[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 65 (Thursday, April 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18321-18322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6923]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[PHMSA-2008-0075 (Notice No. 08-2)]


Hazardous Materials: Transport of Lithium Batteries; Notice of 
Public Meeting

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA will 
conduct a public meeting to discuss the safe transportation of lithium 
batteries.

DATES: The public meeting will be Friday, April 11, 2008, starting at 9 
a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the U.S. DOT headquarters, Rooms 
8-9-10--DOT Conference Center, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, 
DC 20590. The main visitor's entrance is located in the West Building, 
on New Jersey Avenue and M Street. For information on the facilities or 
to request special accommodations, please contact Kevin Leary at the 
telephone number listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Leary, Office of Hazardous 
Materials Standards, telephone, 202-366-8553, Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
East Building, PHH-10, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 
20590-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On February 22, 2007, the Pipeline and 
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) hosted a meeting of 
public and private sector stakeholders who share our interest in the 
safe transportation of batteries and battery-powered devices. The 
meeting included representatives of the National Transportation Safety 
Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), battery and electronics 
manufacturers, the Air Transport Association (ATA), the Air Line Pilots 
Association (ALPA), and emergency responders. On the basis of the 
meeting we initiated a comprehensive strategy aimed at reducing the 
transportation risks posed by batteries of all types. PHMSA outlined 
the strategy in an action plan detailing a range of public and private 
sector measures designed to enhance safety standards, improve data 
collection and awareness, and otherwise reduce the risks of 
transporting batteries and battery-powered devices, with a special 
focus on aviation safety. PHMSA and the parties to the action plan have 
met repeatedly over the course of the last year and have made 
significant progress in meeting the action plan targets.
    PHMSA believes that a follow-on public meeting would be useful at 
this time to review progress under the 2007 action plan and discuss 
necessary next steps. Although substantial effort and progress have 
been made since the February 2007 meeting, we believe additional steps 
should be taken to prevent a significant incident. While the safety 
record associated with the transportation of lithium batteries is very 
good, we continue to observe incidents in all modes of transport and 
are especially concerned about the risk of battery-related fires aboard 
aircraft. PHMSA is aware of more than 90 reports of transport incidents 
involving batteries and battery-powered devices; several of these have 
involved fires in an aircraft cabin. In cooperation with NTSB and FAA 
we are investigating a number of these incidents to determine their 
root cause and to identify effective measures to reduce risk. Based on 
the observed incidents and our investigations, we have identified 
several factors we believe are the primary cause of most of the battery 
incidents. These factors include: internal short circuits, external 
short circuits, improper charging or discharging, and non-compliance 
with current safety standards.
    On December 17, 2007 and January 7, 2008, the National 
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a total of eight safety 
recommendations following its investigation of a February 7, 2006 
hazardous materials incident at the Philadelphia International Airport. 
In that incident, United Parcel Service Company flight 1307 landed at 
the airport after a cargo smoke indication in the cockpit. The captain, 
first officer, and a flight engineer evacuated the airplane after 
landing, sustaining minor injuries. The airplane and most of the cargo 
were destroyed by a fire. NTSB determined that the probable cause of 
this accident was an in-flight cargo fire from an unknown source. The 
NTSB issued the following safety recommendations:
     Require aircraft operators to implement measures to reduce 
the risk of primary lithium batteries becoming involved in fires on 
cargo-only aircraft, such as transporting such batteries in fire 
resistant containers and/or in restricted quantities at any single 
location on the aircraft;
     Until fire suppression systems are required on cargo-only 
aircraft, as asked for in Safety Recommendation A-07-99, require that 
cargo shipments of secondary lithium batteries, including those 
contained in or packed with equipment, be transported in crew-
accessible locations where portable fire suppression systems can be 
used;
     Require aircraft operators that transport hazardous 
materials to immediately provide consolidated and specific information 
about hazardous

[[Page 18322]]

materials on board an aircraft, including proper shipping name, hazard 
class, quantity, number of packages, and location, to on-scene 
emergency responders upon notification of an accident or incident;
     Require commercial cargo and passenger operators to report 
to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration all 
incidents involving primary and secondary lithium batteries, including 
those contained in or packed with equipment, that occur either on board 
or during loading or unloading operations and retain the failed items 
for evaluation purposes;
     Analyze the causes of all thermal failures and fires 
involving secondary and primary lithium batteries and, based on this 
analysis, take appropriate action to mitigate any risks determined to 
be posed by transporting secondary and primary lithium batteries, 
including those contained in or packed with equipment, on board cargo 
and passenger aircraft as cargo; checked baggage; or carry-on items;
     Eliminate regulatory exemptions for the packaging, 
marking, and labeling of cargo shipments of small secondary lithium 
batteries (no more than 8 grams equivalent lithium content) until the 
analysis of the failures and the implementation of risk-based 
requirements asked for in Safety Recommendation A-07-108 are completed;
     In collaboration with air carriers, manufacturers of 
lithium batteries and electronic devices, air travel associations, and 
other appropriate government and private organizations, establish a 
process to ensure wider, highly visible, and continuous dissemination 
of guidance and information to the air-traveling public, including 
flight crews, about the safe carriage of secondary (rechargeable) 
lithium batteries or electronic devices containing these batteries on 
board passenger aircraft; and
     In collaboration with air carriers, manufacturers of 
lithium batteries and electronic devices, air travel associations, and 
other appropriate government and private organizations, establish a 
process to periodically measure the effectiveness of your efforts to 
educate the air-traveling public, including flight crews, about the 
safe carriage of secondary (rechargeable) lithium batteries or 
electronic devices containing these batteries on board passenger 
aircraft.
    During the April 11th meeting we plan to distribute and solicit 
feedback on a draft action plan identifying additional steps that will 
help to reduce the risk associated with the transport of lithium 
batteries, particularly in the air mode.
    Topics to be covered during the public meeting include:
    (1) Recent transportation incidents;
    (2) Probable causes of battery incidents;
    (3) NTSB recommendations;
    (4) PHMSA/FAA activities; and
    (5) Action plan with next steps/additional actions.
    In addition, we plan to discuss the effectiveness of stakeholder 
partnerships in reducing the safety risks posed by the transportation 
of lithium batteries, ways to facilitate and foster additional 
stakeholder partnerships, and strategies for expanding the ongoing DOT 
public awareness campaign.
    The public is invited to attend without prior notification. Due to 
the heightened security measures, participants are encouraged to arrive 
early to allow time for security checks necessary to obtain access to 
the building.

    Issued in Washington, DC on March 28, 2008.
Theodore L. Willke,
Associate Administrator for Hazardous Materials Safety.
 [FR Doc. E8-6923 Filed 4-2-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-60-P