million for FY2027–2031 and additional unspecified grant funding).
Narrow technical statutory definitions and precise exclusions risk creating regulatory gaps or confusion for emerging battery chemistries, potentially leaving some technologies unaddressed or requiring additional guidance.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Tightens transport testing and rules for lithium‑ion batteries (including a 30% SoC limit), creates PHMSA research grants and a competitive fire department grant program to reduce thermal‑runaway risks.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue certain regulations with respect to the safe transportation of lithium-ion cells or batteries, and for other purposes.
Introduced March 12, 2026 by Alice Costandina Titus · Last progress March 12, 2026
Requires the Department of Transportation and PHMSA to tighten rules and guidance to reduce thermal runaway risks from lithium‑ion cells and batteries during commercial transport, including a required state‑of‑charge limit, new impact testing, and regular updates. Creates two grant programs: a PHMSA research grants program to test fire suppression and diagnostics for transported batteries (authorized $10 million for FY2027–2031) and a competitive grant program to equip and train fire departments to detect, contain, and suppress lithium‑ion battery fires.