{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 12025009WL","title":"EQT PRODUCTION — Warning Letter","source_type":"enforcement","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"historical","official":true,"published_on":"2025-08-25","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED warning letter citing 191.22(c)(1)(i).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-12025009wl.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-12025009wl.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-12025009wl","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/12025009WL","body":"Warning Letter involving EQT PRODUCTION. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 191.22(c)(1)(i). The case was opened on 2025-08-25 and is reported as closed as of 2025-08-25. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n12025009WL_Warning Letter_08252025_(25-337542).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12025009WL/12025009WL_Warning%20Letter_08252025_(25-337542).pdf\n\n12025009WL_Warning Letter_08252025_(25-337542)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12025009WL/12025009WL_Warning%20Letter_08252025_(25-337542)_text.pdf\n\n12025009WL_Warning Letter_08252025_(25-337542)_text.pdf\n\nWARNING LETTER\nVIA ELECTRONIC MAIL TO: toby.rice@eqt.com\nAugust 25, 2025\nMr. Toby Rice\nPresident and Chief Executive Officer\nEQT Production\n2071 Garards Fort Road\nWaynesburg, Pennsylvania 15370\nCPF 1-2025-009-WL\nDear Mr. Rice:\nFrom April 8 through April 9, 2025, representatives of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials\nSafety Administration (PHMSA) pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code (U.S.C.)\ninspected EQT Production’s (EQT) Ohio Valley Connector Expansion (OVCX) project in\nCanonsburg, Pennsylvania; Greene County, Pennsylvania; and Wetzel County, West 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 item inspected and\nthe probable violation is:\n1. § 191.22 National Registry of Operators\n(a) . . . .\n(c) Changes. Each operator of a gas pipeline, gas pipeline facility,\nUNGSF, LNG plant, or LNG facility must notify PHMSA\nelectronically through the National Registry of Operators at\nhttps://portal.phmsa.dot.gov of certain events.\n(1) An operator must notify PHMSA of any of the following events\nnot later than 60 days before the event occurs:\n(i) Construction of any planned rehabilitation, replacement,\nmodification, upgrade, uprate, or update of a facility, other\nthan a section of line pipe, that costs $10 million or more. If\n60-day notice is not feasible because of an emergency, an\noperator must notify PHMSA as soon as practicable;\n\n\n\nEQT failed to provide notification to PHMSA not later than 60 days before the construction of a\nplanned rehabilitation, replacement, modification, upgrade, uprate, or update of its facilities that\ncosts $10 million or more. Specifically, EQT failed to timely notify PHMSA of its OVCX\nconstruction project in Monroe County, Ohio; Greene County, Pennsylvania; and Wetzel County,\nWest Virginia.\nFrom March 24 through March 26, 2025, PHMSA and EQT had an integrated inspection screening\nmeeting. EQT stated that it had recently completed construction activities related to several\ncompressor stations, and that other commissioning activities were already underway. EQT stated\nthat the construction activities commenced in July 2024. However, EQT was unable to provide\nspecifics on the project scope, including compressor stations involved, the total project cost, or\nwhether any notification(s) were submitted to PHMSA, as required by section 191.22(c)(1)(i).\nEQT subsequently completed a National Registry Notification – F-20250327-66218 (03/27/2025)\n(Construction Notification). From April 8 through 9, 2025, PHMSA Eastern Region construction\nteam conducted an inspection of OVCX project records and field observations.\nThe Construction Notification, required not later than 60 days prior to commencing construction,\nwas submitted 262 days after the anticipated start date (July 8, 2024) listed in Step 2, and 603 days\nafter the actual project commencement date of August 3, 2023 according to EQT, PHMSA-EQT\nEmail Correspondence (04/11/2025).\nThe Construction Notification Step 2 stated an anticipated start date of field work activities of July\n8, 2024, and Step 4 stated in part:\n• addition of two Taurus 70 turbines at the existing Cygrymus Compressor Station with\nadditional mechanical and electrical equipment to support the horsepower (HP) increase in\nGreene County, PA;\n• addition of one Mars 100 compressor unit to support the sole existing Mars 100 compressor\nunit, at the extant Corona Compressor Station, with supplementary mechanical and\nelectrical equipment to support the HP increase in Wetzel County, WV;\n• addition of one Titan 130 to the two existing Taurus 70 compressor units at the existing\nPlasma Compressor Station with additional mechanical and electrical equipment to support\nthe HP increase in Monroe County, OH;\n• approximately 0.5-mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (H-327) in Greene\nCounty, PA;\n• approximately 0.5-mile of new 12-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (H-328) in Greene\nCounty, PA;\n• approximately 3.7 miles of new 24-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (H-326) in Wetzel\nCounty, WV;\n• approximately 129 feet (0.02-mile) of new eight-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (H-\n329) in Wetzel County, WV;\n• approximately 0.7-mile of new 16-inch-diameterrnatural gas pipeline (H-330) in Wetzel\nCounty, WV;\n• approximately 0.09-mile of new 16-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline (H-330 Spur) in\nWetzel County, WV;\n\n\n\n• approximately 160 feet (0.03-mile) of new 12-inch-diameter natural gas pipeline\n(Logansport Spur) in Wetzel County, WV\nIn PHMSA - EQT Email Communication (03/28/2025), EQT confirmed they missed the section\n191.22 notification timeframe.\nPer Equitrans Midstream - Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project Website, the Federal\nRegister - Equitrans, L.P, Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for\nthe Proposed Ohio Valley Connector Expansion Project (01/31/2023) and PHMSA-EQT Email\nCorrespondence (04/11/2025), the project's commencement date was August 3, 2023, and not July\n8, 2024. Furthermore, the total cost for the project was estimated at $160 million which exceeds\nthe threshold of reporting, per section 191.22(c)(1)(i).\nTherefore, EQT failed to provide notification to PHMSA of its OVCX construction project not\nlater than 60 days before the event, specifically construction associated with its planned\nrehabilitation, replacement, modification, upgrade, uprate or update of its facilities located in\nMonroe County, Ohio; Greene County, Pennsylvania; and Wetzel County, West Virginia that costs\n$10 million or more, in accordance with section 191.22(c)(1)(i).\nUnder 49 U.S.C. § 60122 and 49 CFR § 190.223, you are subject to a civil penalty not to exceed\n$272,926 per violation per day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,729,245 for a related\nseries of violations. For violation occurring on or after December 28, 2023 and before December\n30, 2024, the maximum penalty may not exceed $266,015 per violation per day the violation\npersists, up to a maximum of $2,660, 135 for a related series of violations. For violation occurring\non or after January 6, 2023 and before December 28, 2023, the maximum penalty may not exceed\n$257,664 per violation per day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,576,627 for a related\nseries of violations. For violation occurring on or after March 21, 2022 and before January 6,\n2023, the maximum penalty may not exceed $239,142 per violation per day the violation persists,\nup to a maximum of $2,391,142 for a related series of violations. For violation occurring on or\nafter May 3, 2021 and before March 21, 2022, the maximum penalty may not exceed $225,134\nper violation per day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,251,334 for a related series of\nviolations. For violation occurring on or after January 11, 2021 and before May 3, 2021, the\nnaximum of $2,225,034 for a related series of violations. For violation occurring on or after Jul\nnaximum penalty may not exceed $222,504 per violation per day the violation persists, up to :\n31, 2019 and before January 11, 2021, the maximum penalty may not exceed $218,647 per\nviolation per day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,186,465 for a related series of\nviolations.\nWe have reviewed the circumstances and supporting documents involved in this case, and have\ndecided not to conduct additional enforcement action or penalty assessment proceedings at this\ntime. We advise you to correct the item identified in this letter. Failure to do so will result in EOT\nProduction being subject to additional enforcement action.\n\n\n\nNo reply to this letter is required. If you choose to reply, in your correspondence please refer to\nCPF 1-2025-009-WL. Be advised that all material you submit in response to this enforcement\naction is subject to being made publicly available. If you believe that any portion of your\nresponsive material qualifies for confidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b), along with the\ncomplete original document you must provide a second copy of the document with the portions\nyou believe qualify for confidential treatment redacted and an explanation of why you believe the\nredacted information qualifies for confidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. § 552(b).\nSincerely,\nRobert Burrough\nDirector, Eastern Region, Office of Pipeline Safety\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","truncated":false,"body_characters":9134}