Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

DOT proposes streamlining regs for hazmat carriers

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has unveiled proposed changes to hazardous materials haulage regulations, aiming to make compliance easier while saving an estimated $100 million in carrier costs.

The amendments and new provisions, announced on Monday by the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), will apply to trucking, rail and vessel companies.

“The proposal we’re announcing today streamlines requirements while maintaining safety...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-proposes-streamlining-regs-for-hazmat-carriers

FMCSA issues warning after chemical tank ‘rockets’ hundreds of feet

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators “strongly recommend” that owners of certain types of hazardous chemical tanks conduct voluntary tests due to the potential for catastrophic failure based on new test results.

According to an advisory issued jointly by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, concern over the stability of “nurse tanks,” used typically to transport anhydrous ammonia over public roadways and farm fields, stems...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsa-issues-warning-after-chemical-tank-rockets-hundreds-of-feet

Environmental advocates question PHMSA’s inaction on LNG by rail

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 

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? 

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?

A train of tank cars travels down a rail track.

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

Getting your fleet in shape for Roadcheck 2022

Roadcheck checklist

Fleets across North America annually fret about the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck event. This year’s event will take place May 17-19, and if past experiences have taught the industry anything, it is that some percentage — perhaps as high as 20% — of vehicles and/or drivers will find themselves sitting on the side of the road following an out-of-service order.

“Roadcheck should not be a cause for concern,” explained Tom Bray, senior industry business adviser for J....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/getting-your-fleet-in-shape-for-roadcheck-2022

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

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

PHMSA seeks to suspend transport of LNG by rail

A photograph of a train of tank cars rolling through a rail crossing.

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is seeking comments on whether it should suspend a July 2020 rule enabling the transport of liquefied natural gas via rail.

The suspension would last either until June 30, 2024, or a separate, companion rulemaking on whether to approve modifications to the requirements governing LNG by rail is completed.

PHMSA, which is collaborating with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on this proposed rulemaking notice, is taking...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/phmsa-seeks-to-suspend-transport-of-lng-by-rail

Environmental groups appeal permits for LNG export facility in New Jersey

A photograph of a tank car.

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

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