Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV1) today introduced legislation to strengthen federal regulation of the transport of lithium ion batteries in the aftermath of a fire involving six lithium ion batteries on Interstate 15 in late July that shut down the highway between Barstow and Las Vegas for two days. 

“The disaster on Interstate 15 was a wake-up call that we need to do more to protect the public from dangerous fires related to the transport of lithium ion batteries,” Congresswoman Titus said. “An accident such as the one on Interstate 15 can result in ‘thermal runaway,’ when a battery enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state, which makes fires extremely difficult to extinguish. 

“As more lithium ion batteries are transported through our state and across the nation, we need to take additional precautions,” Congresswoman Titus said. “An accident involving these batteries in highly populated urban areas could have tragic consequences.”

“As recent fires have shown, the public is vulnerable to fires caused by lithium batteries, especially should these fires occur during transport as was the case most recently on the main road from Nevada to California,” said John Steinbeck, Chief of the Clark County Fire Department. “Clark County Fire is grateful Congresswoman Titus has introduced legislation to guide the transportation and storage of lithium batteries, and we look forward to quick passage to the benefit of first responders and public safety.”

The “Thermal Runaway Reduction Act” focuses on ways to reduce the potential for thermal runaway during the transportation of lithium-ion batteries by doing the following:

• Requiring impact testing for lithium-ion batteries that accounts for forces experienced in transportation accidents; and
• Requiring the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to issue regulations that set a maximum state of charge of 30% for lithium-ion batteries set for ground transportation, similar to what is required for air transportation.