{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 120170003W","title":"RICHMOND, CITY OF — Warning Letter","source_type":"enforcement","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"historical","official":true,"published_on":"2017-07-28","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED warning letter citing 192.605(a).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120170003w.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120170003w.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120170003w","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/120170003W","body":"Warning Letter involving RICHMOND, CITY OF. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.605(a). The case was opened on 2017-07-28 and is reported as closed as of 2017-07-28. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n120170003W_Warning Letter_07282017.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120170003W/120170003W_Warning%20Letter_07282017.pdf\n\n120170003W_Warning Letter_07282017_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120170003W/120170003W_Warning%20Letter_07282017_text.pdf\n\n120170003W_Warning Letter_07282017_text.pdf\n\nWARNING LETTER\nOVERNIGHT EXPRESS DELIVERY\nJuly 28, 2017\nMr. Robert Steidel\nDirector, Department of Public Utilities\nCity of Richmond\n730 East Broad Street\nRichmond, VA 23219\nCPF 1-2017-0003W\nDear Mr. Steidel:\nOn Septemper 22, 2016, an inspector from the Virginia State Corporation Commission (VA SCC),\nacting as an Agent for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA),\npursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code (U.S.C.), inspected the City of Richmond’s\n(City) records in Richmond, Virginia.\nAs a result of the inspection, it is alleged that you have committed a probable violation of the\nPipeline Safety Regulations, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The items inspected\nand the probable violation(s) are:\n1. §192.605 Procedural manual for operations, maintenance, and emergencies.\n(a) General. Each operator shall prepare and follow for each pipeline, a manual of\nwritten procedures for conducting operations and maintenance activities and for\nemergency response. For transmission lines, the manual must also include procedures\nfor handling abnormal operations. This manual must be reviewed and updated by the\noperator at intervals not exceeding 15 months, but at least once each calendar year.\nThis manual must be prepared before operations of a pipeline system commence.\nAppropriate parts of the manual must be kept at locations where operations and\nmaintenance activities are conducted.\nThe City failed to follow for each pipeline, a manual of written procedures for conducting\noperations and maintenance activities and for emergency response. Specifically, the City failed to\nfollow its manual for conducting residential leakage surveys.\n\n\n\nCPF 1-2017-0003W\nDuring the inspection, the VA SCC inspector reviewed the City’s Volume II Procedures Manual,\nChapter 6, Section I, Leak Survey, Effective date 1/13/12 (Procedure). The Procedure stated in\npart:\nI. Policy\nB. Residential Surveys (all other areas of the gas distribution system) shall be conducted\nwith leak detector equipment as frequently as necessary but at least once every 3 years\nat intervals not exceeding 39 months.\nThe VA SCC inspector reviewed leak survey records and discovered 26 map pages that were not\nleak surveyed at least every 3 years at intervals not exceeding 39 months. Table 1, created by\nPHMSA based on the information provided, summarizes the records with time between leak\nsurvey exceeding 39 months.\nTable 1: Dates of performed Leak Surveys exceeding 39 months\nMap\nPage\nLeak Survey\nDate\nLeak Survey\nDate\nDuration in\ndays\n>39 months\n403NE Installed 2005 2013 >1462\n486NE 06/01/2010 12/23/2014 478\n486SE 06/01/2010 12/23/2014 478\n487NE 05/13/2010 12/09/2014 483\n487NW 05/13/2010 12/16/2014 490\n487SE 05/04/2010 12/09/2014 492\n487SW 05/10/2010 12/09/2014 486\n488NE 05/05/2010 05/28/2014 296\n488NW 05/05/2010 05/21/2014 289\n488SE 05/04/2010 05/21/2014 290\n488SW 04/08/2010 05/22/2014 318\n489NE 01/21/2010 05/27/2014 401\n489SE 01/26/2010 02/12/2014 292\n490NE 01/26/2010 02/10/2014 290\n490SE 01/28/2010 12/02/2014 583\n490SW 01/28/2010 11/26/2014 577\n491NE 01/28/2010 12/04/2014 585\n491SE 01/19/2010 02/14/2014 301\n492NE 02/01/2010 02/10/2014 285\n492NW 02/03/2010 07/07/2014 430\n492SE 02/01/2010 07/02/2014 427\n492SW 02/01/2010 07/07/2014 432\n493NE 02/03/2010 02/25/2014 298\n493NW 02/02/2010 12/17/2014 594\n493SE 02/02/2010 02/25/2014 299\n493SW 02/01/2010 02/25/2014 300\n120170003W_Warning Letter_07282017_text\nPage 2 of 3\n\n\n\nCPF 1-2017-0003W\nThe City responded on October 13, 2016 to VA SCC’s Notice of Investigation. The City stated in\npart “The City did not follow the O&M procedure and failed to survey 26 residential map grids\nduring the year 2013. The City discovered this finding in 2014 during our initial phase of our date\nquality assurance effort prior to uploading the data to the new compliance scheduling software…”\nTherefore, the City failed to follow a manual of written procedures by not performing leak survey\nactivities at least once every 3 years at intervals not exceeding 39 months on 26 map pages\nrequiring Residential surveys.\nAs of April 27, 2017, under 49 U.S.C. §60122 and 49 CFR §190.223, you are subject to a civil\npenalty not to exceed $209,002 per violation per day the violation persists up to a maximum of\n$2,090,022 for a related series of violations. We have reviewed the circumstances and supporting\ndocuments involved in this case, and have decided not to conduct additional enforcement action\nor penalty assessment proceedings at this time. We advise you to correct the item identified in this\nletter. Failure to do so will result in the City being subject to additional enforcement action.\nNo reply to this letter is required. If you choose to reply, please submit all correspondence in this\nmatter to Robert Burrough, Acting Director, PHMSA Eastern Region, 820 Bear Tavern Road,\nSuite 103, West Trenton, NJ 08628. Please refer to CPF 1-2017-0003W on each document you\nsubmit, and whenever possible provide a signed PDF copy in electronic format. Smaller files may\nbe emailed to robert.burrough@dot.gov. Larger files should be sent on a CD accompanied by the\noriginal paper copy to the Eastern Region Office.\nBe advised that all material you submit in response to this enforcement action is subject to being\nmade publicly available. If you believe that any portion of your responsive material qualifies for\nconfidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. 552(b), along with the complete original document you must\nprovide a second copy of the document with the portions you believe qualify for confidential\ntreatment redacted and an explanation of why you believe the redacted information qualifies for\nconfidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. 552(b).\nSincerely,\nRobert Burrough\nActing Director, Eastern Region\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\n120170003W_Warning Letter_07282017_text\nPage 3 of 3","truncated":false,"body_characters":6513}