I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8928 

To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require portable generators to meet certain standards relating to carbon monoxide, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 9, 2020 

Mr. RUSH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to require portable generators to meet certain standards relating to carbon monoxide, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Portable Generator 

5 Safety Standard To Avoid Needless Deaths And Reduce 

6 Disabilities Act’’ or the ‘‘Portable Generator Safety 

7 STANDARD Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY STANDARD FOR 

2 PORTABLE GENERATORS. 

3 (a) FINAL STANDARD FOR PORTABLE GENERA4 TORS.— 

5 (1) FINAL STANDARD.—Not later than 1 year 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Con7 sumer Product Safety Commission shall promulgate, 

8 in accordance with section 553 of title 5, United 

9 States Code, a final consumer product safety stand10 ard for portable generators to protect consumers 

11 from death or injury relating to the use of such gen12 erators. 

13 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The final standard pro14 mulgated under paragraph (1) shall incorporate re15 quirements that are substantially the same as, or 

16 more stringent than, each of the following: 

17 (A) The requirements of the American Na18 tional Standard for Carbon Monoxide Emission 

19 Rate of Portable Generators (ANSI/UL 2201), 

20 or any related successor standard, that relate to 

21 carbon monoxide concentration limits. 

22 (B) The requirements of the American Na23 tional Standard for Safety and Performance of 

24 Portable Generators (ANSI/PGMA G300– 

25 2018), or any related successor standard, exVerDate Sep 11 2014 06:37 Dec 24, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8928.IH H8928

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1 cept where such requirements conflict with any 

2 other requirement under this paragraph. 

3 (C) A requirement that a portable gener4 ator shall include clear and conspicuous labeling 

5 marking the direction of exhaust. 

6 (D) A requirement that the cord of a port7 able generator may not be shorter than 30 feet 

8 in length. 

9 (E) A requirement that the weighted car10 bon monoxide emission rate of a portable gener11 ator may not exceed— 

12 (i) for a portable generator powered 

13 by a handheld or Class I spark-ignition en14 gine, a rate of 75 grams per hour; 

15 (ii) for a portable generator powered 

16 by a Class II spark-ignition engine with 

17 one cylinder, a rate of 150 grams per hour; 

18 and 

19 (iii) for a portable generator powered 

20 by a Class II spark-ignition engine with 

21 two cylinders, a rate of 300 grams per 

22 hour. 

23 (F) A requirement relating to the shutoff 

24 capability of a portable generator in an elevated 

25 carbon monoxide environment. 


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1 (G) Other shutoff requirements and test 

2 specifications the Commission determines nec3 essary to protect consumers from the risk of in4 jury relating to the use of portable generators. 

5 (3) COMPLIANCE DATES.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

7 subparagraph (B), the Commission shall include 

8 in the final standard promulgated under para9 graph (1) a compliance date that is not later 

10 than 1 year after the date of such promulga11 tion, by which portable generators shall comply 

12 with the final standard. 

13 (B) HANDHELD AND CLASS I ENGINES.— 

14 With respect to portable generators powered by 

15 handheld or Class I spark-ignition engines, the 

16 Commission may include a separate compliance 

17 date that is not later than 18 months after the 

18 date of the promulgation of the final standard. 

19 (4) REVIEW AND REVISION OF STANDARD.—Be20 ginning 1 year after the date of the promulgation of 

21 the final standard under paragraph (1) and not less 

22 frequently than every 5 years thereafter, the Com23 mission shall review and revise such standard to en24 sure the highest level of safety feasible with respect 

25 to portable generators. 


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1 (5) TREATMENT OF STANDARD.—The final 

2 standard promulgated under paragraph (1), includ3 ing any revision of such standard made pursuant to 

4 paragraph (4), shall be treated as a consumer prod5 uct safety rule promulgated under section 9 of the 

6 Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2058). 

7 (b) INTERIM STANDARD FOR PORTABLE GENERA8 TORS.— 

9 (1) INTERIM STANDARD.—Beginning on the 

10 date that is 6 months after the date of the enact11 ment of this Act and ending on the date that the 

12 final standard promulgated under subsection (a)(1) 

13 goes into effect, it shall be unlawful for a person to 

14 import into or distribute in commerce in the United 

15 States a portable generator, unless— 

16 (A) the portable generator complies with 

17 the requirements of ANSI/UL 2201 or ANSI/ 

18 PGMA G300–2018; and 

19 (B) the engine of such generator shuts off 

20 before the carbon monoxide concentration ex21 ceeds 600 parts per million by volume (ppm) or 

22 a 10-minute rolling average of 275 ppm. 

23 (2) VIOLATION.—Failure to comply with para24 graph (1) shall be treated as a violation of section 


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1 19 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 

2 2068). 

Æ 


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