{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 22021005NOPSO","title":"COLONIAL PIPELINE CO — Safety Order","source_type":"enforcement","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"historical","official":true,"published_on":"2021-03-29","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED safety order.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-22021005nopso.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-22021005nopso.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-22021005nopso","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/22021005NOPSO","body":"Safety Order involving COLONIAL PIPELINE CO. The dataset does not identify a cited regulation for this case. The case was opened on 2021-03-29 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\n22021005NOPSO_Closure Letter_08252025_(20-188854).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/22021005NOPSO/22021005NOPSO_Closure%20Letter_08252025_(20-188854).pdf\n\n22021005NOPSO_Closure Letter_08252025_(20-188854)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/22021005NOPSO/22021005NOPSO_Closure%20Letter_08252025_(20-188854)_text.pdf\n\n22021005NOPSO_Consent Agreement and Order_06152021_(20-188854).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/22021005NOPSO/22021005NOPSO_Consent%20Agreement%20and%20Order_06152021_(20-188854).pdf\n\n22021005NOPSO_Consent Agreement and Order_06152021_(20-188854)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/22021005NOPSO/22021005NOPSO_Consent%20Agreement%20and%20Order_06152021_(20-188854)_text.pdf\n\n22021005NOPSO_Notice of Proposed Safety Order_03292021_(20-188854).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/22021005NOPSO/22021005NOPSO_Notice%20of%20Proposed%20Safety%20Order_03292021_(20-188854).pdf\n\n22021005NOPSO_Notice of Proposed Safety Order_03292021_(20-188854)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/22021005NOPSO/22021005NOPSO_Notice%20of%20Proposed%20Safety%20Order_03292021_(20-188854)_text.pdf\n\n22021005NOPSO_Consent Agreement and Order_06152021_(20-188854)_text.pdf\n\nJune 15, 2021\nMr. Joseph Blount\nPresident and Chief Executive Officer\nColonial Pipeline Company\n1185 Sanctuary Parkway\nSuite 100\nAlpharetta, Georgia 30009\nCPF No. 2-2021-005-NOPSO\nDear Mr. Blount:\nEnclosed please find a Consent Order incorporating the terms of the Consent Agreement between\nthe Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and Colonial Pipeline\nCompany which was executed on June 4, 2021. Service of the Consent Order and Consent\nAgreement by electronic mail is deemed effective upon the date of transmission, or as otherwise\nprovided 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: Order and Consent Agreement\ncc: Mr. James Urisko, Director, Southern Region, Office of Pipeline Safety, PHMSA\nMr. Mark Piazza, Manager, Pipeline Compliance and R&D, Colonial Pipeline Company\nMs. Catherine Little, Troutman Pepper, Counsel for Colonial Pipeline Company\nCONFIRMATION OF 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\nColonial Pipeline Company,\n)\n)\n)\n)\n)\nRespondent.\n)\n____________________________________)\nCPF No. 2-2021-005-NOPSO\nCONSENT ORDER\nBy letter dated March 29, 2021, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration,\nOffice of Pipeline Safety, issued a Notice of Proposed Safety Order (Notice) to Colonial Pipeline\nCompany (Colonial or Respondent).\nIn accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.239, the Notice alleged that conditions existed on\nRespondent’s pipeline system that posed a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property, or the\nenvironment and that the conditions potentially exist throughout the Colonial Pipeline System.\nThe Notice proposed that Respondent take certain corrective measures to remedy the alleged\nconditions and ensure that the public, property, and the environment are protected from the\npotential risk.\nOn April 9, 2021, pursuant to 49 C.F.R. § 190.239(b)(2), Colonial responded to the Notice by\nsubmitting a request for an informal consultation, whereupon the parties engaged in good-faith\ndiscussions that resulted in the Consent Agreement attached to this Order that settles all of the\nallegations in the Notice.\nAccordingly, the Consent Agreement is hereby approved and incorporated by reference into this\nOrder. Colonial is hereby ordered to comply with the terms of the Consent Agreement, effective\nimmediately.\nPursuant to 49 U.S.C. 60101, et seq., failure to comply with this Consent Order may result in the\nassessment of civil penalties as set forth in 49 C.F.R. § 190.223.\nThe terms and conditions of this Consent Order are effective upon service in accordance with 49\nC.F.R. § 190.5.\nJune 15, 2021\n___________________________________ __________________________\nAlan K. Mayberry Date Issued\nAssociate Administrator\nfor Pipeline Safety\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 )\nColonial Pipeline Company, )\n)\n)\n)\nRespondent. )\n____________________________________)\nCPF No. 2-2021-005-NOPSO\nCONSENT AGREEMENT\nOn March 29, 2021, pursuant to 49 C.F.R. § 190.239, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials\nSafety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS or Agency), issued a Notice of\nProposed Safety Order (Notice) to Colonial Pipeline Company (Colonial or Respondent). The\nNotice alleged that conditions existed on Respondent’s pipeline system that posed a pipeline\nintegrity risk that could potentially affect public safety, property, or the environment and that the\nconditions potentially exist throughout the Colonial Pipeline System.\nSpecifically, the Notice alleged that on August 14, 2020, a Colonial employee was notified by a\nlocal resident of a possible leak in Colonial’s right-of-way (ROW), approximately 100 feet north\n(downstream) of Huntersville-Concord Road in Huntersville, North Carolina. Upon inspection, a\nColonial employee confirmed a product release visible at the ground surface that was believed to\nbe gasoline (the Failure). The Colonial Control Center initiated a shutdown of its pipeline\nfacilities in the area (Lines 1 and 2). Colonial notified the National Response Center (NRC) of\nthe release (NRC Report No. 1284598) on August 14, 2020, reporting an estimated release\nvolume of 75 barrels of gasoline. On August 15, 2020, Colonial identified the leak source to be\nLine 1 (gasoline service) and restarted Line 2 the same day.\nColonial determined the leak originated from under a Type A sleeve repair installed in 2004,\noriginally intended to reinforce and protect a shallow dent identified by an integrity assessment.\nThe pipeline was initially repaired on August 19, 2020, by installing a Type B pressure\ncontaining sleeve over the prior Type A sleeve repair. Colonial restarted Line 1 on August 19,\n2020, after initial repairs were completed. On September 13, 2020, Colonial submitted an initial\naccident report (PHMSA Form 7000.1) to PHMSA that updated the estimated release volume to\n6,490 barrels of gasoline. On November 10, 2020, Colonial cut out the Type B sleeve which\ncontained the failed section of pipe and additional sections of Line 1 on either side of the Type B\nsleeve repair. The cut-out section of pipe was sent to an independent laboratory for metallurgical\nanalysis. The cut-out and welding of the replacement pipeline tie-in was witnessed by PHMSA.\n\n\n\nUpon identification and confirmation of the release and potential soil contamination, Colonial\ninitiated monitoring and remediation efforts, which included installation of 167 wells (81\nmonitoring wells, 50 recovery wells, 11 hydraulic control wells, and 25 air sparge system wells)\nbetween August 27, 2020 and January 16, 2021. The released gasoline penetrated the soil and\naffected the ground water in the area.1\nOn February 1, 2021, Colonial submitted a supplemental report to PHMSA updating the\nestimated release volume to 28,571 barrels (1.2 million gallons) of gasoline. Colonial’s\nmetallurgical analysis was received by PHMSA on March 19, 2021. The analysis identifies the\nprimary crack growth mechanism as corrosion fatigue. At this time, Colonial has not provided\nany other supplemental 7000.1 reports to PHMSA regarding the estimated release volume due to\nthe Failure.\nColonial has experienced several other accidents that were not detected by its leak detection\nsystem or by Colonial personnel. For example, on September 21, 2015, a reportable accident\noccurred on Colonial's Line 4 hazardous liquid pipeline in Centreville, Virginia, resulting in the\nrelease of approximately 95 barrels (4,000 gallons) of gasoline. Colonial was notified by the\nFairfax County Fire Marshall of a sheen on a retention pond in close proximity to Colonial’s\nLine 4 ROW. The cause of the leak was determined to be a crack that formed in a shallow dent\non the bottom side of the pipe. In February 2016, Colonial experienced a failure in Gwinnett\nCounty, Georgia, that was discovered by a second-party contractor. According to Colonial\ndocumentation and reporting, the failure mode was fatigue cracks within an area where a dent\nwas present with significant corrosion (up to 35%) under a Type A sleeve with shrink sleeves on\nthe end that was installed in 2005. The final volume of release was reported to be approximately\n14 barrels (588 gallons) of gasoline. On September 9, 2016, Colonial experienced a failure\noutside of Pelham, Alabama. Colonial was made aware of the suspected release by local\ngovernmental personnel. According to the final accident report dated May 6, 2019, Colonial\nreported an estimated volume released of 7,370 barrels (309,540 gallons) of gasoline. The\nfailure mechanism was determined to be a crack in a buckle that formed due to inadequate\ncompaction following a prior maintenance project.\nOn April 9, 2021, Colonial responded to the Notice by timely submitting a request for an\ninformal consultation pursuant to 49 C.F.R. § 190.239(b)(2). An informal consultation was held\nvirtually on April 30, 2021.\nAs a result of the informal consultation, PHMSA and Colonial (collectively, the Parties) agreed\nthat settlement of this proceeding will avoid further administrative proceedings or litigation and\nwill serve the public interest by promoting safety and protection of the environment. Pursuant to\n49 C.F.R. Part 190, and upon consent and agreement of Colonial and PHMSA, the Parties hereby\nagree as follows:\n1 See https://sr2448.colonialresponse.com/.\n\n\n\nI. General Provisions\n1. Respondent acknowledges that as the operator of the Colonial Pipeline System in\nTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina,\nVirginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, Respondent and its\nColonial Pipeline System are subject to the jurisdiction of the federal pipeline safety laws, 49\nU.S.C. § 60101, et seq., and the regulations and administrative orders issued thereunder. For\npurposes of this Consent Agreement (“Agreement”), Respondent acknowledges that it received\nproper notice of PHMSA's action in this proceeding and that the Notice states claims upon which\nrelief may be granted pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60101, et seq., and the regulations and orders\nissued thereunder.\n2. After Colonial returns this signed Agreement to PHMSA, the Agency’s\nrepresentative will present it to the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, recommending\nthat the Associate Administrator adopt the terms of this Agreement by issuing an administrative\norder (Consent Order or Order) incorporating the terms of this Agreement. The terms of this\nAgreement constitute an offer of settlement until accepted by the Associate Administrator. Once\naccepted, the Associate Administrator will issue a Consent Order incorporating the terms of this\nAgreement.\n3. Respondent consents to the issuance of the Consent Order, and hereby waives any\nfurther procedural requirements with respect to its issuance. Respondent waives all rights to\ncontest the adequacy of notice, or the validity of the Consent Order or this Agreement, including\nall rights to administrative or judicial hearings or appeals, except as set forth herein.\n4. This Agreement shall apply to and be binding upon PHMSA and Colonial, its\nofficers, directors, and employees, and its successors, assigns, or other entities or persons\notherwise bound by law. Respondent agrees to provide a copy of this Agreement and any\nincorporated work plans and schedules to all of Colonial’s officers, employees, and agents whose\nduties might reasonably include compliance with this Agreement.\n5. This Agreement constitutes the final, complete, and exclusive agreement and\nunderstanding between the Parties with respect to the settlement embodied in this Agreement.\nThe Parties acknowledge that there are no representations, agreements, or understandings relating\nto settlement other than those expressly contained in this Agreement, except that the terms of this\nAgreement may be construed by reference to the Notice.\n6. Nothing in this Agreement affects or relieves Respondent of its responsibility to\ncomply with all applicable requirements of the federal pipeline safety laws, 49 U.S.C. § 60101, et\nseq., and the regulations and orders issued thereunder. Nothing in this Agreement alters\nPHMSA's right of access, entry, inspection, and information gathering or PHMSA's authority to\nbring enforcement actions against Colonial pursuant to the federal pipeline safety laws, the\nregulations and orders issued thereunder, or any other provision of federal or state law.\n7. For all transfers of ownership or operating responsibility of Colonial’s pipeline\nsystem which occur while this Agreement is in effect, Colonial will provide a copy of this\nAgreement to the prospective transferee at least 30 days prior to such transfer. Colonial will\n\n\n\nprovide written notice of the transfer to the PHMSA Southern Region Director no later than 60\ndays after the transfer occurs.\n8. This Agreement does not waive or modify any federal, state, or local laws or\nregulations that are applicable to Respondent’s pipeline systems. This Agreement is not a permit,\nor a modification of any permit, under any federal, state, or local laws or regulations. Colonial\nremains responsible for achieving and maintaining compliance with all applicable federal, state,\nand local laws, regulations, and permits. Respondent agrees that the activities to be performed\npursuant to the Work Plan may go beyond the minimum federal pipeline safety regulations.\n9. This Agreement does not create rights in, or grant any cause of action to, any third\nparty not party to this Agreement. The U.S. Department of Transportation is not liable for any\ninjuries or damages to persons or property arising from acts or omissions of Respondent or its\nofficers, employees, or agents carrying out the work required by this Agreement. Colonial agrees\nto hold harmless the U.S. Department of Transportation, its officers, employees, agents, and\nrepresentatives from any and all causes of action arising from any acts or omissions of\nRespondent or its contractors in carrying out any work required by this Agreement.\n10. This Agreement does not constitute a finding of violation of any federal law or\nregulation and may not be used in any civil proceeding of any kind as evidence or proof of any\nfact, fault or liability, or as evidence of a violation of any law, rule, regulation, or requirement,\nexcept in a proceeding to enforce the provisions of this Agreement or in future PHMSA\nenforcement actions. Respondent neither admits nor denies any allegation or conclusion in the\nNotice or this Agreement and Order, but agrees, for purposes of this Agreement and Order, to\naddress the alleged risk condition by completing the terms of this Agreement.\n11. Upon issuance of the Consent Order, the Parties agree to all terms in this\nAgreement and its appendices, which are incorporated herein.\nII. Definitions\n12. The “Director” means the Director, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety\nAdministration, Office of Pipeline Safety, Southern Region. The Director’s address is\n230 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30303.\n13. The “Failure” means the release of gasoline that occurred on Colonial’s Line 1 in\nHuntersville, North Carolina, which Colonial reported to the NRC on August 14, 2020.\nIII. Corrective Measures\nColonial agrees to take the following corrective measures to address the alleged risk conditions\non the Colonial Pipeline System set forth in the Preliminary Findings of the Notice, as follows:\n14. Remedial Work Plan. Within 120 days after the Consent Order is issued, develop\nand submit to the Director for approval, a written remedial work plan (Work Plan or Plan) that\nincludes corrective measures. The Plan must include provisions to:\n\n\n\ni. Evaluate the effectiveness and capability of Colonial’s leak detection\nsystem on the entirety of the Colonial Pipeline System, including main lines, stub lines,\nand delivery lines. At a minimum, Colonial’s evaluation must consider the following\nfactors—length and size of the pipeline, type of product carried, the swiftness of leak\ndetection, limitations on detectable quantities, location of nearest response personnel, and\nleak history. This evaluation must also consider maximum operating pressure (MOP),\nnormal operating pressures, flow rates (or throughput), and impacts from any pressure\ncycles or operational changes. For mainline segments that could affect high consequence\nareas (HCAs), Colonial’s evaluation must consider the pipeline’s proximity to the HCA\nand risk assessment results.\nii. Based on the findings of the evaluation pursuant to paragraph i of this\nItem, determine corrective measures to improve the effectiveness of Colonial’s leak\ndetection system. The corrective measures must result in improving the capability of the\nleak detection system to detect leaks that could potentially affect public safety, property,\nor the environment, similar to (but not limited to) leaks with characteristics common to\nthose referenced above.\niii. Evaluate Colonial’s written plans and procedures for inspection and\nmaintenance that address leak detection, ROW inspection and repairs and determine the\nextent to which the written plans contribute to the elimination of hazardous leaks. Based\non the findings, determine appropriate amendments to improve the extent to which the\nplans contribute to the elimination of hazardous leaks.\niv. Evaluate the effectiveness of Colonial’s ROW inspection program as it\npertains to leak detection. This evaluation must consider any geographic regions or\nfeatures (i.e., HCAs and other sensitive areas) that may require specific or additional\nmeans of patrol. Based on the findings, determine corrective measures to improve the\neffectiveness of Colonial’s ROW inspection program relative to leak detection.\nv. Provide to the Director an inventory of all Type A sleeve repairs made on\nthe Colonial Pipeline System. For each identified Type A sleeve, the inventory must\ninclude the most accurate information regarding, at a minimum, the installation date, a\nsummary of the basis for the original application (i.e., remediated condition), and\nidentification of any scheduled follow-up actions.\nvi. Establish a program and requirements for classifying all future repairs as\ntemporary or permanent. The Plan must establish timeframes for the removal of any\nrepair identified as “temporary,” or the permanent remediation of the condition requiring\nrepair. If such designations and timeframes have been incorporated in to its programs,\nColonial must submit documentation confirming the temporal disposition for repair\nmethods deemed acceptable for all line pipe.\n15. Third-party facilitator. Paragraphs i through iv of the Work Plan must be\nfacilitated by an independent third-party approved by the Director. Documentation from the\nthird-party facilitator must be included in each required submission to the Director.\n\n\n\n16. Schedule. The Plan must include a proposed timeline for completion of\nimplementation of the corrective measures identified by Item 14.i – 14.vi of the Agreement.\n17. Submissions of procedures. Submit to the Director all written procedures, new or\namended, that will be used to complete the requirements of the Work Plan.\n18. Quarterly reports. Submit quarterly reports to the Director that: (1) include\navailable data and evaluations conducted pursuant to the Work Plan; and (2) describe the\nprogress of the remedial measures being undertaken. The first quarterly report shall be due 90\ndays from the date of the approval of the Work Plan, and thereafter on the 15th day of the last\nmonth of the calendar quarter.\n19. Consent Agreement Documentation Report (CADR). When Colonial has\ncompleted all the items in this Agreement, it will submit a final CADR to the Director. This will\nallow the Director to conduct a thorough review of all measures identified by Colonial with\nregards to this Agreement prior to approving the closure of this Agreement. The intent is for the\nCADR to summarize all activities and documentation associated with this Agreement in one\ndocument. The CADR must include, but is not limited to:\ni. Table of contents;\nii. Summary of the Failure, its root cause, and response activities;\niii. Summary of all inspections, assessments, evaluations, and analysis\nrequired by this Agreement, including those conducted by the third-party\nfacilitator;\niv. Summary of all metallurgical testing and/or metallurgical analysis related\nto the Failure;\nv. Documentation of all corrective measures taken by Colonial to implement\nthe Work Plan, and the results of those corrective measures;\nvi. Documentation of any revisions to the Work Plan; and\nvii. Lessons learned while completing the Work Plan.\n20. Documentation of costs. It is requested that Colonial maintain documentation of\nthe safety improvement costs associated with fulfilling this Agreement and submit the total to the\nDirector, Southern Region, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. It is\nrequested that these costs be reported in two categories: 1) total cost associated with\npreparation/revision of plans, procedures, studies, and analyses; and 2) total cost associated with\nreplacements, additions and other changes to pipeline infrastructure.\n\n\n\nIV. Implementation, Review, and Approval Process:\n21. Respondent agrees to complete the Work Plan in accordance with the schedules\nset forth therein as it is approved by the Director, including revisions to the Plan. Results of\nmeasures taken in accordance with the approved Plan must be available for review by PHMSA\nor its representative.\n22. With respect to any submission by the Respondent under the Work Plan that\nrequires the approval of the Director, the Director may: (1) approve the submission, in whole or\nin part; (2) disapprove the submission on specified conditions; (3) disapprove the submission, in\nwhole or in part; or (4) undertake any combination of the foregoing. In the event of approval in\nwhole, in part, or upon conditions, Colonial will proceed to take all actions required by the\nsubmission as modified by the Director. In the event the Director does not approve all or any\nportion of a submission, the Director will provide Colonial with a written notice of the\ndeficiencies. Respondent will correct all deficiencies within the time specified by the Director\nand resubmit it for approval.\n23. All submittals required by the Work Plan that include decisions and\ndeterminations must also describe the options and factors considered by Colonial.\n24. Respondent agrees to revise the Work Plan as necessary to incorporate new\ninformation obtained during the activities performed under the Work Plan. Respondent shall\nsubmit any such plan revisions to the Director for prior approval.\n25. The Director may grant an extension of time for completion of any of the work to\nbe performed under the Agreement or the Work Plan upon Respondent’s timely, written request\nthat demonstrates both good cause for an extension and provides sufficient detail to enable the\nDirector to evaluate Respondent’s request. The Director shall respond in writing to any such\nrequest.\n26. After receiving and analyzing additional data in the course of this proceeding and\nimplementation of the Work Plan, PHMSA may identify other safety measures that need to be\ntaken. In that event, Respondent will be notified in writing of any proposed additional measures\nand, if necessary, amendments to the Work Plan.\nV. Enforcement\n27. This Agreement, including all elements of the incorporated Work Plan, is subject\nto all enforcement authorities available to PHMSA under 49 U.S.C. § 60101, et seq., and\n49 C.F.R. Part 190, including administrative civil penalties under 49 U.S.C. § 60122, of up to\n$200,000 (as adjusted) per violation for each day the violation continues and referral of the case\nto the Attorney General for judicial enforcement, if PHMSA determines that Respondent is not\ncomplying with the terms of this Agreement in accordance with determinations made by the\nDirector, or if appealed, in accordance with decisions of the Associate Administrator. The\nmaximum civil penalty amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. See 49 C.F.R. § 190.233.\n\n\n\nVI. Dispute Resolution\n28. The Director and Colonial will informally attempt to resolve any disputes arising\nunder this Agreement, including, but not limited to, any decision of the Director. If Colonial and\nthe Director are unable to informally resolve the dispute within 15 calendar days after the dispute\nis first raised in writing, Colonial may submit a written request for a determination resolving the\ndispute from the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety. The written request for a\ndetermination must be provided to the Director, counsel for the Southern Region, and to the\nAssociate Administrator no later than 10 calendar days after the 15-day deadline for informal\nresolution referenced in this paragraph. Along with its request, Colonial must provide the\nAssociate Administrator with all information Colonial believes is relevant to the dispute.\nDeterminations of the Associate Administrator under this paragraph constitute final Agency\naction. The existence of a dispute and PHMSA’s consideration of matters placed in dispute, will\nnot excuse, toll, or suspend any term or timeframe for completion of any work to be performed\nunder this Agreement during the pendency of the dispute resolution process, except as agreed\nupon by the Director or Associate Administrator in writing.\nVII. Recordkeeping and Information Disclosure\n29. Unless otherwise required in this Agreement, Respondent agrees to maintain\nrecords demonstrating compliance with all requirements of this Agreement for a period of at\nleast 5 years following completion of all work to be performed. For any reports, plans, or other\ndeliverables required to be submitted to PHMSA pursuant to this Agreement, Respondent may\nassert a claim of business confidentiality or other protections applicable to the release of\ninformation by PHMSA, covering part or all of the information required to be submitted to\nPHMSA pursuant to this Agreement in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Part 7. Respondent must\nmark the claim of confidentiality in writing on each page, and include a statement specifying the\ngrounds for each claim of confidentially. PHMSA will determine the release of any information\nsubmitted pursuant to this Agreement in accordance with 49 C.F.R. Part 7, the Freedom of\nInformation Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, DOT and PHMSA policies, and other applicable regulations\nand Executive Orders.\nVIII. Effective Date\n30. The term “Effective Date,” as used herein, is the date on which the Consent Order\nis issued by the Associate Administrator, PHMSA, incorporating the terms of this Agreement.\nIX. Modification\n31. The terms of this Agreement may be modified by mutual agreement of the Parties.\nSuch modifications must be in writing and signed by both parties.\n\n\n\nX. Termination\n32. This Agreement will terminate upon submission, approval where specified, and\ncompletion of the deliverables set forth in the Work Plan.\nXI. Ratification\n33. The Parties’ undersigned representatives certify that they are fully authorized to\nenter into the terms and conditions of this Agreement and to execute and legally bind such party\nto this document.\n34. The Parties hereby agree to all conditions and terms of this Agreement.\nFor Colonial Pipeline Company:\n________________________\nWes Dunbar\nVice President of Operations\n________________________\nDate\nFor PHMSA:\n_________________________\nJames Urisko\nDirector, Southern Region\nDate\n\n22021005NOPSO_Closure Letter_08252025_(20-188854)_text.pdf\n\nVIA ELECTRONIC MAIL TO: mlittle@colpipe.com; qfrazier@colpipe.com;\ndlangley@colpipe.com\nAugust 25, 2025\nMs. Melanie Little\nPresident, Chief Executive Officer\nColonial Pipeline Company\n1000 Lake Street\nAlpharetta, GA 30009\nRE: CPF 2-2021-005-NOPSO\nDear Ms. Little:\nOn March 29, 2021, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)\nissued to Colonial Pipeline Company (Colonial), a Notice of Proposed Safety Order. On\nJune 4, 2021, PHMSA and Colonial entered into a Consent Agreement and Order. This Order\nincluded a requirement for Colonial to implement system-wide corrective actions, with regular\nsubmittals for review and approval. Based on PHMSA’s review of the documentation provided it\nhas been determined that Colonial has complied with the terms of the Order.\nAccordingly, this case is now closed, and no further action is anticipated with respect to the\nmatters involved in this case. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.\nSincerely,\nJames A. Urisko\nRegional Director, Southern Region, Office of Pipeline Safety\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\n\n22021005NOPSO_Notice of Proposed Safety Order_03292021_(20-188854)_text.pdf\n\nVIA ELECTRONIC MAIL TO: jblount@colpipe.com; mpiazza@colpipe.com\nMarch 29, 2021\nMr. Joseph Blount\nPresident, Chief Executive Officer\nColonial Pipeline Company\n1185 Sanctuary Parkway\nSuite 100\nAlpharetta, GA 30009-4765\nCPF No. 2-2021-005-NOPSO\nDear Mr. Blount:\nEnclosed is a Notice of Proposed Safety Order (Notice) issued in the above-referenced case.\nThe Notice proposes that Colonial Pipeline Company take certain measures with respect to the\nColonial Pipeline System to ensure pipeline safety. Your options for responding are set forth in\nthe Notice. Service of this Notice by electronic mail is deemed effective upon the date of\ntransmission, or as otherwise provided under 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.\nWe look forward to a successful resolution to ensure pipeline safety. Please direct any\nquestions on this matter to me at (404) 832-1150.\nSincerely,\nJames Urisko\nDirector, Southern Region\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\nEnclosure: Notice of Proposed Safety Order\nCopy of 49 C.F.R. § 190.239\nCc: Ms. Linda Daugherty, Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations, OPS\nMr. Mark Piazza, Manager, Pipeline Compliance and R&D, Colonial Pipeline Company\n\n\n\nDEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION\nPIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION\nOFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY\nSOUTHERN REGION\nATLANTA, GEORGIA\n____________________________________\nIn the Matter of\nColonial Pipeline Company,\nRespondent\n)\n)\n)\n)\n)\n____________________________________)\nCPF No. 2-2021-005-NOPSO\nNOTICE OF PROPOSED SAFETY ORDER\nIntroduction and Purpose\nThis Notice of Proposed Safety Order (NOPSO or Notice) is being issued by the Pipeline and\nHazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS), under\nthe authority of 49 U.S.C. § 60117. Pursuant to § 60117, PHMSA initiated an investigation of\nthe safety of Colonial Pipeline Company’s (Colonial or the company) Pipeline System following\na gasoline release in Huntersville, North Carolina on August 14, 2020 (Failure).1\nPHMSA’s ongoing investigation indicates that conditions may exist on the Colonial Pipeline\nSystem that pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety, property or the environment. The\nconditions that led to the Failure potentially exist throughout the Colonial Pipeline System.\nFurther, Colonial’s inability to effectively detect and respond to this release, as well as other past\nreleases, has potentially exacerbated the impacts of this and numerous other failures over the\noperational history of Colonial’s entire system. After evaluating the preliminary findings of fact\ndescribed below and considering the characteristics of the Colonial Pipeline System, as well as\nthe failure history of that system, it appears that the continued operation of the Colonial Pipeline\nSystem without corrective measures would pose a pipeline integrity risk to public safety,\nproperty, or the environment.\nThis NOPSO notifies Colonial of the preliminary findings of the investigation, and proposes that\nColonial take measures to ensure that the public, property, and the environment are protected\nfrom the potential risk.\n1 Colonial became aware of the release on August 14, 2020, however, the first day of the release is unknown.\n\n\n\n2\nBackground\nOn August 14, 2020 at 18:20 ET, a Colonial employee was notified by a local resident of a\npossible leak in Colonial’s right-of-way (ROW), approximately 100 feet north (downstream) of\nHuntersville-Concord Road in Huntersville, North Carolina. Upon inspection, a Colonial\nemployee confirmed a product release visible at the ground surface at 18:42 ET near\nMile Marker 980 that was believed to be gasoline. The Colonial Control Center initiated a\nshutdown of its pipeline facilities in the area (Lines 1 and 2) at 18:43 ET. The lines were\nblocked by closing valves upstream of the release location at Colonial's Charlotte Delivery\nFacility and downstream of the release location at the Kannapolis Station.\nAt 19:42 ET, Colonial notified the National Response Center (NRC) of the release (NRC Report\nNo. 1284598). Colonial reported the estimated release amount was 75 barrels. Colonial also\nnotified the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office, the U.S. Environmental\nProtection Agency, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, and PHMSA.\nColonial identified the leak source to be Line 1 on August 15, 2020 at approximately 12:00 ET.\nFollowing confirmation of the leak source, Colonial restarted Line 2 at 12:05 ET the same day.\nColonial determined the leak originated from a Type A sleeve repair installed in 2004, originally\nintended to reinforce and protect a shallow dent identified by an integrity assessment. The leak\nwas repaired on August 19, 2020, by installing a Type B pressure containing sleeve over the\nprior Type A sleeve repair. Colonial restarted Line 1 on August 19, 2020 at approximately\n21:00 ET after repairs were completed.\nOn September 13, 2020, Colonial submitted an initial accident report (PHMSA Form 7000.1) to\nPHMSA that updated the estimated release volume to 6,490 barrels of gasoline. On November\n10, 2020, Colonial cut out the Type B sleeve and the failed section of pipe and sent them to an\nindependent laboratory for metallurgical analysis. The cut-out and welding of the replacement\npipeline tie-in was witnessed by PHMSA. On February 1, 2021, Colonial submitted a\nsupplemental report to PHMSA updating the estimated release volume to 28,571 barrels (1.2\nmillion gallons) of gasoline. Colonial has not provided any other reports to PHMSA regarding\nthe estimated release volume due to the Failure.\nUpon identification and confirmation of the release and potential soil contamination, Colonial\ninitiated monitoring and remediation efforts which are ongoing as of the issuance of this Notice.\nThe preliminary findings of the PHMSA’s ongoing investigation are as follows:\nPreliminary Findings:\n• The Colonial Pipeline System consists of approximately 5,500 miles of hazardous liquid\ntransmission pipeline within the United States, including lateral and spur lines, and fixed\nfacilities (tanks, pump stations, etc.). The system traverses the states of Texas, Louisiana,\nMississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland,\nPennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Branches from the main lines also extend\n\n\n\n3\ninto Tennessee. The system delivers an average of approximately 100 million gallons of\nliquid petroleum products throughout the southern and eastern United States per day.\n• Colonial’s Line 1 Pipeline is an interstate pipeline, traversing eight states, beginning in\nTexas and ending in Virginia. The Line 1 portion of PHMSA inspection Unit NC-1\n(Charlotte) is approximately 80 miles long, with three pump stations and as many as 25\nbreakout tanks. In North Carolina, Line 1 traverses five counties: Cabarrus, Cleveland,\nGaston, Rowan, and Mecklenburg.\n• The Line 1 Pipeline is 40-inches in diameter with a 0.312-inch wall thickness, is API 5L\nX-60 grade, has a coal tar coating, a DSAW seam, and was manufactured in 1978 by\nBethlehem Steel. It has an impressed current cathodic protection system. It transports\nrefined products, including gasoline. The MOP is 673 psig. At the estimated time of\nfailure, the operating pressure was 183 psig.\n• The Failure occurred on Line 1 in the Oehler Nature Preserve, near the intersection of\nHuntersville-Concord Road and Asbury Chapel Road, east of the Town of Huntersville,\nin Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The Failure and resulting release was identified\nby local residents with access to Colonial’s ROW.\n• Colonial initially submitted an NRC Report (Incident Report 1284598,\ndated August 14, 2020) and reported an estimate of 75 barrels due to “equipment failure.”\n• Following confirmation of the release on August 14, 2020, Colonial submitted an initial\naccident report (PHMSA Form 7000.1) dated September 13, 2020, and reported an\nestimated release volume of 6,490 barrels. Colonial submitted a supplemental report on\nSeptember 14, 2020, updating the total cost estimates with no change to estimated release\nvolume. A second supplemental report was submitted on February 1, 2021, updating the\nestimated release volume to 28,571 barrels. Colonial has not provided any other reports\nto PHMSA regarding the estimated release volume due to the Failure.\n• The released gasoline penetrated the soil and affected the ground water in the area.2\nColonial installed 167 wells (81 monitoring wells, 50 recovery wells, 11 hydraulic\ncontrol, and 25 air sparge system wells) between August 27, 2020 and\nDecember 23, 2020.\n• Preliminary findings confirmed the presence of the above-referenced Type A sleeve, the\noriginal anomaly (shallow dent), a through-wall crack that developed in the anomaly, and\nan electrolyte (water). Colonial’s metallurgical analysis was received by PHMSA on\nMarch 19, 2021. The analysis identifies the primary crack growth mechanism as\ncorrosion fatigue.\n• PHMSA is aware that Colonial has made other repairs using Type A sleeves across the\nColonial Pipeline System, and has implemented an ongoing Type A sleeve remediation\n2 See https://sr2448.colonialresponse.com/.\n\n\n\n4\nprogram intended to remove or replace existing Type A sleeves via an alternate repair\nmethod (i.e., Type B sleeve or pipe replacement).\n• The leak detection system used on the Colonial Pipeline System consists of a line-balance\napproach to track volumes transported, with regular reporting between field stations and\nColonial’s control room in Alpharetta, Georgia. The process is predominantly manual,\nwith a defined tolerance for any potential imbalance (i.e., discrepancy between stations).\nColonial employs computational pipeline monitoring (CPM) on portions of the system,\nbut not on Line 1.\n• On September 21, 2015, a reportable accident occurred on Colonial's Line 4 hazardous\nliquid pipeline in Centreville, Virginia, resulting in the release of approximately\n95 barrels (4,000 gallons) of gasoline. Colonial was notified by the Fairfax County Fire\nMarshall of a sheen on a retention pond along Colonial’s Line 4 ROW. Line 4 is a\ncontinuation of Colonial’s Line 1. The accident occurred on a 288-mile section of Line 4\nthat runs between the company's Greensboro Tank Farm in Greensboro, North Carolina,\nand th","truncated":true,"body_characters":52489}