The US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking comment on a proposal to update regulations governing LNG plants, fast-track new LNG projects, expand domestic export capacity, and grow the small-scale LNG market. The Department of Transportation described the ANPRM as the first in a series of priority PHMSA actions to implement Pres. Donald Trump’s “Unleashing American Energy” executive order.
PHMSA said it would also be updating or revising rules related to:
- Hazardous liquid and gas transmission pipeline repair criteria. The agency will issue an ANPRM to modernize pipeline repair requirements to improve safety and efficiency.
- Pipeline class location-change requirements. PHMSA will finalize new safety requirements allowing for modern technologies to be used to safely account for population changes near existing natural gas pipelines.
- Modal safety advancements. The agency will complete a pending rulemaking to revise and streamline hazardous materials requirements for the transportation of petroleum-based fuels and other essential energy products to reduce compliance complexity and eliminate unnecessary burdens on shippers and motor carriers, it said in a press release.
“Increased US energy production is creating heightened demands on pipeline infrastructure and export facilities, making the safety and reliability of our energy transportation network more critical than ever,” said PHMSA Acting Administrator Ben Kochman. “These rulemakings would reduce the burden on those who produce and transport American energy by allowing them to take advantage of advances in technology and engineering best practices and removing out-of-date regulatory requirements. These rules would contribute to lower costs for American consumers and help our allies abroad.”
A federal appeals court last year threw out parts of PHMSA pipeline safety rules in effect since May 2023 based on a challenge to them brought by the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA). Kochman—at the time INGAA’s director of pipelines safety—remarked then that “INGAA [was] pleased with the outcome of the case” and looked forward “to working with PHMSA on continuing our efforts to improve pipeline safety, building upon alternatives we proposed throughout the rulemaking process” (OGJ Online, Aug. 23, 2024).
