The Consumer Product Safety Commission has proposed a rule that would effectively ban current portable generators on store shelves. The Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association is fighting back – but can’t do it alone. The industry is asking that users of its products, such as contractors and construction tradesmen who rely on generators to supply power on job sites, join them in letting the government know how important these sources of secondary power are to American businesses and citizens.

The CPSC will say it’s about protecting people from carbon monoxide poisoning, but it ignores an industry-wide standard, ANSI/PGMA G300-2018, that includes built-in CO detection and automatic shutoffs that already protect against 98.3 percent of CO incidents from misuse and are widely available for purchase.

Imagine being on a construction job site and discovering there is no method or means of powering tools, work lights, job trailers or even comforts, like coffee pots and microwaves, that you need to get the job done. That’s what will happen if the CPSC’s proposal is allowed to prevail. And opponents only have until one month after the comment period opens to make their voices heard. After that time, the public comment period will close and anyone who has not participated will not have a say before a final decision is made.

PGMA has created a dedicated website that puts construction professionals and the public in direct contact with their legislators and the CPSC to let their opinions be known. There are easy links and quick fields to fill out to add your voice to those opposed to the proposal. Your involvement will make a difference.

The site also has shareable content, so construction professionals can involve their professional and personal contacts in the fight.

Industry testing also concludes that the CPSC changes would force portable generators’ exhaust temperatures over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Such extreme temperatures could prompt house fires, lead to burns and threaten users’ safety. Despite these risks, the CPSC believes limiting CO emissions further has no negative consequences. Instead, the proposed rule would threaten job sites, bonding and insurance, the safety of employees and the livelihoods of those in the construction business.

It is vital for everyone who depends on portable generators to let the CPSC know how strongly they disagree with the proposed rule. Visit https://generateaction.org/, add your name to the fight and help the industry defeat this threat.