Environmental group sues Railroad Administration over LNG shipments

The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit against the Federal Railroad Administration to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, for refusing to disclose information of the first U.S. rail shipment of LNG. 

As reported in September, the first twice-weekly test trip was scheduled for September 27 with demonstration trips from Anchorage to Fairbanks continuing through October.

Alaska Railroad loaned two LNG ISO containers, that can carry up to 26,586 liters (7,023 gallons) of LNG, for the project from Hitatchi High-Tech AW Cryo, based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

According to its statement on Monday, the Center for Biological Diversity had submitted a Freedom of Information Act request for documents showing how the shipments were approved and whether they are safe, to which the Railroad Administration failed to respond.

Miyoko Sakashita, a senior attorney at the Center said “the public deserves to know the risks of shipping LNG by rail through Alaska’s biggest cities.”

The Center claims that shipping LNG by rail could expand the use of fossil fuels at a time when the United States is struggling to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.

It further claims that the LNG-by-rail pilot program has been subject to minimal public scrutiny.

On February 9, the Center submitted its FOIA request records related to Alaska’s LNG-by-rail project, noting that since then, the Railroad Administration has taken no responsive action.

Sakashita further claims that putting LNG tankers railways is a “terrible idea,” that could deepen the climate crisis and cause risks to population along rail lines, adding that “denying the public’s right to scrutinize this plan, is simply unacceptable.”

LNG World News Staff