# VALERO NATURAL GAS PIPELINE — Notice of Amendment

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 120081002M
- **title:** VALERO NATURAL GAS PIPELINE — Notice of Amendment
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2008-01-11
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED notice of amendment citing 192.605, 192.625.
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120081002m.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120081002m.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120081002m
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/120081002M
**body:**

Notice of Amendment involving VALERO NATURAL GAS PIPELINE. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulations as 192.605,  192.625. The case was opened on 2008-01-11 and is reported as closed as of 2009-10-02. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

120081002M_Notice of Amendement_01112008.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120081002M/120081002M_Notice%20of%20Amendement_01112008.pdf

120081002m_notice of amendement_01112008_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120081002M/120081002m_notice%20of%20amendement_01112008_text.pdf

120081002M_Operator_Response_02082008.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120081002M/120081002M_Operator_Response_02082008.pdf

120081002m_notice of amendement_01112008_text.pdf

U. S. Department
of Transportation
Eastern Region-PHP-100
Office of Pipehne Safety
4093' St S W
Suite 300
Washington, D C 20024
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration
NOTICE OF AMENDMENT
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT RE UESTED
January 11, 2008
John Pickering
Vice President and General Manager
Valero Energy Corporation
One Valero Way
San Antonio, TX 78249-1616
CPF 1-2008-1002M
Dear Mr. Pickering:
During the week of May 29, 2007, a representative of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration (PHMSA) pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code inspected
Valero Natural Gas Pipeline Company's (Valero) procedures for periodically reviewing work of
personnel to determine the adequacy of its operating and mamtenance procedures and monitoring
odorant levels of transmission line gas at the Paulsboro, New Jersey refinery,
On the basis of the inspection, PHMSA has identified apparent inadequacies found within
Valero's plans or procedures, as described below:
1. $192. 605 Procedural manual for operations, maintenance and emergencies.
(b) Maintenance and normal operations. The manual required by paragraph (a) of
this section must include procedures for the following, if applicable, to provide
safety during maintenance and operations.



(8) Periodically reviewing the work done by operator personnel to determine the
effectiveness and adequacy of the procedures used in normal operation and
maintenance and modifying the procedure when deficiencies are found.
Procedures need to be developed to address $192, 605(b) (8). The procedures should identify the
responsible person(s) to review the work done by operating personnel, and to determine the
effectiveness of the procedures and what corrective action will be taken when deficiencies are
identified.
2. $192. 625 Odorization of gas.
(f) To assure the proper concentration of odorant in accordance with this section,
each operator must conduct periodic sampling of combustible gases using an
instrument capable of determining the percentage of gas in air at which the odor
becomes readily detectable
Valero procedures state:
Periodic samplmg. . . will be conducted using an instrument capable of determining the
percentage of gas in air at which the odor becomes readily detectable.
The Odorization Procedure (Proc. 240, sec. A. 5) fails to specify the type of instrument Valero
employs in this function, and it also fails to specify an interval to guide personnel on the test
frequency to verify the adequacy of the odorant level in the gas stream.
Res onse to this Notice
This Notice is provided pursuant to 49 U. S. C. $ 60108(a) and 49 C. F. R. $ 190. 237. Enclosed as
part of this Notice is a document entitled Response Options for Pipeline Operators in
Compliance Proceedings. Please refer to this document and note the response options. 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 beheve 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). If you do not respond within 30 days
of receipt of this Notice, this constitutes a waiver of your right to contest the allegations in this
Notice and authorizes the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety to find facts as alleged m
this Notice without further notice to you and to issue a Final Order,



If, after opportunity for a hearing, your plans or procedures are found inadequate as alleged in
this Notice, you may be ordered to amend your plans or procedures to correct the inadequacies
(49 C. F. R. $ 190. 237). If you are not contesting this Notice, we propose that you submit your
amended procedures to my office within [number of days] days of receipt of this Notice. This
period may be extended by written request for good cause. Once the inadequacies identified
herein have been addressed in your amended procedures, this enforcement action will be closed.
In correspondence concerning this matter, please refer to CPF 1-2008-1002M and, for each
document you submit, please provide a copy in electronic format whenever possible.
Sincerely,
Syron E. Coy, PE
Director, Eastern Region
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Enclosure: Response Options for Pipeline Operators in Compliance Proceedings
- **truncated:** false
- **body characters:** 5461
