Document ID: PHMSA-2019-0100-0938
Agency: phmsa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Hazardous Materials; Special Permit Request for Liquefied Natural Gas by Rail
Posted Date: 2019-07-09T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32831-32832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-14532]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

[Docket No. PHMSA-2019-0100]

Hazardous Materials: Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Environmental Assessment for a Special Permit Request for Liquefied 
Natural Gas by Rail

AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), 
DOT.

ACTION: Notice; comment period extension.

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SUMMARY: PHMSA is extending the comment period for the notice 
announcing the availability for public review of and comment on the 
draft environmental assessment for a special permit request to 
transport ``Methane, Refrigerated Liquid'' (i.e., liquefied natural 
gas) by rail tank car.

DATES: The comment period for the notice published June 6, 2019, at 84 
FR 26507, is extended. Comments should

[[Page 32832]]

be received on or before August 7, 2019. To the extent possible, PHMSA 
will consider late-filed comments.

ADDRESSES: Comments should reference the Docket number for this notice 
and may be submitted in the following ways:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
     Mail: Docket Management System; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Routing 
Symbol M-30, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: To the Docket Management System; Room W12-
140 on the ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
Docket Number (PHMSA-2019-0100) for this notice at the beginning of the 
comment. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four 
methods. All comments received will be posted without change to the 
Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) and will include any personal 
information you provide. If sent by mail, comments must be submitted in 
duplicate. Persons wishing to receive confirmation of receipt of their 
comments must include a self-addressed stamped postcard.
    Docket: For access to the dockets to read associated documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov or DOT's Docket 
Operations Office (see ADDRESSES).
    Privacy Act: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits 
comments from the public to better inform its process. DOT posts these 
comments, without change, including any personal information the 
commenter provides, to http://www.regulations.gov, as described in the 
system of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at 
http://www.dot.gov/privacy.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ryan Paquet by telephone at 202-366-
4511, or email at specialpermits@dot.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On June 6, 2019, PHMSA published a notice announcing the 
availability of a draft environmental assessment for public review. 
Specifically, PHMSA received a request for a special permit from Energy 
Transport Solutions, LLC seeking authorization to transport ``Methane, 
Refrigerated Liquid'' (UN1972), commonly known and liquefied natural 
gas (LNG), in a rail tank car. The request is to authorize shipment of 
LNG in a DOT specification 113C120W tank car subject to certain 
operational conditions. We invited interested persons to review and 
provide comment on the ``draft environmental assessment'' for this 
special permit request; and to include relevant information on 
potential safety, environmental, and any additional impacts that should 
be considered. PHMSA has also included the draft special permit in the 
docket for this notice as further reference material. The notice, draft 
environmental assessment, and draft special permit are available for 
review at http://www.regulations.gov under Docket number PHMSA-2019-
0100.

II. Comment Period Extension

    PHMSA is granting a request to extend the comment period. The 
request was received from two members of Congress.\1\ PHMSA initially 
provided a 30-day comment period to the notice, which ends on July 8, 
2019. The comment period is being extended 30 days. The comment period 
will now close on August 7, 2019. This will allow PHMSA to seek 
additional review and public input on this issue.
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    \1\ See June 28, 2019, letter from Representative Peter A. 
DeFazio, Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
and Representative Tom Malinowski, which has been added to the 
docket at www.regulations.gov.
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III. Additional Docket Materials

    PHMSA is also using this comment period extension notice to make 
the public aware of additional documents submitted to the docket and 
available for public review:
    1. An updated draft Environmental Assessment.
    2. The Energy Transport Solutions, LLC Quantitative Risk Assessment 
(QRA).
    3. The Energy Transport Solutions, LLC special permit application 
(in redacted form).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on July 3, 2019, under authority 
delegated in 49 CFR part 1.97.
Drue Pearce,
Deputy Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2019-14532 Filed 7-8-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-60-P