New Safety Bill Demands Foreign Cylinder Makers Pay for Inspections, Adds Security Vetting

This bill, officially titled the Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvements Act of 2025, is all about tightening the screws on foreign companies that make the heavy-duty tanks used to ship hazardous materials into the U.S. Think of those large cylinders carrying industrial gases, chemicals, or even specialized medical gases. The core of this legislation gives the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) much more power to vet, inspect, and ultimately approve or reject these overseas manufacturers.

Essentially, the DOT is getting a major upgrade to its oversight toolkit. While foreign manufacturers (called FMOCs in the bill) previously needed annual approval, this bill allows them to apply for a five-year approval if they can prove they are truly "in good standing"—meaning three years of solid compliance and a promise not to ship banned goods. This is a potential efficiency win for the best actors, but it comes with a lot more scrutiny for everyone else.

The New Vetting Process: Where Policy Meets Security

If you’re running one of these foreign manufacturing operations, the application process just got a lot heavier. The DOT must now ask some pointed questions that blend safety compliance with national security concerns. Applicants have to disclose if they, or any entity owning more than 10% of their business, have ever faced civil penalties related to hazardous materials transport in the U.S. They also have to disclose if they are listed on the Commerce Department’s Military End User List or certain Defense Department watchlists.

This is a significant shift. It means that past regulatory slip-ups, even if minor, could now be grounds for denying an application. More importantly, linking cylinder manufacturing approval to security lists shows the government is treating the supply chain for these containers as a potential national security issue. If the Secretary doesn't like the answers to these new questions, they have the explicit right to deny the application.

Inspections and the Cost of Doing Business

The bill makes two major changes to how inspections work. First, if an FMOC tries to block or hinder a DOT inspection, their approval can be immediately suspended or terminated. Same goes if the Secretary finds they "knowingly lied or intentionally gave false answers" on their paperwork. This is a clear signal: cooperation is mandatory.

Second, and this is the part that hits the wallet, the Secretary is now allowed to charge the FMOC for all costs associated with foreign inspections. That means travel, time, and expenses for government inspectors flying overseas. For regular folks, this means the compliance costs for foreign suppliers are going up. While this is great for the U.S. taxpayer (who won't be footing the bill for inspectors' flights), it could result in increased manufacturing costs that eventually trickle down into the price of the gases and chemicals shipped in those cylinders—affecting everything from industrial welding shops to hospitals.

Finally, the bill adds an interesting layer of public transparency. When an FMOC applies for approval, the DOT must post the notice on its website and allow a 30-day public comment period before making a final decision. Plus, the DOT has to create a process allowing anyone to petition for a reevaluation of an existing FMOC’s approval if they have evidence of fraud or inaccuracy. It's an open invitation for competitors or watchdog groups to weigh in, adding another hurdle to the approval process.