{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 120181007","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":"2018-04-02","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.243(b)(1).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120181007.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120181007.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-120181007","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/120181007","body":"Notice of Probable Violation involving TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.243(b)(1). The case was opened on 2018-04-02 and is reported as closed as of 2018-12-20. Proposed civil penalty: $33,700. Assessed civil penalty: $33,700. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n120181007_Final Order_12202018.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120181007/120181007_Final%20Order_12202018.pdf\n\n120181007_Final Order_12202018_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120181007/120181007_Final%20Order_12202018_text.pdf\n\n120181007_NOPV-PCP_04022018.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120181007/120181007_NOPV-PCP_04022018.pdf\n\n120181007_NOPV-PCP_04022018_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120181007/120181007_NOPV-PCP_04022018_text.pdf\n\n120181007_Operator Response to Notice_06072018.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/120181007/120181007_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_06072018.pdf\n\n120181007_Final Order_12202018_text.pdf\n\nDecember 20, 2018\nMr. Alan S. Armstrong\nPresident and Chief Executive Officer\nWilliams Partners, LP\nOne Williams Center\nTulsa, OK 74172\nRe: CPF No. 1-2018-1007\nDear Mr. Armstrong:\nEnclosed please find the Final Order issued in the above-referenced case to your subsidiary,\nTranscontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC. It makes one finding of violation and assesses a\ncivil penalty of $33,700. This is to acknowledge receipt of payment of the full penalty amount\nby wire transfer, dated June 15, 2018. This enforcement action is now closed. Service of the\nFinal Order by certified mail is effective 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. Clint Ratke, Manager, Pipeline Safety, Williams, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line\nCompany, LLC, 2800 Post Oak Blvd, Houston, TX 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___________________________________________\n)\nIn the Matter of )\n)\nTranscontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, ) CPF No. 1-2018-1007\na subsidiary of Williams Partners, LP, )\n)\nRespondent. )\n___________________________________________)\nFINAL ORDER\nFrom February 9 through 13, 2015, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60117, a representative of the\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety\n(OPS), conducted an on-site pipeline safety inspection of the facilities and records of\nTranscontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco or Respondent), in South Boston,\nVirginia. Transco, a subsidiary of Williams Partners, LP, operates a 10,200-mile interstate\ntransmission pipeline system extending from South Texas to New York City.1\nAs a result of the inspection, the Director, Eastern Region, OPS (Director), issued to Respondent,\nby letter dated April 2, 2018, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Civil Penalty\n(Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed finding that Transco had\nviolated 49 C.F.R. § 192.243, and proposed assessing a civil penalty of $33,700 for the alleged\nviolation.\nTransco responded to the Notice by letter dated June 7, 2018 (Response). The company did not\ncontest the allegation of violation and paid the proposed civil penalty of $33,700 by wire\ntransfer, dated June 15, 2018. In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.208(a)(1), such payment\nauthorizes the Associate Administrator to make a finding of violation and to issue this Final\nOrder without further proceedings.\nFINDING OF VIOLATION\nIn its Response, Respondent did not contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated 49 C.F.R.\nPart 192, as follows:\n1 The Williams Companies website, available at https://co.williams.com/operations-2/atlantic-gulf-operating-\narea/transco/ (last accessed Nov. 6, 2018).\n\n\n\nCPF No. 1-2018-1007\nPage 2\nItem 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.243(b), which states:\n§ 192.243 Nondestructive testing.\n(a) Nondestructive testing of welds must be performed by any process,\nother than trepanning, that will clearly indicate defects that may affect the\nintegrity of the weld.. . . .\n(b) Nondestructive testing of welds must be performed:\n(1) In accordance with written procedures: …\nThe Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.243(b) by failing to perform\nnondestructive testing of welds in accordance with written procedures. Specifically, the Notice\nalleged that Respondent failed to follow its own written procedure regarding the nondestructive\ntesting of four welds made during construction of Transco’s Virginia Southside Lateral\nExpansion Project. When performing radiographic nondestructive testing, Transco’s procedure\nrequired its personnel to identify station markers no greater than 12 inches apart for welds made\non pipe greater than or equal to 10 inches in diameter. Radiographic inspection reports reviewed\nby PHMSA during the inspection indicated station markers that exceeded the 12-inch minimum\ninterval on four separate welds made during the construction project.\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. § 192.243(b) by failing to perform\nnondestructive testing of welds in accordance with written procedures.\nThis finding of violation will be considered a prior offense in any subsequent enforcement action\ntaken against Respondent.\nASSESSMENT OF PENALTY\nUnder 49 U.S.C. § 60122, Respondent is subject to an administrative civil penalty not to exceed\n$200,000 per violation for each day of the violation, up to a maximum of $2,000,000 for any\nrelated series of violations.2 In determining the amount of a civil penalty under 49 U.S.C.\n§ 60122 and 49 C.F.R. § 190.225, I must consider the following criteria: the nature,\ncircumstances, and gravity of the violation, including adverse impact on the environment; the\ndegree of Respondent’s culpability; the history of Respondent’s prior offenses; any effect that\nthe penalty may have on its ability to continue doing business; and the good faith of Respondent\nin attempting to comply with the pipeline safety regulations. In addition, I may consider the\neconomic benefit gained from the violation without any reduction because of subsequent\ndamages, and such other matters as justice may require. The Notice proposed a total civil\npenalty of $33,700 for the violation cited above.\nItem 1: The Notice proposed a civil penalty of $33,700 for Respondent’s violation of 49 C.F.R.\n§ 192.243(b), for failing to perform nondestructive testing of welds in accordance with written\n2 These amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. See, e.g., Pipeline Safety: Inflation Adjustment of Maximum\nCivil Penalties, 82 Fed. Reg. 19325 (April 27, 2017).\n\n\n\nCPF No. 1-2018-1007\nPage 3\nprocedures. Transco neither contested the allegation nor presented any evidence or argument\njustifying a reduction in the proposed penalty. Accordingly, having reviewed the record and\nconsidered the assessment criteria, I assess Respondent a civil penalty of $33,700, which amount\nwas paid in full by Respondent on June 15, 2018.\nThis enforcement action is now closed. The terms and conditions of this Final Order are\neffective upon service in accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.\nDecember 20, 2018\n___________________________________ _________________________\nAlan K. Mayberry Date Issued\nAssociate Administrator\nfor Pipeline Safety","truncated":false,"body_characters":7838}