PHMSA to Revise Hazmat Regulations for Fuels

As part of an effort to update the regulations for liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities and support domestic LNG projects, PHMSA plans to “revise and streamline” the standards for transportation of petroleum-based fuel. PHMSA is aiming to complete a rulemaking that will update the modal-specific hazardous materials requirements for shippers and transporters of fuels and other energy products by highway, rail, and vessel. 

Working together with FMCSA, FRA, and the US Coast Guard, PHMSA identified amendments to the HMR that will improve hazmat transportation safety. The agency will issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) soon to make those amendments, and to address petitions for rulemaking received from industry stakeholders. 

PHMSA will also update pipeline repair criteria and the requirements for class or location change to allow the use of more modern technologies, US DOT announced in the same press release.

LNG (UN 1972) Transportation by Rail Tank Car

A second fuels-related rulemaking in progress at PHMSA (RIN 2137-AF54) would “amend the Hazardous Materials Regulations governing transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in rail tank cars,” according to the current Unified Agenda of pending US DOT actions.

LNG—UN 1972, also transported as “methane, refrigerated liquid” or “natural gas, refrigerated liquid”—is classified as a Division 2.1 hazardous material, a flammable gas. Under current DOT regulations, transporting LNG by rail car requires a special permit (49 CFR 107.105) or special approval from FRA, per 49 CFR 174.63. 

For a brief time, PHMSA authorized bulk transport of LNG by rail only in specification tank cars designed specifically to safely transport LNG (DOT-113C120W). This authorization was suspended in 2023, with PHMSA announcing plans to study the issue more and either propose a new rule or let the suspension expire on June 30, 2025. 


 

Upcoming Hazmat Training Workshops

Attend a Lion Hazmat Ground Shipper Certification Workshop near you for two days of expert-led training to simplify you responsibilities for hazmat shipping compliance. From classifying materials and shipping names, to UN packaging, labels and placards, shipping papers, training employees, registration and reporting, and more—return to work feeling more confident about compliance with the US Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) in 49 CFR.