WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation is proposing to suspend a rule allowing movement of liquefied natural gas by rail while it considers potential modifications to the rule.
In a notice of proposed rulemaking published Monday in the Federal Register, the DOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration says it would suspend the rule effective in July 2020 until June 2024, or until the completion of possible modifications to the rule.
The proposal indicates “uncertainty regarding the potential benefits and safety and environmental risks of rail transportation of LNG … has persisted longer than PHMSA anticipated when it issued the LNG by Rail final rule, and has in fact increased” as the result of a report issued earlier this year by the Transportation Research Board. Among other aspects, the report expressed concerns over incomplete forms of testing and risk assessment. The proposal also notes that changes in LNG markets have created more uncertainty about demand for shipment of LNG by rail, “and by extension, any potential benefits and public safety/environmental risks.”
The suspension will ensure no LNG is moved by rail until a rule regarding movement of the commodity reflects additional information from ongoing research.
Comments on the proposed suspension will be accepted through Dec. 23; procedures for commenting are outlined in the notice in the Federal Register.
The controversial LNG rule was finalized in June 2020 in response to an executive order issued in 2019 by President Donald Trump [see “DOT releases final rule for transport of LNG by rail,” Trains News Wire, June 22, 2020]. The notice in the Federal Register the rule spawned a number of legal challenges, which are in abeyance pending review of the rule.
Share this article
