WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and John Hoeven (R-ND), the leads of the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act, are urging Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Acting Chairman Peter Feldman to address the heightened risks of home carbon monoxide poisoning during the winter months and provide information on how the CPSC is working to combat this deadly risk, including the education and outreach being done to encourage people to install carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.
Klobuchar and Hoeven’s bill was signed into law in 2022 and is named for two brothers from Kimball, Minnesota, who tragically died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The law established a grant program to fund initiatives to prevent similar tragedies in the future, which recently provided $200,000 to eight cities across Minnesota.
“We write to express our concerns about the increased risks of home carbon monoxide poisoning during the winter months, and to inquire into actions the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is taking to ensure that Americans are kept safe from carbon monoxide poisoning this winter,” wrote the Senators. “More than 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year, and more than 14,000 are hospitalized.”
“These risks increase during the winter as people use heating systems, water heaters, and fireplaces that use natural gas,” the Senators continued. “When used properly, these systems safely keep people warm during the coldest times of year, but improper use and faulty products put people at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.”
The full text of the letter is available here and below:
Dear Acting Chairman Feldman:
We write to express our concerns about the increased risks of home carbon monoxide poisoning during the winter months, and to inquire into actions the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is taking to ensure that Americans are kept safe from carbon monoxide poisoning this winter.
More than 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning each year, and more than 14,000 are hospitalized. Infants, elderly people, and those with underlying health issues are most vulnerable. These risks increase during the winter as people use heating systems, water heaters, and fireplaces that use natural gas. When used properly, these systems safely keep people warm during the coldest times of year, but improper use and faulty products put people at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Just last month a couple in Garfield, Minnesota was airlifted for treatment after a carbon monoxide leak in their home. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, which is why it is so critical that Americans are made aware of the importance of having carbon monoxide detectors in their homes.
Our bill, the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act, was signed into law in 2022. Named for two brothers from Kimball, Minnesota who tragically died of carbon monoxide poisoning, the law created a grant program to fund initiatives to prevent similar tragedies in the future. As you know, the law directs the CPSC to administer the grant program, which funds education and awareness campaigns about the need for carbon monoxide detectors, as well as the installation of these monitors.
We respectfully request that you respond to the following questions by December 19, 2025:
- What steps is the CPSC taking to help prevent incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning at home?
- What steps has the CPSC taken to ensure states are aware of and taking advantage of the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Grant Program? What challenges do you face in working with states?
- What changes to the Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Grant Program would increase the program’s effectiveness?
- What data has the CPSC collected on the number of carbon monoxide poisoning at-home incidents since the Grant Program went into effect?
- Does the CPSC need additional resources to investigate the increase in carbon monoxide poisoning in the winter and take appropriate measures to help educate the population?
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.
Klobuchar and Hoeven Urge the CPSC to Strengthen Protections Against Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – News Releases – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
Release Date: July 02, 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric announced today 22 awardees of a grant program aimed at preventing carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The state and local governments were selected by CPSC, from a group of 31 applicants. CPSC will provide more than $3 million in federal Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Grant Program (COPPGP) funds that will be matched by $1 million in recipient funds. This will fund state and local government efforts to reduce deaths and injuries from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Grant Program Awards
| Awardee |
State |
Award Amount |
| Alaska Department of Public Safety |
Alaska |
$100,000.00 |
| City of Huntington Beach |
California |
$53,400.00 |
| City & County of Denver |
Colorado |
$82,500.00 |
| Government of District of Columbia |
District of Columbia |
$130,000.00 |
| State of Georgia Department of Public Health |
Georgia |
$178,577.93 |
| City of Aurora |
Illinois |
$51,000.00 |
| Louisiana State Fire Marshal |
Louisiana |
$37,500.00 |
| Maryland Department of State Police |
Maryland |
$200,000.00 |
| City of Boston |
Massachusetts |
$260,031.75 |
| City of Pontiac |
Michigan |
$300,000.00 |
| Minnesota Department of Public Safety |
Minnesota |
$200,000.00 |
| New Hampshire Department of Safety |
New Hampshire |
$90,772.50 |
| City of Jamestown |
New York |
$176,297.23 |
| City of Syracuse |
New York |
$50,000.00 |
| County of Rockland |
New York |
$100,000.00 |
| Gates Fire District |
New York |
$50,000.00 |
| City of Akron |
Ohio |
$76,460.00 |
| City of Portland |
Oregon |
$320,000.00 |
| City of Sevierville |
Tennessee |
$41,250.00 |
| Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance |
Tennessee |
$300,000.00 |
| Vermont Department of Public Safety |
Vermont |
$50,772.01 |
| Central Pierce Fire & Rescue |
Washington |
$187,500.00 |
CPSC’s grant program is authorized through the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act of 2022 to provide eligible state, local, and tribal governments with grants to purchase and install CO alarms in residential homes and dwelling units of low-income families or elderly people and facilities that serve children or the elderly, including childcare centers, public schools and senior centers, and to develop training and public education programs with the goal of preventing CO poisoning. This legislation was sponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) and Sen. John Hoeven (R-North Dakota) in the Senate, and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Georgia) and Rep. Annie Kuster (D-New Hampshire) in the House. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on March 15, 2022.
“Following the deaths of two boys from carbon monoxide poisoning in their home, Congress enacted this grant program to prevent future tragedies. I am pleased that we are moving forward with these 22 grants to states and localities that will enable them to educate their residents and prevent CO poisoning in their communities,” said CPSC Chair Alex Hoehn-Saric.
Grantees will have two years to use the funding to purchase and install CO alarms and complete training and education efforts.
The burning of fuels produces CO, which is a colorless, odorless gas. Exposure to unhealthy levels of CO can lead to CO poisoning, a serious health condition that could result in death. Unintentional CO poisoning from motor vehicles and fuel-burning appliances, such as furnaces, water heaters, portable generators, and stoves, annually kill more than 400 individuals. CO alarms save lives and should be installed on every level and outside sleeping areas in residences.
Visit CPSC’s Carbon Monoxide Information Center to learn more about the dangers of CO and how to protect families from invisible killer. https://www.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Carbon-Monoxide-Information-Center
CPSC Awards More than $3.0 Million in Grants to 22 State and Local Governments to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | CPSC.gov
“The legislation, named the Nicholas and Zachary Burt Memorial Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Act in honor of Burt’s sons, aims to help states adopt tougher standards to ensure carbon monoxide detectors are safe and reliable.
The legislation also authorizes the Consumer Protection Safety Commission to provide resources to states to encourage the use of CO detectors and it establishes a federal grant program to help states set up prevention education and awareness programs.”
A year after 7 Minnesota deaths, a reminder of the threat of carbon monoxide
“A whole family, gone,” said Amy Klobuchar, who was joined in Thursday’s news conference by Cheryl Burt, a Rochester mother who lost two sons to carbon monoxide poisoning in January 1996.
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