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PRBA Issues Statement on FAA Reauthorization Bill and Safe Air Shipment of Li-Ion Batteries

December 04, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

The following is a statement from the Portable Rechargeable Battery Association (PRBA) Executive Director George Kerchner:

Safety remains PRBA’s No. 1 priority. And the safe shipment of lithium ion batteries and products powered by these batteries can best be assured if three steps are taken. First, enforcement authorities around the world must ensure that shippers of these batteries and products comply with the law. Second, existing air safety regulations for lithium ion batteries must be strictly enforced. And third, Congress should enact an FAA reauthorization bill that would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to adopt pertinent international air safety requirements. Those requirements are more stringent than existing U.S. regulations, and DOT repeatedly has recognized that international uniformity is a key to the safe transport of these materials.