Commission to Advance Lithium-Ion Battery Safety in Maryland - Reestablishment

State panel on lithium‑ion battery fires

Beginning June 1, 2026, Maryland reestablishes a commission on lithium‑ion battery safety. It ends June 30, 2028, unless extended. Named members come from environment and energy agencies, the State Fire Marshal, utilities, and the Public Service Commission. They also include the Power Plant Research Program, the Land and Materials Administration, counties, firefighter groups, recycling and waste groups, ports and ocean shippers, insurers, towing and recovery, turfgrass, and related industries. The current chair as of December 31, 2025 stays chair. The Office of the State Fire Marshal provides staff. Members are unpaid but can get travel expense reimbursement under state rules. The commission may add members and seek outside advice. It studies how to prevent, detect, and fight battery fires in homes, vehicles, the grid, and recycling sites. It also reviews reuse and recycling, producer responsibility, public and first‑responder training, Port of Baltimore and transport risks, insurance impacts, and federal and third‑party standards. It considers NFPA 855 for grid‑scale storage. An interim report is due by December 1, 2026. A final report is due by December 1, 2027.