On January 13, Attorney General Josh Shapiro joined 15 other state Attorneys General voiced their “strong objection” to a proposal by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration to allow the shipping of liquefied natural gas by train.

The Attorneys General of Maryland, New York, California, Delaware, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia jointly submitted the comments.

"Proceeding with the Proposed Rule would put the States’ residents, first responders and environmental resources at greater risk of catastrophic accidents, a dynamic which PHMSA has failed to adequately analyze just as it has failed to consider the environmental and climate impacts of allowing LNG to be shipped in rail tank cars.

“The Proposed Rule would allow LNG—an extremely cold “cryogenic liquid” that is flammable and odorless—to be transported through densely populated areas, potentially in unit trains of up to 100 tank cars operated by just one person, on the same rail lines used by high speed passenger trains, with inadequate safety precautions.

“PHMSA’s failure to take the public safety hazards posed by these conditions seriously is alarming.

“As emphasized by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which commented on the Proposed Rule on December 5, 2019, “the risks of catastrophic LNG releases in accidents is too great not to have operational controls in place before large blocks of tank cars and unit trains proliferate.

Special Permit Already Issued In PA

“Furthermore, while PHMSA included six operational controls in a special permit issued to Energy Transport Solutions LLC (ETS) on December 5, 2019 allowing that company to ship LNG from northern Pennsylvania to a not-yet-built export terminal in southwest New Jersey using DOT-113C120W rail tank cars – none of those precautions are included in the Proposed Rule.”  [Click Here for environmental assessment for the special permit.]

The letter also points out the PHMSA’s Environmental Assessment fails to analyze the proposal’s potential to exacerbate greenhouse gas pollution.

“Because the agency has failed to properly analyze the public safety and environmental impacts of allowing LNG shipment via rail tank car, the States urge PHMSA to withdraw the Proposed Rule.”

Click Here for a copy of the 42-page letter.

(Photo: Example of refrigerated LNG rail car from VTG from Europe.)

NewsClips:

PA AG Shapiro, 15 Other State Attorneys General Question Safety Of Shipping Liquefied Natural Gas By Rail

Democratic Donor Gets Natural Gas Bomb Train Permit From Trump Admin In PA

U.S. House Democrats Seek To Slow White House Plan For LNG Rail Shipments

PHMSA Proposes Rule For Safe Transportation Of LNG By Rail Tank Car

300+ PA Environment & Energy NewsClips Are Waiting To Be Read

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[Posted: January 14, 2020]

1/20/2020