ILTA Comments on Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA).

Dear Mr. Coyle:

The International Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the January 27, 2026 preemption determination application submitted by ExxonMobil under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA). Founded in 1974, ILTA represents over 60 companies operating liquid terminals in all 50 states and in countries around the world. Terminals provide essential logistics services, support domestic and international trade, and foster the readiness of the United States armed forces by making fuels and liquid products available throughout the world—products such as petroleum fuels, aviation fuels, petrochemical products, chemicals, asphalt, alternative fuels like ethanol, and beyond. In particular, the U.S. gasoline distribution industry comprises a vast infrastructure network that moves finished gasoline and other liquid fuels from petroleum refineries to end markets, including government, commercial and industrial facilities, and retail fueling stations.

ILTA supports ExxonMobil’s request for determination that the New Jersey state court’s application of tort common law is preempted under the HMTA. Congress intended to achieve uniformity and prevent a “multiplicity of State and local regulations and the potential for varying as well as conflicting regulations in the area of hazardous materials transportation.”1 The New Jersey Court’s decision would impose a series of unnecessary, state-specific, additional or different requirements affecting the transportation of gasoline. These requirements would hinder the flow of gasoline in interstate commerce and could lead to the very patchwork of state requirements that Congress intended to prevent. The state court’s decision contradicts the plain language of the HMTA and the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) in the following ways and should be preempted.

Download the entire comments below.