Portable Generator Safety STANDARD Act

Bill: 116-hr-8928
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Rush, Bobby L. [D-IL-1]
Introduced: 2020-12-09
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures

Air quality

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Consumer affairs

Electric power generation and transmission

Hazardous wastes and toxic substances

Product safety and quality
Latest action: action_date: 2020-12-09
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-12-09
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Portable Generator Safety Standard To Avoid Needless Deaths And Reduce Disabilities Act or the Portable Generator Safety STANDARD Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish safety standards for portable generators.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8928 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. Short title This Act may be cited as the Portable Generator Safety Standard To Avoid Needless Deaths And Reduce Disabilities Act or the Portable Generator Safety STANDARD Act . 2. Consumer product safety standard for portable generators (a) Final standard for portable generators (1) Final standard Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall promulgate, in accordance with section 553 of title 5, United States Code, a final consumer product safety standard for portable generators to protect consumers from death or injury relating to the use of such generators. (2) Requirements The final standard promulgated under paragraph (1) shall incorporate requirements that are substantially the same as, or more stringent than, each of the following: (A) The requirements of the American National Standard for Carbon Monoxide Emission Rate of Portable Generators (ANSI/UL 2201), or any related successor standard, that relate to carbon monoxide concentration limits. (B) The requirements of the American National Standard for Safety and Performance of Portable Generators (ANSI/PGMA G300–2018), or any related successor standard, except where such requirements conflict with any other requirement under this paragraph. (C) A requirement that a portable generator shall include clear and conspicuous labeling marking the direction of exhaust. (D) A requirement that the cord of a portable generator may not be shorter than 30 feet in length. (E) A requirement that the weighted carbon monoxide emission rate of a portable generator may not exceed— (i) for a portable generator powered by a handheld or Class I spark-ignition engine, a rate of 75 grams per hour; (ii) for a portable generator powered by a Class II spark-ignition engine with one cylinder, a rate of 150 grams per hour; and (iii) for a portable generator powered by a Class II spark-ignition engine with two cylinders, a rate of 300 grams per hour. (F) A requirement relating to the shutoff capability of a portable generator in an elevated carbon monoxide environment. (G) Other shutoff requirements and test specifications the Commission determines necessary to protect consumers from the risk of injury relating to the use of portable generators. (3) Compliance dates (A) In general Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Commission shall include in the final standard promulgated under paragraph (1) a compliance date that is not later than 1 year after the date of such promulgation, by which portable generators shall comply with the final standard. (B) Handheld and Class I engines With respect to portable generators powered by handheld or Class I spark-ignition engines, the Commission may include a separate compliance date that is not later than 18 months after the date of the promulgation of the final standard. (4) Review and revision of standard Beginning 1 year after the date of the promulgation of the final standard under paragraph (1) and not less frequently than every 5 years thereafter, the Commission shall review and revise such standard to ensure the highest level of safety feasible with respect to portable generators. (5) Treatment of standard The final standard promulgated under paragraph (1), including any revision of such standard made pursuant to paragraph (4), shall be treated as a consumer product safety rule promulgated under section 9 of the Consumer Product Safety Act ( 15 U.S.C. 2058 ). (b) Interim standard for portable generators (1) Interim standard Beginning on the date that is 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act and ending on the date that the final standard promulgated under subsection (a)(1) goes into effect, it shall be unlawful for a person to import into or distribute in commerce in the United States a portable generator, unless— (A) the portable generator complies with the requirements of ANSI/UL 2201 or ANSI/PGMA G300–2018; and (B) the engine of such generator shuts off before the carbon monoxide concentration exceeds 600 parts per million by volume (ppm) or a 10-minute rolling average of 275 ppm. (2) Violation Failure to comply with paragraph (1) shall be treated as a violation of section 19 of the Consumer Product Safety Act ( 15 U.S.C. 2068 ).