PHMSA Announces Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for LNG Facility Amendments

On June 6th PHMSA announced its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for proposed rulemaking amendments to 49 CFR Part 193, Liquefied Natural Gas Facilities: Federal Safety Standards. PHMSA is requesting scoping comments by July 7, 2025.

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Federal agencies to evaluate proposed action for human and natural environment impact. If a reasonably foreseeable impact is determined, the agency is required to issue an EIS.

On April 29th PHMSA issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to update siting, design, installation, construction, inspection, testing, operation, and maintenance requirements for liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. PHMSA anticipates evaluating the following potential impacts in the EIS for those proposed changes, including but not limited to:

• Effects on populations located near LNG facilities

• Impacts related to public safety and human health in the event of accidental release of hazardous substances from LNG facilities

• Effects on human health from factors such as emissions of air pollutants

• Effects on socioeconomic factors such as economy, employment, transportation (e.g., road and marine)

• Effects on historic and cultural resources

• Effects on land use

• Effects on natural resources

Contact Elemental Compliance for additional information, questions on the EIS or the LNG ANPRM, and to keep your pipeline safety programs up to speed with the changing regulatory landscape. Also consider signing up for our Regulatory Compliance Newsletter on our website where we provide real time updates on PHMSA and state pipeline safety activities at https://www.elementalcompliance.com/about.