[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1510 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1510

    To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate 
  consumer product safety rules concerning the safety and labeling of 
                          portable generators.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2007

  Mr. Nelson of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to promulgate 
  consumer product safety rules concerning the safety and labeling of 
                          portable generators.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Portable Generator Safety Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Portable generators are frequently used to provide 
        electricity during temporary power outages. These generators 
        use fuel-burning engines that emit carbon monoxide gas in their 
        exhaust.
            (2) In the last several years, hundreds of people 
        nationwide have been seriously injured or killed due to 
        exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators. 
        From 2000 through 2006, at least 260 carbon monoxide poisoning 
        deaths related to portable generator use were reported to the 
        Consumer Product Safety Commission. In the last three months of 
        2006 alone, 32 carbon monoxide deaths were linked to generator 
        use.
            (3) Virtually all of the serious injuries and deaths due to 
        carbon monoxide from portable generators were preventable. In 
        many instances, consumers simply were unaware of the hazards 
        posed by carbon monoxide.
            (4) Since at least 1997, a priority of the Consumer Product 
        Safety Commission has been to reduce injuries and deaths 
        resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning.
            (5) On January 4, 2007, the Consumer Product Safety 
        Commission adopted certain labeling standards for portable 
        generators (section 1407 of title 16, Code of Federal 
        Regulations), but such standards do not go far enough to reduce 
        substantially the potential harm to consumers.
            (6) The issuance of mandatory safety standards and labeling 
        requirements to warn consumers of the dangers associated with 
        portable generator carbon monoxide would reduce the risk of 
        injury or death.

SEC. 3. SAFETY STANDARD: REQUIRING EQUIPMENT OF PORTABLE GENERATORS 
              WITH CARBON MONOXIDE INTERLOCK SAFETY DEVICES.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall promulgate consumer 
product safety rules, pursuant to section 7 of the Consumer Product 
Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056), requiring, at a minimum, that every 
portable generator sold to the public for purposes other than resale 
shall be equipped with an interlock safety device that--
            (1) detects the level of carbon monoxide in the areas 
        surrounding such portable generator; and
            (2) automatically turns off the portable generator before 
        the level of carbon monoxide reaches a level that would cause 
        serious bodily injury or death to people.

SEC. 4. LABELING AND INSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall promulgate consumer 
product safety rules, pursuant to section 7 of the Consumer Product 
Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2056), requiring, at a minimum, the following:
            (1) Warning labels.--Each portable generator sold to the 
        public for purposes other than resale shall have a large, 
        prominently displayed warning label in both English and Spanish 
        on the exterior packaging, if any, of the portable generator 
        and permanently affixed on the portable generator regarding the 
        carbon monoxide hazard posed by incorrect use of the portable 
        generator. The warning label shall include the word ``DANGER'' 
        printed in a large font that is no smaller than 1 inch tall, 
        and shall include the following information, at a minimum, 
        presented in a clear manner:
                    (A) Indoor use of a portable generator can kill 
                quickly.
                    (B) Portable generators should be used outdoors 
                only and away from garages and open windows.
                    (C) Portable generators produce carbon monoxide, a 
                poisonous gas that people cannot see or smell.
            (2) Pictogram.--Each portable generator sold to the public 
        for purposes other than resale shall have a large pictogram, 
        affixed to the portable generator, which clearly states 
        ``POISONOUS GAS'' and visually depicts the harmful effects of 
        breathing carbon monoxide.
            (3) Instruction manual.--The instruction manual, if any, 
        that accompanies any portable generator sold to the public for 
        purposes other than resale shall include detailed, clear, and 
        conspicuous statements that include the following elements:
                    (A) A warning that portable generators emit carbon 
                monoxide, a poisonous gas that can kill people.
                    (B) A warning that people cannot smell, see, or 
                taste carbon monoxide.
                    (C) An instruction to operate portable generators 
                only outdoors and away from windows, garages, and air 
                intakes.
                    (D) An instruction never to operate portable 
                generators inside homes, garages, sheds, or other semi-
                enclosed spaces, even if a person runs a fan or opens 
                doors and windows.
                    (E) A warning that if a person begins to feel sick, 
                dizzy, or weak while using a portable generator, that 
                person should shut off the portable generator, get to 
                fresh air immediately, and consult a doctor.

SEC. 5. PUBLIC OUTREACH.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Consumer Product Safety Commission shall 
establish a program of public outreach to inform consumers of the 
dangers associated with the emission of carbon monoxide from portable 
generators.
    (b) Time.--The program required by subsection (a) shall place 
emphasis on informing consumers of the dangers described in such 
subsection during the start of each hurricane season.
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