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Safe Transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas by Railroad Tank Car

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A NASEM committee will review plans and activities to inform government and industry decisions about the transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail and consider ways to ensure the continued safety of these shipments over the longer-term. The committee's review will be carried out in two phases, each producing a report with findings and recommendations as appropriate. Phase 1 focuses on the plans and progress of the PHMSA-FRA LNG Task Force, which has developed and begun executing a multi-task program. Phase 2 involves a detailed study of topics relevant to ensuring the safe movement of LNG by rail.

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Description

An ad hoc committee appointed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will review, per request of Congress, current U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) plans and activities to inform government and industry decisions about the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail and consider ways to ensure the continued safety of these shipments over the longer-term. The committee's review will be carried out in two phases, each producing a report with findings and recommendations as appropriate.
Phase 1
The committee will review ongoing and planned USDOT efforts, as documented and reported by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Administration (PHMSA) and Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), that are intended to inform pending decisions about whether and how bulk shipments of LNG can be safely transported by railroad tank car. The review will focus specifically on the plans and progress of the PHMSA-FRA LNG Task Force, which has developed and begun executing a multi-task program of research, data gathering, analysis, testing, modeling, and risk assessment. Based on the expert judgment of its members, and drawing largely on the Task Force's reports of results, ongoing and planned tasks, and other relevant information, the committee will produce a report with findings on specific tasks and the program overall with regard to quality, completeness, and relevance to the agencies’ near-term decision making needs. The committee may make recommendations in this first report that can be acted upon quickly to strengthen the program.
Phase 2
The committee will engage in information-gathering and analysis to conduct an in-depth study of topics relevant to ensuring the safe movement of LNG by rail if allowed by special permit or regulatory authorization. At a minimum, the committee will examine:

  • The experience transporting LNG in bulk shipments by other modes, including by water and truck, to identify basic principles applied for safety assurance that can inform measures taken by government and industry to ensure the safe movement of LNG by rail;
  • What is known about the effectiveness of special regulatory and industry measures intended to assure the safe transportation of other relevant bulk rail shipments of hazardous materials, especially any routing, speed, and other operational controls applied to high-hazard flammable trains and accompanying enhanced track inspection regimes; and,
  • The applicability to bulk rail transportation of LNG of current emergency response plans, protocols, and guides for responding to LNG transportation incidents, such as in PHMSA’s Emergency Response Guidebook.

In carrying out its review of these topics, the committee may determine that there are other topics directly relevant to the safe transportation of LNG by rail that warrant examination, and it may elect to do so. Based on findings from the study, the committee will issue a second report containing recommendations as appropriate to Congress, PHMSA, FRA, industry, emergency responders, and other relevant parties on actions, both nearer- and longer-term, that are warranted to improve understanding of the risks associated with transporting LNG by rail, mitigate risks, and prevent and prepare for potential incidents.

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Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: William Shust

The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determines that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
William Shust has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on the Safe Transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by Railroad Tank Car because he owns Objective Engineers, Inc., which performs mechanical testing and analysis for clients in the railroad industry.
The National Academies has concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include at least one person who has current experience with the design, engineering, and operating dynamics of railroad tank cars. As described in his biographical summary, Mr. Shust has extensive experience and specialized expertise in modeling the mechanical design and integrity of railcars and freight car dynamics.
The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Mr. Shust is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable.
The National Academies believes that Mr. Shust can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Disclosure of Conflict of Interest: Patrick Student

The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determines that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
Patrick J. Student has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on the Safe Transportation of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) by Railroad Tank Car because he consults for a railroad industry trade association that represents freight rail carriers.
The National Academies has concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include at least one person who has current experience with hazardous materials (hazmat) regulatory compliance governing railroad operations, LNG packaging, and related industry transportation standards. As described in his biographical summary, Mr. Student has specialized expertise in hazmat train operations, especially in transporting hazmat in railroad tank cars.
The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Mr. Student is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable.
The National Academies believes that Mr. Student can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Sponsors

Department of Transportation

Staff

Micah Himmel

Lead

Timothy Marflak

Claudia Sauls

Michael Covington

Brittany Bishop

Thomas Menzies

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