Title: Protecting Communities from Liquefied Natural Gas Trains Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Protecting Communities from Liquefied Natural Gas Trains Act
This bill directs the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to conduct an evaluation of the safety, security, and environmental risks of transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail.
Among other things, the FRA must
The Government Accountability Office must conduct an independent evaluation to ensure all review requirements under this bill have been satisfactorily met.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4306 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4306

To require the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration to 
conduct an evaluation of the safety, security, and environmental risks 
 of transporting liquefied natural gas by rail, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 12, 2019

 Mr. DeFazio (for himself and Mr. Malinowski) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration to 
conduct an evaluation of the safety, security, and environmental risks 
 of transporting liquefied natural gas by rail, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Communities from 
Liquefied Natural Gas Trains Act''.

SEC. 2. TRANSPORTATION OF LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS BY RAIL.

    (a) Evaluation.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
Administration, in coordination with the Administrator of the Pipeline 
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, shall conduct an 
evaluation of the safety, security, and environmental risks of 
transporting liquefied natural gas by rail.
    (b) Testing.--In conducting the evaluation under subsection (a), 
the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration shall--
            (1) perform physical testing of rail tank cars, including, 
        at a minimum, the DOT-113 specification, to ensure such rail 
        tank cars are able to withstand the effects of an accident or 
        impact and prevent or mitigate the release of liquefied natural 
        gas;
            (2) analyze multiple release scenarios, including 
        derailments, front-end collisions, rear-end collisions, side-
        impact collisions, grade-crossing collisions, punctures, and 
        impact of an incendiary device, at a minimum of 3 speeds of 
        travel with a sufficient range of speeds to evaluate the 
        safety, security, and environmental risks posed under real-
        world operating conditions; and
            (3) examine the effects of exposure to climate conditions 
        across rail networks, including temperature, humidity, and any 
        other factors that the Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
        Administration determines could influence performance of the 
        inner or outer walls of rail tank cars.
    (c) Other Factors To Consider.--In conducting the evaluation under 
subsection (a), the Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
Administration shall evaluate the impact of a discharge of liquefied 
natural gas from a rail tank car on public safety and the environment, 
and consider--
            (1) the benefits of route restrictions, speed restrictions, 
        enhanced brake requirements, personnel requirements, rail tank 
        car technological requirements, and other operating controls;
            (2) the advisability of consist restrictions, including 
        limitations on the arrangement and quantity of rail cars 
        carrying liquefied natural gas in any given consist;
            (3) the identification of potential impact areas, and the 
        number of homes and structures that would be endangered by a 
        discharge in rural, suburban, and urban environments;
            (4) the impact of discharge on the environment, including 
        examining environmentally sensitive areas with rail tracks that 
        move through them;
            (5) the benefits of advanced notification to the Department 
        of Transportation, State Emergency Response Commissions, and 
        Tribal Emergency Response Commissions of routes for moving 
        liquefied natural gas by rail tank car;
            (6) how first responders respond to a discharge, including 
        the extent to which specialized equipment or training would be 
        required and the cost to communities for acquiring any 
        necessary equipment or training;
            (7) whether thermal radiation could occur from a discharge;
            (8) an evaluation of rail tank cars authorized by the 
        Secretary of Transportation, a determination of which rail tank 
        car would provide the best outcome in the event of a discharge, 
        and a determination of whether a new standard is necessary to 
        ensure the safety of rail transport of liquefied natural gas; 
        and
            (9) the risks posed by the transportation of liquefied 
        natural gas by International Standard for Organization 
        containers authorized by the Federal Railroad Administration.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate, and make available to the public--
            (1) a report based on the evaluation and testing conducted 
        under subsections (a) and (b), which shall include the results 
        of the evaluation and testing and recommendations for 
        mitigating or eliminating the safety, security, environmental, 
        and other risks of an accident or incident involving the 
        transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail; and
            (2) a complete list of all research related to the 
        transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail conducted by 
        the Federal Railroad Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous 
        Materials Safety Administration, or any other entity of the 
        Department of Transportation since 2010 that includes, for each 
        research item--
                    (A) the title of any reports or studies produced 
                with respect to the research;
                    (B) the agency, entity, or organization performing 
                the research;
                    (C) the names of all authors and co-authors of any 
                report or study produced with respect to the research; 
                and
                    (D) the date any related report was published or is 
                expected to publish.
    (e) Data Reporting.--The Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
Administration and the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous 
Materials Safety Administration shall collect any relevant data 
necessary to complete the evaluation required by subsection (a).
    (f) GAO Report.--After the evaluation required by subsection (a) 
has been completed, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct an independent evaluation to ensure the Federal Railroad 
Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 
Administration complied with the requirements of this Act, and transmit 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate a report on the findings of such 
independent evaluation.
    (g) Congressional Review Requirements.--
            (1) Review period defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        ``review period'' means the period beginning on the date of 
        enactment of this Act and ending on the earlier of--
                    (A) the date that is 1 year after the date of 
                completion of the report under subsection (f); or
                    (B) the date that is 4 years after the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
            (2) Congressional authority.--The Secretary of 
        Transportation may not issue any regulation authorizing the 
        transportation of liquefied natural gas by rail or authorize 
        such transportation through issuance of a special permit or 
        approval before the conclusion of the review period.
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