Rule Allowing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Transport By Rail Suspended

In another huge win for communities threatened by proposed LNG by rail routes, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), suspended a controversial LNG by Rail rule this past September. PHMSA is a federal agency under the Department of Transportation that manages pipelines and the transport of hazardous materials including LNG. PHMSA had recently denied a Special Permit to transport LNG by rail from northcentral PA to South Jersey for an LNG export project in New Jersey.

PHMSA had a long-standing ban on the transport of LNG by rail, with some exemptions in specific cases. In 2020, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order that compelled PHMSA to create a rule that broadly permitted the transport of LNG by rail– even in rail cars not designed to safely carry LNG. The Council is working with other environmental organizations, 15 states, and the Puyallup Tribe to legally challenge and void this Trump-era rule. Currently, the Council and its partners are preparing to argue their case before a federal district court . Meanwhile, the Biden Administration revoked Trump’s Executive Order, which resulted in PHMSA suspending the rule this past September. The Council and its partners now hope the district court will fully void the rule, and prevent the rule from resurrecting after the suspension lapses in 2025. 

The current suspension is a significant win on the LNG by rail issue. However, LNG can still be transported by truck, and there continues to be conversation around potential LNG export projects in southeast Pennsylvania. The Council will continue working in coalition with partners and community members to fight the transport and export of LNG and for a fossil-free future.

Read our last blog on LNG by rail to learn more about Clean Air Council’s work on this campaign.