# TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY — Warning Letter

**Citation:** CPF 420131004W  
**Type / status:** enforcement / historical  
**Agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration  
**Effective:** Not stated  
**Published:** 2013-02-06

CLOSED warning letter citing 192.619(a).

## Document text

Warning Letter involving TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.619(a). The case was opened on 2013-02-06 and is reported as closed as of 2013-02-06. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

420131004W_Operator_Response_to_Notice_04252013.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420131004W/420131004W_Operator_Response_to_Notice_04252013.pdf

420131004W_Warning_02062013.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420131004W/420131004W_Warning_02062013.pdf

420131004W_Warning_02062013_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420131004W/420131004W_Warning_02062013_text.pdf

420131004W_Warning_02062013_text.pdf

WARNING LETTER
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
February 6, 2013
Mr. Dwayne Burton
Vice President Engineering/Operations
Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company
500 Dallas, Suite 1000
Houston, Texas 77002
CPF 4-2013-1004W
Dear Mr. Burton:
Between August 7, 2012 and January 27, 2013, a representative of the Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code,
reviewed Safety Related Condition Report 20120054 submitted August 2, 2012, by Tennessee
Gas Pipeline for a safety related incident that occurred in Harris County, Texas.
As a result of the review, it appears that you have committed a probable violation of the Pipeline
Safety Regulations, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. The item inspected and the probable
violation is:
1. § 192.619 Maximum allowable operating pressure: Steel or plastic pipelines.
(a) No person may operate a segment of steel or plastic pipeline at a pressure that exceeds a
maximum allowable operating pressure determined under paragraph (c) or (d) of this
section…
As indicated in your Safety Related Condition Report, Tennessee Gas Pipeline experienced an
overpressure condition that met the reporting criteria for a safety related condition. On July 30,
2012, a portion of your Cleveland District Unit’s pipeline was operated at a pressure that



exceeded the maximum allowable operating pressure for the line. The established MAOP for the
line, at the time of the event and report was 678 PSIG. The MAOP was exceeded for
approximately 35 minutes with maximum pressures climbing into the 748 PSIG range. The
maximum pressures exceeded 110% the MAOP of the line at the time of the event.
This event is reflected in the Safety Related Condition Report you filed with PHMSA, as well as
provided SCADA documentation related to the event.
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.
No reply to this letter is required. If you choose to reply, in your correspondence please refer to
CPF 4-2013-1004W. 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,
R. M. Seeley
Director, Southwest Region
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
2

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/420131004W>
- Source ID: `phmsa-enforcement`
- SHA-256: `f4b357ced07810787946ebfa8a05572cbc7c085552084bcc43a7dce40c389b87`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T04:44:44.458Z
- Exported: 2026-08-22T07:33:28.239Z
- Document slug: `phmsa-enforcement-420131004w`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "cpf": "420131004W",
  "operator": "TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY",
  "region": "Southwest",
  "pipelineType": "GAS INTERSTATE ONSHORE",
  "caseStatus": "CLOSED",
  "citedSections": [
    "192.619(a)"
  ],
  "dataAsOf": "08/04/2026 12PM",
  "caseDataAsOf": "2026-08-04",
  "attachmentCount": 3,
  "attachments": [
    {
      "name": "420131004W_Operator_Response_to_Notice_04252013.pdf",
      "url": "https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420131004W/420131004W_Operator_Response_to_Notice_04252013.pdf",
      "bytes": 91011,
      "category": "party_submission"
    },
    {
      "name": "420131004W_Warning_02062013.pdf",
      "url": "https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420131004W/420131004W_Warning_02062013.pdf",
      "bytes": 95837,
      "category": "agency_document"
    },
    {
      "name": "420131004W_Warning_02062013_text.pdf",
      "url": "https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420131004W/420131004W_Warning_02062013_text.pdf",
      "bytes": 7446,
      "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": "TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY"
}
```
