Congressmen urge PHMSA to conduct safety analysis of efforts to transport LNG by rail

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House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-NJ) recently sent a letter to the House and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), encouraging a thorough analysis of the potential impacts to be had by transporting liquefied natural gas by rail tank car.

The letter follows a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published by the PHMSA in October. That proposed rule would permit the transport of large quantities of LNG throughout the United States via rail tank car, following a comment period that closes on Dec. 23.

“We urge you to conduct thorough analysis of risks to the public and environment, and to apply stringent protections and operational controls that provide the highest level of safety for communities if LNG is transported by rail tank car,” the lawmakers wrote. “Without such analysis and protections, any proposal to transport LNG by rail tank car should be rejected.”

LNG is an explosive and flammable substance. The members warn that this could present power and complex hazards, including pool fires, thermal radiation, explosions out to a mile wide, and boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions. Despite the risks, earlier this month, the PHMSA approved a special permit for Energy Transport Solutions to ship LNG from Pennsylvania to New Jersey without any need for a safety analysis.

The House has repeatedly rejected such moves throughout the year. In June, it advanced an amendment to H.R. 3055, introduced by DeFazio, to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from finalizing a rulemaking and issuing a special permit to allow transportation of LNG by rail. This then kicked off a series of letters to the PHMSA throughout the year, in which DeFazio and Malinowski called for an extension of the public comment period — which was partially complied with — and compliance with the statutory requirements for authorizing special permits without safety analyses by demanding adequate information and rationale.

“With this decision, PHMSA failed to take critical steps to test, analyze, and review the plan for safety,” the members said. “Without further research to evaluate the incredible risk posed by any LNG by rail transportation, PHMSA will make this same mistake again. We urge you to not sacrifice public safety to accommodate the profit motives of industry.”