Submit Public Comments on LNG by Rail August 7, 2019

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Photo: Andrew Aliferis / CC BY-ND-NC 2.0

The proposal to allow LNG-by-rail is dangerous and ill-conceived. The trains and tank cars being proposed to carry LNG have not been demonstrated to be safe for this purpose. In case of an accident, a tank car could explode into a catastrophic fire. Furthermore, LNG-by-rail increases the demand for fracked gas, which pollutes the air and water and drives climate change.

Please tell the regulating agency (PHMSA, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration check) that you strongly oppose the proposed permit. Please personalize your comments. Here’s how:

You must submit your comments by Wednesday, August 7, 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Feel free to draw on the following text, but put it in your own words. Include the docket ID number.

A Comment to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration concerning the “Draft Environmental Assessment for a Special Permit Request for Liquefied Natural Gas by Rail,” Docket ID: PHMSA-2019-0100

As a [describe yourself], I would like to express my opposition to the proposed permit for LNG transport by rail.

The trains and the tank cars being proposed to carry LNG by train have not been demonstrated to be safe for this purpose.

The permit would authorize unit trains (trains carrying a single commodity) of up to 100 cars, made up of the heaviest allowed tank cars.
These long, heavy unit trains would be authorized to travel at a speed of 50 miles per hour, a possibly unsafe rate of speed.
The tank cars that would make up these heavy and fast-moving trains were not designed for LNG transit. No rail tank car standards for transport of LNG have been established. No permit should be approved without specific regulations in place for LNG tank cars.

In case of an accident, LNG-by-rail can cause catastrophic fires and explosions.

The permit would allow LNG unit trains to pass through densely populated cities and suburbs.
In case of an accident, first responders would be unable to control and contain the incident.
If an LNG tank car is caught in a fire and engulfed by external flames, a bomb-like explosion could result.
LNG trains would be vulnerable to terrorist attack.

LNG-by-rail builds demand for fracked gas. That is life-threatening.

The permit being requested for LNG-by-rail would deliver LNG to export facilities, thus driving international demand for fracked gas. Fracked gas harms human health.
Natural gas is primarily methane, and methane is a terribly potent greenhouse gas. Methane leaks into the atmosphere across the entire natural gas supply chain.
Investing in LNG postpones our society’s highly necessary transition to renewable energy sources.

For the above reasons, I ask PHMSA to reject Energy Transport Solutions LLC’s request for a special permit to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail.

Sincerely,

[Name, city, state]

Once you finalize your comments, paste them into the official online docket here. Note, all the data you provide, including your name and location, will be visible on the docket.

You must submit your comments by Wednesday, August 7, 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Thank you for standing up once again to oppose this reckless proposal!