What Philly needs to know about the dangers of Liquified Natural Gas Train Transport
The Proposed Transport of Liquefied Natural Gas by Train Poses a Grave Danger to the Environment and Human Life in Philadelphia
As we face irreversible climate change, including unprecedented wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes, a new destructive plan to prioritize profit over the planet and humanity looms large in Pennsylvania: the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by train. Unless President Biden acts soon, this incredibly hazardous and extremely flammable and explosive material is set to be transported from Wyalusing in North Central Pennsylvania to Gibbstown, NJ (across the Delaware River from the Philly airport), passing directly through Philadelphia. This LNG will be produced by fracking, with significant pollution, methane leakages, and harms to the health of Pennsylvania communities at every stage.
We are calling on President Biden to reinstate the ban on LNG transport by rail that had been in place for decades until Trump repealed it last year. Sign on today!
What is Liquified Natural Gas?
Natural gas is methane, a greenhouse gas that is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in heating the atmosphere over a 20-year period. Methane can be turned into a liquid for transport and storage by being compressed 600 times and chilled to 260 degrees below zero. In this form, it is flammable and highly volatile.
This current plan would see two 100-car trains making the trip from Wyalusing to Gibbstown every day. A train of 100 tank cars filled with liquified natural gas would have 4.5 times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. In the event of a derailment or explosion, escaping LNG could create a “bomb train,” sparking major fires that can consume entire city blocks and cannot be put out. If the released gas were to explode, all people within a one-mile radius would face a low chance of survival, and all city residents could experience serious health impacts.
What Will Be the Purpose of These Trains?
New Fortress Energy and Delaware River Partners want to expand a deepwater port terminal on the Delaware River in New Jersey to export the LNG by ship overseas in Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Ireland, as well as possibly other places.
How Will This Impact Philadelphia?
Philly lies directly on the proposed route for these trains and residents will be among the approximately two million people affected by this. A number of neighborhoods in Philly are set to be in close proximity to the tracks on which these trains will run, the majority of which are, unsurprisingly, people of color and low-income communities. The affected neighborhoods include Brewerytown, Strawberry Mansion, Sharswood, Fair Hill, Hunting Park and others. The trains would also run right across the Schuylkill River from East Falls, Manayunk, and Roxborough.
How Did This Come About?
Until recently, transporting LNG by rail car was banned to protect public safety. In April of 2019, former President Trump issued an executive order directing the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to initiate rulemaking to allow LNG transport by rail. In December 2019, the PHMSA approved a Special Permit for this specific project to transport LNG by rail cars from Wyalusing, PA to Gibbstown, NJ. In June of 2020, the agency published a final federal rule to allow LNG transport by rail in a new, untested tanker car. There has been no environmental impact study of the LNG export project or the rail route. In the final adopted rule, some conditions were added based on comments submitted by safety agencies and fire fighters. A stronger steel jacket is now required under the federal rule, as well as some other operational controls. However, the Special Permit for the Wyalusing to Gibbstown transport was issued prior to the federal rule and even these provisions, which do not make LNG by rail transport safe by any measure, do not apply to the rail cars that would be used here. In short, the unsafe rail cars that were rejected by PHMSA for the federal rule would be allowed for this LNG project, despite being designed 50 years ago and never used or proven safe for LNG.
A Note About the Rail Cars
The untested tanker cars used for this export will be heavier than almost all freight on our rails, which could have unforeseen and tragic consequences. The rail tank cars are substandard and have never been used to transport LNG. Prior to Trump’s ruling, LNG was permissible for transport only by ship, truck, and rail but ONLY in approved UN portable tanks, which are relatively small tanks that can be mounted on top of semi-truck trailer beds or, with a special permit, on railcars. By contrast, tanker rail cars (the new proposed form of rail transport for LNG) can hold roughly three times the volume of the UN portable tanks, making them more desirable in the eyes of those who want to make money. These tanker cars are much more vulnerable to explosive disasters, as demonstrated by the 2013 derailment of a train in Quebec that was carrying crude oil, which is quite a bit less explosive than LNG. PHMSA’s rule does not restrict the number or distribution of LNG tanker cars in a specific train, nor the routes these trains may travel. Under the rule, bomb trains would be subject to the rail industry’s own voluntary speed limit of up to 50 mph. Officials at the Federal Railroad Administration have previously noted that tank cars are unlikely to survive impacts at even 30 mph.
President Biden’s Stance and Actions
President Biden has announced that the federal rule authorizing LNG by rail car will be revoked this fall and a new rule proposed next year. We want that new rule to ban LNG transport by rail car once again. However, at this time, the Special Permit for the proposed Gibbstown LNG Export Terminal, is still in place until November 30th when it expires. Our petition is aimed at President Biden to revoke the Special Permit and not allow its extension past this date.
What Can We Do?
There has been very widespread opposition to plans for moving LNG by rail and to the permits that the Trump administration issued. Organizations like the International Association of Firefighters and the National Transportation Safety Board have objected to the transport of LNG by rail. In addition, 15 state attorneys general - including Josh Shapiro in PA - have challenged the federal rulemaking in court.We believe this campaign can be won, but only if people take action! Reclaim’s Climate Justice Caucus, in partnership with a wide variety of other groups, including Make the Road Pennsylvania, Philly Boricuas, and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, is working to put a stop to this destruction and disregard for our lives and our planet before it begins. And you can help! We are circulating this petition, on which we are trying to get a total of 5000 signatures to deliver to the Biden administration, which will underscore the tremendous toll that these trains would have on our city and region. The petition pushes the Biden administration not to renew the permit specifically for the PA to NJ project, which expires in November. Please sign today and circulate widely!
This campaign is part of the global struggle to win a rapid and just transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Organizations in Puerto Rico are also opposed to importing the LNG that these trains would carry, and are actively fighting for a shift from coal and gas to renewables that can be generated on the Island, particularly after Hurricane Maria. We are also connected to our partners in Ireland, who are fighting the LNG import terminal New Fortress Energy wants to build there. The campaign is about protecting public safety and health, building a resilient and just energy system, and protecting a livable climate. Please sign on today!
References
https://earthjustice.org/features/liquefied-natural-gas-lng-by-rail-tanker-car : https://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/ongoing-issues/gibbstown-logistics-center-lng-ngl-exports-proposed