Nessel joins coalition in comments opposing an application to transport cryogenic ethane in rail tank cars

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general, led by Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown and New York Attorney General Letitia James, in submitting comments opposing Gas Innovations LNG Refrigerants Inc.’s request for a special permit to ship cryogenic liquefied ethane in rail tank cars from a facility in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania to undisclosed locations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, potentially through Michigan.?  

Ethane is a colorless, odorless, and highly flammable hydrocarbon gas that is a commonly used feedstock of the petrochemical industry. Shipping cryogenic ethane presents significant safety challenges, as any release of cargo is likely to lead to the formation of extremely cold and highly flammable ground-hugging vapor clouds that present unique safety risks to nearby communities and emergency first responders. Regulations do not currently authorize the transportation of ethane in rail tank cars, and Gas Innovations’ application includes no data or scientific analysis suggesting that it can be transported safely in this manner.

The coalition asserts that Gas Innovations’ application to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) should be denied because it fails to provide basic information concerning the proposed shipments and would risk the safety of communities along rail lines nationwide. The application fails to clearly identify what, if any, operational controls – measures like speed limits and breaking requirements that are designed to decrease the risk of derailment – would apply to shipments under the special permit. Even more troubling, it does not identify the destinations for its liquefied ethane cargo. Instead, the application vaguely suggests that shipments will be delivered to “petrochemical, or LNG liquefaction facilities,” in Mexico, Canada, and along the Gulf Coast of the United States.