{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 32026001WL","title":"MAGELLAN PIPELINE COMPANY, LP — Warning Letter","source_type":"enforcement","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"historical","official":true,"published_on":"2026-01-21","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED warning letter citing 195.202.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-32026001wl.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-32026001wl.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-32026001wl","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/32026001WL","body":"Warning Letter involving MAGELLAN PIPELINE COMPANY, LP. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 195.202. The case was opened on 2026-01-21 and is reported as closed as of 2026-01-21. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n32026001WL_Warning Letter_01212026_(25-330699).pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/32026001WL/32026001WL_Warning%20Letter_01212026_(25-330699).pdf\n\n32026001WL_Warning Letter_01212026_(25-330699)_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/32026001WL/32026001WL_Warning%20Letter_01212026_(25-330699)_text.pdf\n\n32026001WL_Warning Letter_01212026_(25-330699)_text.pdf\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\n901 Locust Street, Suite 480\nKansas City, MO 64106\nWARNING LETTER\nVIA ELECTRONIC MAIL TO: randy.lentz@oneok.com; charles.misak@oneok.com\nJanuary 21, 2026\nMr. Randy Lentz\nPresident / CEO\nMagellan Pipeline Company, LP\n100 West 5th Street\nTulsa, OK 74103\nCPF 3-2026-001-WL\nDear Mr. Lentz:\nFrom March 11, 2025, to December 11, 2025,\n1 representatives of the Pipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety Administration (PHMSA), pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code\n(U.S.C.), conducted field construction inspections of the El Dorado to Wichita 8” hazardous liquid\npipeline and the El Dorado to Andale 12” hazardous liquid pipeline of Magellan Pipeline\nCompany, LP (MPC) in El Dorado, Kansas.\nAs a result of the inspections, it is alleged that MPC has 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. § 195.202 Compliance with specifications or standards.\nEach pipeline system must be constructed in accordance with comprehensive written\nspecifications or standards that are consistent with the requirements of this part.\nMPC did not construct the 8” El Dorado to Wichita pipeline and the 12” El Dorado to Andale\npipeline in accordance with MPC’s written specifications. Specifically, MPC’s contractor did not\nfollow the specifications for: removing the alignment clamp prior to 50% of the root bead being\ninstalled; pre-heating the pipe prior to welding; and staying within the travel speed requirements\nof the qualified welding procedure.\n1 Construction and construction inspections of the 8” and 12” pipelines are on-going.\n\n\n\nMPC’s SPECIFICATION 100—CONSTRUCTION AND FABRICATION OF PIPELINES AND\nRELATED PIPING SYSTEMS, section 3.1.7, indicated that “All welding, including DOT\njurisdictional pipelines shall be performed in accordance with a qualified welding procedure.”\nThe 8” and 12” pipeline construction projects utilized qualified weld procedure MAG-X60-V-\nG1&2-2025 which specified the qualified welding parameters for the welds.\nDuring the field visits to El Dorado to inspect the construction of the 8” and 12” lines, PHMSA\nobserved the following instances where MPC’s contractor did not follow the welding\nspecifications and procedures:\n• The qualified welding procedure specifically stated that the removal of an external clamp shall\nnot occur until 50% of the root has been installed. In addition, section 7.2.2 of Specification\n100 stated “External line-up clamps may be removed after the root bead is 50% complete,\nprovided the completed portion of the root bead is in segments of approximately equal length,\nand provided the segments are equally spaced around the circumference of the pipe.”\nOn July 15, 2025, while observing a lineup of the pipe using external clamps, a discussion\nbetween PHMSA and MPC’s inspectors occurred pertaining to removal of the alignment clamp\nbefore 50% of the root bead was done. The importance of following the specification was\ndiscussed between PHMSA and MPC representatives at the verbal exit briefing on July 16,\n2025.\nOn August 26, 2025, at tie-in location 2162+00 on the 8” line, PHMSA observed the contractor\nremoving the external clamp at a tie-in a repair location before the root bead was 50%\ncomplete. PHMSA and the MPC inspector had another discussion about completing 50% of\nthe root bead before removing the clamp.\nOn December 10, 2025, at tie-in location 1576+00 on the 12” line, PHMSA, while\naccompanied by the MPC inspector and compliance representative, again observed a clamp\nremoved before 50% of the root bead was installed. In this case, MPC’s contractor merely\nwelded one side and did not weld the other side before removing the clamp.\n• The qualified welding procedure specifically states that when the ambient temperature is below\n40⁰ F, moisture is present, or if thickness is greater than .500”, a pre-heat of the pipe is to be\ndone to a minimum of 200⁰ F. In addition, section 7.16 of Specification 100 stated, “When\npreheating is required by the procedure, temperature readings shall be taken using temperature\nindicating crayons or direct reading pyrometers. Measurements shall be made at four locations\nninety degrees apart on each side of the weld joint. The location shall be 2 inches from the\nweld joint center line. Maximum temperature differential between any two points shall not\nexceed 50⁰ F.”\nOn October 30, 2025, PHMSA observed at station number 1271+11 on the 12” line, that\nMPC’s contractors were not checking to ensure that the pre-heat was meeting the requirements\nof the welding procedure. The ambient temperature was approximately 35⁰ F, which required\n2\n\n\n\npre-heating per the procedure. When the contractor did the same on the next weld, the MPC\ninspector checked and found the pre-heat of the pipe to be below criteria and had them re-heat\nthe weld. The importance of pre-heat in cold weather was discussed between PHMSA and\nMPC representatives at the verbal exit briefing on October 30, 2025.\nOn December 2, 2025, at station number 864+00 on the 12” line, PHMSA again observed that\nMPC’s contractor was not preheating the entire weld to 200⁰ F. The ambient temperature was\napproximately 25⁰ F. The welder’s helper, who pre-heated the weld, stood on one side of the\npipe and heated up the areas that he could reach without moving over to the other side. After\nthe helper finished pre-heating the weld, PHMSA staff requested that the MPC inspector check\nthe temperature on the bottom quarter of the girth weld on the opposite side of where the helper\nwas standing. It was well below the 200⁰ F minimum.\n• The qualified welding procedure specifically defines the allowable travel speeds for each\nwelding pass.\nOn August 27, 2025, at station number 2140+00 on the 12\" line, PHMSA observed that the\ntravel speed for the root bead was exceeded as calculated by the MPC’s inspector. PHMSA\nand MPC’s inspectors discussed this topic, and the importance of staying within the\nparameter(s) of the welding procedure was subsequently relayed to MPC’s contractor.\nOn December 4, 2025, at station number 674+00 on the 12” line, PHMSA again observed that\nMPC’s contractor exceeded the travel speed parameters. The hot pass was measured at 21\ninches per minute. The maximum speed for the size of welding rod used was 14 inches per\nminute as specified in the qualified welding procedure. Again, PHMSA and the MPC inspector\ndiscussed this issue, and the MPC inspector subsequently talked to MPC’s contractor to\nreiterate that the parameters must be adhered to.\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, 2023\nthe maximum penalty may not exceed $239,142 per violation per day the violation persists, up to\na maximum of $2,391,142 for a related series of violations. For violation occurring on or after\nMay 3, 2021 and before March 21, 2022 the maximum penalty may not exceed $225,134 per\nviolation 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\nmaximum penalty may not exceed $222,504 per violation per day the violation persists, up to a\nmaximum of $2,225,034 for a related series of violations. For violation occurring on or after July\n3\n\n\n\n31, 2019 and before January 11, 2021 the maximum penalty may not exceed $218,647 per violation\nper day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,186,465 for a related series 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 item(s) identified in this letter. Failure to do so will result in\nMagellan Pipeline Company, LP, 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 3-2026-001-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,\nDavid Barrett\nActing Director, Central Region, Office of Pipeline Safety\nPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration\ncc: Mr. Charles Misak, Director – Integrated Operations Services Asset Integrity\n4","truncated":false,"body_characters":10235}