"The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, is renewing concerns about the safety of moving natural gas by rail and whether existing federal rules governing the industry should be changed.
Seven Democratic House lawmakers from Pennsylvania, for example, sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday, asking that he work to suspend a Trump administration rule that would allow the transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail.
During the Biden administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration proposed to halt that authorization until it could finalize a rule or until June 20, 2024, whichever comes first (Energywire, Nov. 9, 2021).
But calls to change the rule more quickly have swelled since the Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio, which forced the evacuation of thousands in the town near the Pennsylvania border, caused the deaths of tens of thousands of aquatic animals and left residents questioning whether the air and water in their town is safe."
