Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV-1), Ranking Member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, today introduced a package of bills to strengthen federal regulation of the transport of lithium-ion batteries and equip firefighters with the tools needed to safely mitigate thermal runaway. This is one of Ranking Member Titus’s priorities for the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization in the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

 

In 2024, a fire involving six lithium-ion batteries on Interstate 15 shut down the highway between Barstow and Las Vegas for two days. The Thermal Runaway Reduction Act would update federal regulations for the transportation of lithium-ion batteries and set up a pilot program at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to test strategies for fighting thermal runaway. Congresswoman Titus also introduced a new bill, the Firefighter Lithium Awareness and Readiness Enhancement (FLARE) Act, to unlock federal funding for Fire Departments to purchase the equipment they need to effectively fight thermal runaway.

 

“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 and ensure that our firefighters have the tools they need to fight thermal runaway,” Congresswoman Titus said. “An accident involving these batteries in highly populated urban areas could have tragic consequences.”

 

“Lithium batteries have presented new challenges for fire personnel due to the difficulties surrounding fire suppression,” said Clark County Fire Chief Billy Samuels. “In working with Congresswoman Titus, important legislation has been introduced that will put some additional practices in place to ensure these types of batteries are transported safely, as well as that grant dollars are available to fire departments to effectively train to suppress lithium battery fires. We would encourage Congress to pass these bills to protect the safety of the public and we appreciate the Congresswoman’s diligence in addressing this important issue.”

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 account for forces experienced in transportation accidents; and

• Requiring the 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.

• Creates a new competitive grant program at PHMSA to test methods for combatting thermal runaway.

 

The Firefighter Lithium Awareness and Readiness Enhancement (FLARE) Act would make projects to combat thermal runaway eligible for FEMA’s Fire Prevention and Safety Grants.