# NATIONAL FUEL GAS SUPPLY CORP — Warning Letter

**Citation:** CPF 12026034WL  
**Type / status:** enforcement / historical  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2026-03-18

CLOSED warning letter citing 190.203(f).

## Document text

Warning Letter involving NATIONAL FUEL GAS SUPPLY CORP. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 190.203(f). The case was opened on 2026-03-18 and is reported as closed as of 2026-03-18. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

12026034WL_Operator Response to Notice_05082026_(25-329604).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_05082026_(25-329604).pdf

12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Warning%20Letter_03182026_(25-329604).pdf

12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Warning%20Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf

12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf

U.S. Department
of Transportation
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
840 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 300
West Trenton, NJ 08628
609.771.7800
WARNING LETTER
VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL TO: delvecchioj@natfuel.com
March 18, 2026
Joseph Del Vecchio
President
National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation
6363 Main Street
Williamsville, NY 14221
CPF 1-2026-034-WL
Dear Mr. Del Vecchio:
On July 28, 2017 and March 15, 2021, pursuant to 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 60118(c) and
49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 190.341, National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation (NFG)
filed special permit requests with the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), for waivers from certain provisions of 49 CFR Part
192. PHMSA may issue special permits to pipeline operators if the agency determines that a waiver
of a particular regulation or standard is not inconsistent with pipeline safety. On August 27, 2019,
and October 15, 2021, PHMSA issued orders granting NFG special permits with certain conditions
and limitations (Orders). See PHMSA-2017-0090 and PHMSA-2021-0042.
On June 8, 2025, a representative of the PHMSA, OPS, Eastern Region, pursuant to 49 U.S.C.
§§ 60101-60143, conducted an inspection of NFG’s FlexSteel gas transmission pipeline in
McKean, Elk, and Cameron Counties, Pennsylvania subject to the Orders.
As a result of the inspection, it is alleged that NFG has committed probable violations of the
Pipeline Safety Regulations, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Orders. As stated
in 49 CFR § 190.203(f), when information obtained from an inspection indicates that further
PHMSA action is warranted, PHMSA may initiate one or more enforcement proceedings
prescribed in 49 CFR §§ 190.207 through 190.235. The probable violation is:
1. Condition 6: Corrosion Control
a) …
c) NFG must perform external corrosion control monitoring on
each buried metallic fitting in accordance with 49 CFR 192.465. NFG



CPF 1-2026-034-WL
must perform CP monitoring at least once each calendar year, not
exceeding 15 months. Corrosion control monitoring of the buried
metallic fittings by a sampling basis is not permitted.
NFG failed to properly perform external corrosion control monitoring on each buried metallic
fitting in accordance with Condition 6.c. Specifically, NFG reported eight locations with invalid
native or depolarized corrosion potential measurements, ranging from -809 millivolts to -1441
millivolts.
During the inspection, PHMSA reviewed cathodic protection records for the special permit
FlexSteel segments. NFG provided a set of Test Station History Reports (07/09/2025). This report
documented invalid native or depolarized corrosion potential measurements, ranging from -809
millivolts to -1441 millivolts at 8 locations: 9976, 9988, 9989, 9990, 9991, 9992, 9993, 11147.
Therefore, NFG failed to properly perform external corrosion control monitoring on each buried
metallic fitting in accordance with Condition 6.c.
Under 49 U.S.C. § 60122 and 49 CFR § 190.223, you are subject to a civil penalty not to exceed
$272,926 per violation per day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,729,245 for a related
series of violations.
We have reviewed the circumstances and supporting documents involved in this case and have
decided not to conduct additional enforcement action or penalty assessment proceedings at this
time. We advise you to correct the items identified in this letter. Failure to do so may result in
National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation being subject to additional enforcement action.
No reply to this letter is required. If you choose to reply, in your correspondence please refer to
CPF 1-2026-034-WL. Be advised that all material you submit in response to this enforcement
action is subject to being made publicly available. If you believe that any portion of your
responsive material qualifies for confidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b), along with the
complete original document you must provide a second copy of the document with the portions
you believe qualify for confidential treatment redacted and an explanation of why you believe the
redacted information qualifies for confidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b).
Sincerely,
Robert Burrough
Director, Eastern Region, Office of Pipeline Safety
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
cc: Steven Glass, Assistant VP, NFGS, GlassS@natfuel.com
Steven Monnie, Senior Manager, NFGS, MonnieS@natfuel.com
Page 2 of 2

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/12026034WL>
- Source ID: `phmsa-enforcement`
- SHA-256: `c0359cb198ba79603c05f948e7244ee1d83b22729bce0bc9fd90eb7eb8ad2c3e`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T04:44:44.458Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T10:12:22.173Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-enforcement-12026034wl`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "cpf": "12026034WL",
  "operator": "NATIONAL FUEL GAS SUPPLY CORP",
  "region": "Eastern",
  "pipelineType": "INTERSTATE GAS TRANSMISSION",
  "caseStatus": "CLOSED",
  "citedSections": [
    "190.203(f)"
  ],
  "dataAsOf": "08/04/2026 12PM",
  "caseDataAsOf": "2026-08-04",
  "attachmentCount": 3,
  "attachments": [
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      "name": "12026034WL_Operator Response to Notice_05082026_(25-329604).pdf",
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      "bytes": 157464,
      "category": "party_submission"
    },
    {
      "name": "12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604).pdf",
      "url": "https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Warning%20Letter_03182026_(25-329604).pdf",
      "bytes": 159575,
      "category": "agency_document"
    },
    {
      "name": "12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf",
      "url": "https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Warning%20Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf",
      "bytes": 172598,
      "category": "agency_document"
    }
  ],
  "extractedAgencyDocumentCount": 1,
  "attachmentPolicy": "Official attachment links are retained. Agency-issued documents may also include a verified local PDF and page-level text representation.",
  "jurisdiction": "US",
  "operatorName": "NATIONAL FUEL GAS SUPPLY CORP"
}
```
