PHMSA Archives - Maritime Shipping News

Environmental advocates question PHMSA’s inaction on LNG by rail

30 March 2023

Environmental advocates are hoping the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Association (PHMSA) will soon release a proposed rulemaking that will become the new regulation governing the movement of liquefied natural gas by rail in the United States.

But advocates also say PHMSA has continuously missed its deadlines for both releasing the new proposed rule and suspending the current regulation set up by the Trump administration. That current rule, which allows companies to transport LNG...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/environmental-advocates-question-phmsas-inaction-on-lng-by-rail

Norfolk Southern will assess use of hot box detectors

6 March 2023

Norfolk Southern has developed a safety plan the railroad says addresses the preliminary findings of the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation into the Feb. 3 derailment of an NS train near East Palestine, Ohio.

NTSB investigators are looking at the role that overheated bearings might have played in the train derailment.

“Reading the NTSB report makes it clear that meaningful safety improvements require a comprehensive industry effort that brings together railcar and tank car...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/norfolk-southern-will-assess-use-of-hot-box-detectors

¿Es seguro el transporte de GNL por ferrocarril?

21 June 2022

A train of tank cars travels down a rail track.

El debate sobre si el gobierno federal de EE.UU. debe permitir el movimiento de gas natural licuado por ferrocarril podría llegar a un punto crítico este verano, con la Administración de Seguridad de Oleoductos y Materiales Peligrosos (PHMSA) a punto de tomar algunas decisiones importantes.

Se espera que el 30 de junio la PHMSA y la Administración Federal de Ferrocarriles decidan si deben suspender temporalmente una norma de 2020 que permite el transporte de gas natural licuado (LNG por sus...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/es-seguro-el-transporte-de-gnl-por-ferrocarril

Is transport of LNG by rail safe?

20 June 2022

The debate on whether the U.S. federal government should allow the movement of liquefied natural gas by rail could come to a head this summer, with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) poised to make some big decisions.

By June 30, PHMSA and the Federal Railroad Administration are expected to issue their decision on whether they should temporarily suspend a 2020 rule allowing for the transport of LNG by rail via specialized tank cars while they review the impact on...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-transport-of-lng-by-rail-safe

Company’s LNG-by-rail special permit expiring, putting projects in doubt

24 November 2021

A photograph of a freight train rolling by a rail crossing.

A special permit that would enable New Fortress Energy to haul liquefied natural gas via rail is expiring next week, raising questions about whether the company will move forward with a series of related projects.

The permit, granted by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on Dec. 5, 2019, allows Energy Transport Solutions, a subsidiary of New Fortress Energy, to transport refrigerated liquid methane in Department of Transportation specification 113C120W tank cars.

Th...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/companys-lng-by-rail-special-permit-expiring-putting-projects-in-doubt

Unannounced hazmat inspections reveal risks, unsafe practices

21 October 2021

The results are in: Hazmat violations continue to be a problem.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has released the findings of its unannounced-inspection initiative this summer, which cracked down on safety issues related to the transport of hazardous materials and dangerous goods (HM/DG) as part this year’s Road Blitz.

From June 21-25, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. carried out 13,471 inspections of vehicles transporting HM/DGs. Of the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unannounced-hazmat-inspections-reveal-risks-unsafe-practices

Environmental groups appeal permits for LNG export facility in New Jersey

15 October 2020

Environmental groups are appealing multiple permit approvals for a project that would include the transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG) via rail for export out of a New Jersey terminal. The organizations say the rail and truck transport of LNG needs more federal regulatory oversight given its volatile nature.

Delaware Riverkeeper Network and other local environmental groups are appealing permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/environmental-groups-appeal-permits-for-lng-export-facility-in-new-jersey

Feds issue final rule allowing liquefied natural gas by rail

20 June 2020

A photograph of tank cars in a rail yard. The tank cars are in lined up left and right.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are authorizing the bulk transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail via a final rule that the agencies issued on Friday.

The rule, which was made in consultation with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), allows for the bulk transportation of LNG using DOT-113 tank cars with enhanced outer tank requirements and additional operational controls.

The issuance of the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/feds-issue-final-rule-allowing-liquefied-natural-gas-by-rail