Review – HR 1182 Introduced – Foreign Cylinder Regulations

Earlier this month, Rep Balderson (R,OH) introduced HR 1182, the Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvements Act of 2023. The bill would require DOT to establish additional regulations relating to the approval of foreign manufacturers of cylinders used in the transport of hazardous chemicals. There is no new spending authorized by this legislation.

This bill is very similar to HR 3404 that was introduced by Balderson in May of 2023. No action was taken on that bill since neither Balderson nor his initial cosponsor were members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to which the bill was assigned. An added sponsor later in the session changed that influence situation, but too late to be of any help. A similar bill, S 1632, was introduced in the Senate by then Sen Vance (R,OH); no action was taken on that bill either.

Moving Forward

While Balderson is still not a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, two of his cosponsors {Rep Taylor (R,OH) and Rep Nehls (R,TX)} are members. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. While this bill would require new regulations (generally an anathema to the Republican majority in the House and Senate) this bill would allow for expanded use of less expensive foreign made cylinders, something that would be generally favored by most hazardous material shippers. Balanced against the increased oversight of FOMC, and presumably their increased costs, this bill may have a chance of moving through the Committee with some level of bipartisan support. How extensive that support is will determine if the bill could be brought to the floor of the House under the suspension of the rules process.

 

For more information about the provisions of this bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-1182-introduced - subscription required.