American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2020 - 16

IndustryDigest
Attorneys General Fight
DOT Proposal To Move
LNG Using Rail Cars
BALTIMORE-Maryland Attorney
General Brian Frosh is leading 15
states and the District of Columbia in
asking the Trump administration to
withdraw a proposal to allow bulk
transportation of liquefied natural gas
along rail corridors without additional
safety measures.
Trump signed an executive order in
April 2019 directing the U.S.
Department of Transportation to
propose a rule allowing rail
transportation of LNG in approved rail
cars, with a final rule to be issued by
May 2020 (AOGR, May 2019, pg. 28).
In December, the Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration approved rail transport
of LNG from northeastern
Pennsylvania to southwestern New
Jersey for export.
In response to the notice of proposed
rule making issued by PHMSA, the 16

attorneys general urged the agency to
withdraw that proposed rule pending
completion of federal safety studies,
and the development of a full
environmental impact statement that
would consider both public safety and
the climate change implications of LNG
rail transport.
"The administration is bending to the
will of the fossil fuel industry again,
and it puts at risk neighborhoods, towns
and cities across our nation," Frosh
argues.
The proposal would allow LNG to be
transported thought densely populated
areas on rail lines used by high-speed
passenger trains, the attorneys general
say. PHMSA also requires a specifically
designed car, the DOT-113, to transport
the super-cooled liquid, but the
attorneys general point out safety
testing for those cars has not been
completed.
The attorneys general allege
PHMSA's proposed rule lacks basic
safety precautions to mitigate the risk of
catastrophic accidents, and fails to

adequately evaluate the environmental
and climate impacts of expanding
domestic and global access to natural gas.
In addition to Maryland, the PHMSA
proposal is opposed by attorneys
general from California, Delaware,
Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and
the District of Columbia. ❒

COGA Opposes Effort
To Revive Prop 112's
Anti-Industry Initiatives
DENVER-Colorado voters rejected
a proposed initiative in 2018 that would
have made 94% of private lands in the
state's top five oil and gas producing
counties off limits to new development,
but a group wants to get similar
restrictions on the ballot this year.
Voters rejected Proposition 112 by a
10-point margin in 2018 (AOGR,
November 2018, pg. 22).

Make Better Hedging Decisions
Try our weekly in-depth analysis of
natural gas and oil markets free
Visit EBWAnalytics.com for your free subscription

Advising gas & oil producers, buyers and traders since 2003
16 THE AMERICAN OIL & GAS REPORTER
http://www.EBWAnalytics.com
American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Oil and Gas Reporter - February 2020
