DOT Proposes First Update to LNG Facility Standards in Decades: New Technologies Codified, About $100 Million in Annual Savings Expected
The U.S. Department of Transportation announced in Houston on October 28 that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to update liquefied natural gas (LNG) standards for the first time in decades. The proposal codifies advanced, cost-saving technologies, including pipe-in-pipe systems, single-walled ASME containers, and membrane storage tanks, and incorporates National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 59A (2026 edition) for the siting, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of LNG facilities. The Department said leveraging these technologies will generate $100 million in savings annually.
The Department said the update will fast-track new LNG infrastructure projects, lower energy costs, and expand export capacity. The full text of the NPRM will be posted in the Federal Register.
"America has the natural resources, innovative spirit, and private sector might to be the world's number one energy powerhouse. The only thing standing in our way is outdated red tape," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "By overhauling these basic rules to embrace modern technologies, we can safely unleash America's energy dominance, lower costs, and generate millions in economic opportunity for the men and women powering our energy sector."
"As the world's largest LNG exporter, the United States' regulations for LNG facilities are the gold standard," said PHMSA Administrator Paul Roberti. "But we have let those regulations stagnate, relying on an outdated version of an industry standard from more than twenty years ago. Today's long overdue proposal recognizes the innovation that has transformed the industry over the last ten years and enhances safety by streamlining regulatory requirements and incentivizing the deployment of cutting-edge technologies." In April 2025, the Department had issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to inform this rulemaking proposal to update the decades-old LNG facility regulations.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：在建的液化天然气储罐（波兰 Świnoujście 码头，资料图）。Mateusz War 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / An LNG storage tank under construction at the Świnoujście terminal in Poland (file photo). Photo by Mateusz War, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
