BISMARCK, N.D. (KUMV) – The Biden Administration wants to suspend rail transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said the move reverses a rule set by former president Donald Trump in 2020. North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said the state won’t be impacted because they don’t move the liquid material by rail.
“As volumes continue to increase, obviously we’re always looking at ways to move growing volumes of natural gas, so knowing what the regulatory landscape looks like is important to know going forward,” said Kringstad.
Kringstad said he believes the intention of the 2020 rule was to reach areas that aren’t available through pipeline, the main source of LNG transport.
Several Republicans disagree with the move, including Gov. Doug Burgum, R-ND.
“While North Dakota doesn’t move LNG by rail, it’s clear the Biden administration will stop at nothing until every form of fossil fuel production and transportation is outlawed, putting our nation’s energy security at grave risk,” said Burgum in a statement Tuesday.
Kringstad said North Dakota is a net exporter of natural gas. Most of it moves through pipelines to other states. Some liquefied natural gas is also hauled by truck to the oilfields as a supplement to diesel fuel for operations.
“You can put a significant volume of natural gas in a smaller area when you liquefy it versus just compressing it. That is the attractiveness of moving in a liquefied state versus a compressed state,” said Kringstad.
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