Reps. Graves, Crawford call on Biden administration to drop plans to suspend rail regulations

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U.S. Reps. Sam Graves (R-MO), ranking member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rick Crawford (R-AR), ranking member of the Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, along with 18 other committee Republicans, called on the Biden Administration to drop its plan to suspend rail regulations regarding the safe transportation of liquified natural gas (LNG).

In a letter to Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration Acting Administrator Tristan Brown, the committee members said the administration should encourage growth in LNG delivery infrastructure instead of increasing regulations.

“LNG has a proven safety record, is the most environmentally friendly fossil fuel option, and contributes to the United States’ and our allies’ energy independence,” the Congressmembers wrote. “As our country faces significant supply chain issues and rising energy prices, we should be incentivizing critical infrastructure that can provide additional capacity to the Nation’s ability to safely transport energy and ease some of these challenges. Yet, the rollback of this rule once again places additional regulatory burdens to stifle key transportation infrastructure.”

On Nov. 8, 2021, PHMSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would rescind a final rule issued in July 2020 that authorized the bulk transportation of LNG in certain tank care. In their letter, the committee members said that this executive action was another example of the Biden Administration’s effort to undermine the national economy by driving up energy costs. The Congressmen said the administration’s actions hurt the country’s ability to improve its infrastructure network and respond to supply chain issues.
“We must question whether the agency’s explanation for proposing this rollback constitutes a reasonable decision. No evidence exists for PHMSA to reasonably conclude that the 2020 rule should be changed so soon after taking effect, and therefore this newly proposed rule is arbitrary, capricious, and unwarranted,” the Members said.