PRESS RELEASE FROM DELAWARE RIVERKEEPER NETWORK

Trump rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail vacated by court

Posted 1/17/25

WASHINGTON, DC —  On January 17, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) by Rail Rule adopted by the U.S. Department of …

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PRESS RELEASE FROM DELAWARE RIVERKEEPER NETWORK

Trump rule allowing liquefied natural gas to be transported by rail vacated by court

Posted

WASHINGTON, DC —  On January 17, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit overturned the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) by Rail Rule adopted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration under the Trump administration. The rule, adopted in 2020, was challenged legally as recklessly endangering the public by a group of environmental organizations and several state Attorneys General. Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN), a nonprofit working to protect the Delaware River watershed, and four other environmental groups were represented by Earthjustice in the lawsuit.

LNG transport by rail car has now been deemed by the Court too dangerous to allow, restoring a longstanding ban on the transport of LNG by Rail that was based on public safety, according to DRN. 

DRN opposed the transport of LNG for years due to the planned transport of LNG by New Fortress Energy from Bradford County, PA to Gibbstown, NJ for export at the proposed Gibbstown LNG Export Terminal and also worked to stop the transport nationally alongside many communities and organizations across the country.

“In stark and alarming detail, from the very first paragraph of the ruling the court demonstrates its understanding of the tremendous dangers associated with the transportation of LNG and the need for careful consideration of these hazards before allowing a new, and obviously dangerous, mode of transportation. From the inception of the suggestion that transportation of LNG by rail could be safe and appropriate, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, and our partners, have been sounding the alarm. It is rewarding to know that there are still those in government, in this case the judiciary, that is willing to consider the facts, the science and their own common sense. Donald Trump was willing to cavalierly sacrifice communities to the hazards of transporting LNG by rail in order to curry favor and support from the fossil fuel industry. Going in to the next administration, Delaware Riverkeeper Network will remain vigilant to challenge future absurd proposals coming out of his administration,” said Maya van Rossum, the Delaware Riverkeeper.

“The Court did not buy the argument that this volatile, hazardous and potentially explosive material could be transported safely by rail car and has ruled that public safety must be top priority in government regulation. Communities across the U.S. will now be protected against the catastrophic effects that LNG poses to those who live and work along the rail tracks and related infrastructure that could be used by companies that aim to move LNG - both here at home and for export overseas. This is an important win for the public and a rebuke of the Trump Administration’s deregulation agenda,” said Tracy Carluccio, Deputy Director, Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

liquified natural gas

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