‘That Terrifies Me’: Trump Rule Allows Natural Gas Transport By Rail In Dense Areas

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Vanessa Keegan, her boyfriend and 3-year-old son live a block from where rail cars will carry liquefied natural gas to an export facility on the Delaware River.





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Homes next to train tracks in Gibbstown, NJ, where up to 200 rail cars a day will be allowed to carry liquefied natural gas to an export terminal.





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The developers of the New Jersey export project — New Fortress Energy and Delaware River Partners — did not respond to multiple requests for an interview, and would not confirm details of their plans.

Rail companies lobbied for the rule and downplay the potential for accidents.

Earlier this year, Ian Jefferies, CEO of the Association of American Railroads, told NPR «the track record speaks for itself: 99.99% of all hazmat moved by rail reaches its destination without any incident whatsoever.» He also said industry uses «risk-based routing analysis to ensure that railroads are using the lowest risk routes.»

Fifteen state Attorneys General, including those in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, have challenged the move saying it put people’s lives at risk.

«We’re going to court because our families expect our government to put their safety first, not put them in harm’s way,» said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra in a statement. Becerra is now president-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary.

Despite joining that suit, New Jersey recently signed off on construction of a dock for the LNG export project, although N.J. Governor Phil Murphy says the state «will explore all avenues within its authority to prevent the use of this dock for LNG transport.»

The Delaware Riverkeeper Network has challenged a number of state and federal permits for the project, saying a thorough Environmental Impact Statement was never done.

«The Biden Administration could step in and set a policy that this project, and all other LNG export projects, require comprehensive environmental review,» says the network’s deputy director Tracy Carluccio.

Standing on her porch along the route to the planned export terminal, Vanessa Keegan worries that transporting LNG by rail is untested. «If an accident happens,» she says, «we don’t get to show up the next day and say, ‘Look, I told you so.'»

She also thinks fossil fuel projects like this should be abandoned in favor of renewables like wind or solar.

In fact, if the export facility gets built, none of the gas traveling through the area will go to power New Jersey homes. The state is planning a large offshore wind farm to help reach its goal of using all clean energy by 2050.