Attorneys general call on PHMSA to suspend LNG-by-rail rule

A coalition of 15 attorneys general representing 14 states and the District of Columbia has filed comments in support of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) proposal to suspend authorization of the bulk transport of refrigerated liquid methane, more commonly known as liquefied natural gas (LNG), by rail nationwide.

Led by Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and New York Attorney General Letitia James, the coalition filed the comments last month after PHMSA officials announced plans to suspend a rule made during President Donald Trump’s administration that would have authorized rail transportation of LNG.

"Suspending the Trump administration’s misguided LNG-by-rail rule is a step in the right direction," Frosh said in a press release. "Allowing these dangerous trains to travel along our freight-rail network, much of which passes through minority and disadvantaged communities, would put millions of our states’ residents at risk while further fueling the climate crisis."

According to Frosh, the attorneys general support suspending the rule because it:
• was based on a flawed and incomplete safety assessment;
• did not adequately consider the rule’s upstream and downstream effects on greenhouse gas emissions; and
• lacked an adequate discussion of the rule’s impact on low-income, minority, underserved and disadvantaged communities.

In addition to Frosh and James, attorneys general participating in the coalition are from Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.