# TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY — Notice of Probable Violation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 120111015
- **title:** TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY — Notice of Probable Violation
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2011-10-05
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.605(a).
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120111015.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120111015.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120111015
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/120111015
**body:**

Notice of Probable Violation involving TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.605(a). The case was opened on 2011-10-05 and is reported as closed as of 2012-03-05. Proposed civil penalty: $50,000. Assessed civil penalty: $50,000. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

120111015_Final Order_03052012.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120111015/120111015_Final%20Order_03052012.pdf

120111015_Final Order_03052012_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120111015/120111015_Final%20Order_03052012_text.pdf

120111015_NOPV-PCP_10052011.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120111015/120111015_NOPV-PCP_10052011.pdf

120111015_NOPV-PCP_10052011_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120111015/120111015_NOPV-PCP_10052011_text.pdf

120111015_Operator Response_10102011.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120111015/120111015_Operator%20Response_10102011.pdf

120111015_Final Order_03052012_text.pdf

MAR 5 2012
Mr. Larry Hjalmarson
Vice President, Safety Environmental and Integrity
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC
2800 Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056
Re: CPF No. 1-2011-1015
Dear Mr. Hjalmarson:
Enclosed please find the Final Order issued in the above-referenced case. It makes a finding
of violation and assesses a civil penalty of $50,000. This is to acknowledge receipt of
payment of the full penalty amount, by wire transfer, dated October 13, 2011. This
enforcement action is now closed. Service of the Final Order by certified mail is deemed
effective upon the date of mailing, or as otherwise provided under 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Wiese
Associate Administrator
for Pipeline Safety
Enclosure
cc: Mr. Byron Coy, Director, Eastern Region, OPS
Mr. Alan Mayberry, Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations, OPS
Mr. Randy Barnard, President, Gas Pipeline, Williams Partners GP, LLC
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED [71791000164203306651]



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590
_____________________________________
In the Matter of )
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line )
Company, LLC, ) CPF No. 1-2011-1015
a/k/a Williams Gas Pipeline—TRANSCO, )
)
)
)
Respondent. )
_____________________________________ )
FINAL ORDER
On August 31 to September 3, 2009, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60117, a representative of the New
York Department of Public Service, as agent for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), conducted an on-site pipeline safety
inspection of the facilities and records of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC
(Transco or Respondent) in Staten Island, New York.
transportation system that covers 10,000 miles and serves major markets in New York City,
Atlanta, and the Mid-Atlantic region, including two natural gas pipelines in the Staten Island area
approximately 15 miles in length.
1 Transco operates an interstate natural gas
As a result of the inspection, the Director, Eastern Region, OPS (Director), issued to Respondent,
by letter dated October 5, 2011, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Civil Penalty
(Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed finding that Transco had
violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.605(a) and proposed assessing a civil penalty of $50,000 for the alleged
violation.
Transco responded to the Notice by letter dated October 10, 2011 (Response). The company did
not contest the allegation of violation and paid the proposed civil penalty of $50,000, as provided
in 49 C.F.R. § 190.227. Payment of the penalty serves to close the case with prejudice to
Respondent.
1 Williams Partners L.P., is a master limited partnership involved in the transportation, gathering, treating,
processing, and storage of oil and natural gas. According to its website, Williams Partners L.P.,
owns a 100 percent interest in Transco. http://www.williamslp.com/Gas_Pipeline (last accessed Jan. 9, 2012).



2
FINDING OF VIOLATION
In its Response, Transco did not contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated
49 C.F.R. Part 192, as follows:
Item 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.605(a), which states:
§ 192.605 Procedural manual for operations, maintenance, and
emergencies.
(a) General. Each operator shall prepare and follow for each pipeline,
a manual of written procedures for conducting operations and maintenance
activities and for emergency response. For transmission lines, the manual
must also include procedures for handling abnormal operations. This
manual must be reviewed and updated by the operator at intervals not
exceeding 15 months, but at least once each calendar year. This manual
must be prepared before operations of a pipeline system commence.
Appropriate parts of the manual must be kept at locations where
operations and maintenance activities are conducted.
The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.605(a) by failing to prepare and
follow a manual of written procedures for conducting operations and maintenance activities and
for emergency response. Specifically, the Notice alleged that Transco failed to follow its own
procedure, Corrosion Control Policy 20.08.00.07, “External Corrosion Control: Electrical
Isolation,
” which required Respondent’s employees to verify the electrical isolation of cased
pipelines by surveying and analyzing casing-to-soil potentials at those locations at least once
every five years, preferably on an annual basis. The Notice alleged that Transco could not
provide records showing that the company had performed the required electrical isolation
surveys and analyses for three different covered locations: Milepost (MP) 216+35; MP 221+24;
and MP 492+00.
Respondent did not contest this allegation of violation. Accordingly, based upon a review of all
of the evidence, I find that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.605(a) by failing to prepare and
follow a manual of written procedures for conducting operations and maintenance activities and
for emergency response.
This finding of violation will be considered a prior offense in any subsequent enforcement action
against Respondent.
The terms and conditions of this Final Order are effective upon service in accordance with
49 C.F.R. § 190.5.
___________________________________ __________________________
Jeffrey D. Wiese Date Issued
Associate Administrator
for Pipeline Safety
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