GAO Report: Further Study Needed on LNG Tanker Fires
A February 2007 GAO report released publicly yesterday by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce urges the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct additional research on the potential public safety risks of fires or vapor clouds caused by terrorist attacks on LNG vessels. The GAO’s panel of experts agree generally on the impacts to public safety from an LNG spill including that explosions are unlikely to occur. As a top priority, the report specifically recommends studying the potential for a cascading tank failure as a result of an LNG spill from a vessel.
According to Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Mich.), the House committee’s chairman, hearings are planned “to ensure regulators are making decisions with a large enough margin of safety to account for the threats in a post 9/11 environment.” The committee’s press release is here. The Associated Press provides press coverage, carried via The Boston Globe.