Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC - Today, the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ended its comment period following an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on safety of methane gas exports, known as LNG. The current safeguards are meant to protect workers and communities from dangerous and volatile LNG infrastructure, but those standards have not kept pace with the growth of the industry.
Sierra Club and partners have submitted thousands of comments to PHMSA detailing the need for stricter safety requirements around LNG.
This rulemaking is happening in the context of Executive Orders issued by President Trump earlier this year aimed at lifting or skirting necessary safeguards in place at federal agencies in order to allow unfettered industry growth with little oversight. The Trump administration is particularly focused on fast-tracking dirty projects in the U.S. fossil fuel sector.
The need for stronger safety standards was made abundantly clear following an explosion at Freeport LNG in June 2022, something community members had long feared would happen due to lax adherence to safety standards. A subsequent investigation found the company did not follow safety protocols, yet Freeport LNG was able to continue operating until disaster struck. The facility was allowed to resume operations despite objections from the local community and environmental groups.
In reaction, Sierra Club and partners released the following statements:
Claire Dorner, Sierra Club Associate Director of Legislative & Administrative Advocacy for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign: “PHMSA’s mission statement lists protection of people and environment first, yet this is impossible to do with safety standards for methane gas export terminals that are woefully out of date. Unfortunately for workers and surrounding communities, even as the US LNG industry has grown exponentially, the Trump administration wants to reduce oversight and make these already inadequate safety standards even less effective at keeping people safe from explosions, leaks, and other accidents related to gas exports.
“Not only would lifting safety requirements make existing facilities less safe, but it would allow for dangerous, fast-tracked construction of additional, unnecessary gas export capacity that will raise domestic energy prices. We have made our voices heard during the comment period and encourage leaders at PHMSA to begin truly implementing its mission to protect workers and neighbors from industrial harms, rather than allowing corporate polluters to risk countless lives.”
Bekah Hinojosa, Co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network: "Regulators are not being transparent about the safety and explosion risks of two LNG export terminals next to Elon Musk's explosive fiery rockets from SpaceX. Every time Musk blows up a rocket, we're left bracing ourselves for our homes to shake, windows to possibly shatter, the beach to be scorched, or even worse, rocket debris and particulates to fall on our neighborhoods and possibly another explosion risk site: LNG. We refuse to be lab rats. We demand studies and transparency about the risks. We demand meetings with PHMSA and other regulators."
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.