{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 120171017","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":"2017-11-24","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.731(a).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120171017.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120171017.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120171017","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/120171017","body":"Notice of Probable Violation involving TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.731(a). The case was opened on 2017-11-24 and is reported as closed as of 2019-08-05. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n120171017_Closure Letter_08052019.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_Closure%20Letter_08052019.pdf\n\n120171017_Closure Letter_08052019_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_Closure%20Letter_08052019_text.pdf\n\n120171017_Final Order_05032018.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_Final%20Order_05032018.pdf\n\n120171017_Final Order_05032018_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_Final%20Order_05032018_text.pdf\n\n120171017_NOPV PCO_11242017.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_NOPV%20PCO_11242017.pdf\n\n120171017_NOPV PCO_11242017_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_NOPV%20PCO_11242017_text.pdf\n\n120171017_Operator Response to Notice and Request For Time Extension_12212017.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120171017/120171017_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice%20and%20Request%20For%20Time%20Extension_12212017.pdf\n\n120171017_Final Order_05032018_text.pdf\n\nMay 3, 2018\nMr. Alan S. Armstrong\nPresident and Chief Executive Officer\nThe Williams Companies, Inc.\nOne Williams Center\nTulsa, Oklahoma 74172\nRe: CPF No. 1-2017-1017\nDear Mr. Armstrong:\nEnclosed please find the Final Order issued in the above-referenced case. It makes one finding\nof violation and specifies actions that need to be taken by Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line\nCompany, LLC, a subsidiary of Williams Partners, LP, to comply with the pipeline safety\nregulations. When the terms of the compliance order have been completed, as determined by the\nDirector, Eastern Region, this enforcement action will be closed. Service of the Final Order by\ncertified mail is effective upon the date of mailing as provided under 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.\nThank you for your cooperation in this matter.\nSincerely,\nAlan K. Mayberry\nAssociate Administrator\nfor Pipeline Safety\nEnclosure\ncc: Mr. Robert Burrough, Director, Eastern Region, Office of Pipeline Safety, PHMSA\nMr. Larry Legendre, Manager Pipeline Safety, Williams Atlantic Gulf, 2800 Post Oak\nBoulevard, Houston, Texas 77056\nCERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED\n\n\n\nU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION\nPIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION\nOFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY\nWASHINGTON, D.C. 20590\n___________________________________________\nIn the Matter of )\n)\n)\nTranscontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, a subsidiary of Williams Partners, LP, )\n)\nRespondent. )\n___________________________________________ )\n) CPF No. 1-2017-1017\nFINAL ORDER\nOn several dates between July 11 and October 14, 2016, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60117,\nrepresentatives of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office\nof Pipeline Safety (OPS), conducted on-site pipeline safety inspections of the facilities and\nrecords of Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco or Respondent), in Virginia,\nPennsylvania, and New Jersey. Transco, a subsidiary of Williams Partners, LP (Williams),\noperates approximately 10,200 miles of gas pipelines in the United States.1\nAs a result of the inspection, the Director, Eastern Region, OPS (Director), issued to Respondent,\nby letter dated November 24, 2017, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Compliance\nOrder (Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed finding that\nTransco had violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731 and proposed ordering Respondent to take certain\nmeasures to correct the alleged violation.\nWilliams, on behalf of Transco, responded to the Notice by letter dated December 21, 2017\n(Response). The company did not contest the allegation of violation, but provided information\nconcerning the corrective actions it had taken and requested additional time to comply with the\nproposed corrective actions. Respondent did not request a hearing and therefore has waived its\nright to one.\nFINDING OF VIOLATION\nIn its Response, Transco did not contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated 49 C.F.R.\nPart 192, as follows:\nItem 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a), which states:\n1 Transco website, available at http://co.williams.com/gulfcoast/transco/ (last accessed Jan. 16, 2018).\n\n\n\nCPF No. 1-2017-1017\nPage 2\n§ 192.731 Compressor stations: Inspection and testing of relief devices.\n(a) Except for rupture discs, each pressure relieving device in a\ncompressor station must be inspected and tested in accordance with\n§§ 192.739 and 192.743, and must be operated periodically to determine\nthat it opens at the correct set pressure.\nThe Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a) by failing to inspect and test\neach pressure relieving device in a compressor station in accordance with § 192.743.\nSpecifically, the Notice alleged that Transco failed to determine if nine relief devices located in\ncompressor stations were adequate from the standpoint of capacity, by failing to consider the\nmagnitude of built up back pressure in the capacity calculations required under § 192.743.\nDuring the inspection, the PHMSA inspector requested records for capacity calculations of\ncertain relief devices at compressor stations for 2013 through 2015. The PHMSA inspector\nreviewed capacity calculations for nine relief valves located at Stations 165, 200, 505, and 515.\nThe records indicated that Transco failed to consider built-up back pressure in the capacity\ncalculations on nine relief valves located at compressor stations.\nRespondent did not contest this allegation of violation. Accordingly, based upon a review of all\nof the evidence, I find that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a) by failing to inspect and\ntest each pressure relieving device in a compressor station in accordance with § 192.743.\nThis finding of violation will be considered a prior offense in any subsequent enforcement action\ntaken against Respondent.\nCOMPLIANCE ORDER\nThe Notice proposed a compliance order with respect to Item 1 in the Notice for violation of\n49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a). Under 49 U.S.C. § 60118(a), each person who engages in the\ntransportation of gas or who owns or operates a pipeline facility is required to comply with the\napplicable safety standards established under chapter 601. In its Response, Respondent\nrequested additional time to comply with the terms of the proposed compliance order. The\nDirector has recommended incorporating such additional time into this Order. Accordingly,\npursuant to the authority of 49 U.S.C. § 60118(b) and 49 C.F.R. § 190.217, Respondent is\nordered to take the following actions to ensure compliance with the pipeline safety regulations\napplicable to its operations:\n1. With respect to the violation of § 192.731(a) (Item 1), Respondent must complete\nrelief-valve capacity calculations for all DOT relief devices in compressor stations\nwithin the “Williams North” inspection system (South Carolina to New York), with\nvent piping and the magnitude of built-up back pressure considered. This shall be\naccomplished within 180 days of receipt of the Final Order.\n2. Transco must provide PHMSA a spreadsheet or report summarizing the data from\n\n\n\nCPF No. 1-2017-1017\nPage 3\nthe calculations performed in Item l, and including identification of any relief\ndevices that are determined to have inadequate capacity. This shall be accomplished\nwithin 180 days of receipt of the Final Order.\n3. Transco must remediate or replace any devices that were determined to be\ninadequate by the calculations in Item 1 above, within 365 days of receipt of the\nFinal Order.\n4. All documentation demonstrating compliance with the compliance action items\nabove must be submitted to the Director, Eastern Region, PHMSA, 820 Bear Tavern\nRoad, Suite 103, West Trenton, New Jersey 08628, for review within the time frames\nstated for each item.\nThe Director may grant an extension of time to comply with any of the required items upon a\nwritten request timely submitted by the Respondent and demonstrating good cause for an\nextension.\nIt is requested (not mandated) that Respondent maintain documentation of the safety\nimprovement costs associated with fulfilling this Compliance Order and submit the total to the\nDirector. It is requested that these costs be reported in two categories: (1) total cost associated\nwith preparation/revision of plans, procedures, studies and analyses; and (2) total cost associated\nwith replacements, additions and other changes to pipeline infrastructure.\nFailure to comply with this Order may result in the administrative assessment of civil penalties\nnot to exceed $200,000, as adjusted for inflation (49 C.F.R. § 190.223), for each violation for\neach day the violation continues or in referral to the Attorney General for appropriate relief in a\ndistrict court of the United States.\nThe terms and conditions of this Final Order are effective upon service in accordance with\n49 C.F.R. § 190.5.\nMay 3, 2018\n___________________________________ __________________________\nAlan K. Mayberry Date Issued\nAssociate Administrator\nfor Pipeline Safety\n\n120171017_Closure Letter_08052019_text.pdf\n\nOVERNIGHT EXPRESS DELIVERY\nAugust 5, 2019\nMr. Alan S. Armstrong\nPresident and Chief Executive officer\nThe Williams Companies, Inc.\nOne Williams Center\nTulsa, Oklahoma 74172\nCPF 1-2017-1017\nDear Mr. Armstrong:\nOn May 3, 2018, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued to\nWilliams – Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Williams) a Final Order in the above-\nreferenced case. This Order included a Compliance Order. Based on our review of the\ndocumentation you provided, it has been determined that you have complied with the terms of this\nOrder.\nAccordingly, this case is now closed and no further action is contemplated with respect to the\nmatters involved in this case. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.\nSincerely,\nRobert Burrough\nDirector, Eastern Region\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","truncated":false,"body_characters":10357}