Congressmen seek longer comment period for LNG-by-rail permit request
Public scrutiny is a good thing – safety first. So, there should be a very public, very open and thorough process when it comes to evaluating the risks of transporting LNG by rail. That being said, common sense should prevail. Because today, things that are vastly more dangerous than LNG are being transported by rail every day without even anyone batting an eyelid. Just take a look at some petrochemical products that are highly toxic, highly flammable, explosive or all of the former. LNG is nontoxic – nobody will suffer any injury just from inhaling it. LG is non-corrosive which means nothing it will touch degrades except that the cold of the product will freeze anything it touches. LNG is non-explosive or flammable by itself. It requires very special, hard to create conditions for doing those things. Virtually all the videos on the net supposedly depicting an exploding LNG truck show an LPG truck which is transported by ail cars by the way. This is safer than most stuff we transport now – let’s not forget this.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) have asked the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to extend the public comment period on a special permit the administration is considering to allow liquefied natural gas (LNG) to be transported by rail in Florida.
