{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 12026034WL","title":"NATIONAL FUEL GAS SUPPLY CORP — Warning Letter","source_type":"enforcement","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"historical","official":true,"published_on":"2026-03-18","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED warning letter citing 190.203(f).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-12026034wl.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-12026034wl.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-12026034wl","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/12026034WL","body":"Warning Letter involving NATIONAL FUEL GAS SUPPLY CORP. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 190.203(f). The case was opened on 2026-03-18 and is reported as closed as of 2026-03-18. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n12026034WL_Operator Response to Notice_05082026_(25-329604).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_05082026_(25-329604).pdf\n\n12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Warning%20Letter_03182026_(25-329604).pdf\n\n12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/12026034WL/12026034WL_Warning%20Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf\n\n12026034WL_Warning Letter_03182026_(25-329604)_text.pdf\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and\nHazardous Materials\nSafety Administration\n840 Bear Tavern Road, Suite 300\nWest Trenton, NJ 08628\n609.771.7800\nWARNING LETTER\nVIA ELECTRONIC MAIL TO: delvecchioj@natfuel.com\nMarch 18, 2026\nJoseph Del Vecchio\nPresident\nNational Fuel Gas Supply Corporation\n6363 Main Street\nWilliamsville, NY 14221\nCPF 1-2026-034-WL\nDear Mr. Del Vecchio:\nOn July 28, 2017 and March 15, 2021, pursuant to 49 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 60118(c) and\n49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 190.341, National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation (NFG)\nfiled special permit requests with the Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\n(PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), for waivers from certain provisions of 49 CFR Part\n192. PHMSA may issue special permits to pipeline operators if the agency determines that a waiver\nof a particular regulation or standard is not inconsistent with pipeline safety. On August 27, 2019,\nand October 15, 2021, PHMSA issued orders granting NFG special permits with certain conditions\nand limitations (Orders). See PHMSA-2017-0090 and PHMSA-2021-0042.\nOn June 8, 2025, a representative of the PHMSA, OPS, Eastern Region, pursuant to 49 U.S.C.\n§§ 60101-60143, conducted an inspection of NFG’s FlexSteel gas transmission pipeline in\nMcKean, Elk, and Cameron Counties, Pennsylvania subject to the Orders.\nAs a result of the inspection, it is alleged that NFG has committed probable violations of the\nPipeline Safety Regulations, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and the Orders. As stated\nin 49 CFR § 190.203(f), when information obtained from an inspection indicates that further\nPHMSA action is warranted, PHMSA may initiate one or more enforcement proceedings\nprescribed in 49 CFR §§ 190.207 through 190.235. The probable violation is:\n1. Condition 6: Corrosion Control\na) …\nc) NFG must perform external corrosion control monitoring on\neach buried metallic fitting in accordance with 49 CFR 192.465. NFG\n\n\n\nCPF 1-2026-034-WL\nmust perform CP monitoring at least once each calendar year, not\nexceeding 15 months. Corrosion control monitoring of the buried\nmetallic fittings by a sampling basis is not permitted.\nNFG failed to properly perform external corrosion control monitoring on each buried metallic\nfitting in accordance with Condition 6.c. Specifically, NFG reported eight locations with invalid\nnative or depolarized corrosion potential measurements, ranging from -809 millivolts to -1441\nmillivolts.\nDuring the inspection, PHMSA reviewed cathodic protection records for the special permit\nFlexSteel segments. NFG provided a set of Test Station History Reports (07/09/2025). This report\ndocumented invalid native or depolarized corrosion potential measurements, ranging from -809\nmillivolts to -1441 millivolts at 8 locations: 9976, 9988, 9989, 9990, 9991, 9992, 9993, 11147.\nTherefore, NFG failed to properly perform external corrosion control monitoring on each buried\nmetallic fitting in accordance with Condition 6.c.\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.\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 items identified in this letter. Failure to do so may result in\nNational Fuel Gas Supply Corporation being subject to additional enforcement action.\nNo reply to this letter is required. If you choose to reply, in your correspondence please refer to\nCPF 1-2026-034-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\ncc: Steven Glass, Assistant VP, NFGS, GlassS@natfuel.com\nSteven Monnie, Senior Manager, NFGS, MonnieS@natfuel.com\nPage 2 of 2","truncated":false,"body_characters":5417}