# CYPRESS INTERSTATE PIPELINE LLC — Warning Letter

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 420075008W
- **title:** CYPRESS INTERSTATE PIPELINE LLC — Warning Letter
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2007-02-20
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED warning letter citing 195.452(h), 195.452(j).
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-420075008w.json
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- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-420075008w
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/420075008W
**body:**

Warning Letter involving CYPRESS INTERSTATE PIPELINE LLC. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulations as 195.452(h),  195.452(j). The case was opened on 2007-02-20 and is reported as closed as of 2007-02-20. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

420075008W_Warning Letter_02202007.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420075008W/420075008W_Warning%20Letter_02202007.pdf

420075008W_Warning Letter_02202007.pdf

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U.S. Depqrfment
of Tronsportolion
Pipellne ond
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Adminislrotion
8701 South Gessner, Suite 1110
Houston, TX 77074
WARNING LETTER
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN REGEIPT REQUESTED
February 20,2007
Mr. Ron McClain
Vice President of Operations & Engineering
Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.
500 Dallas Street, Suite 1000
Houston, TX 77002
cPF 4-2007-5008W
Dear Mr. McClain:
On September 25 - 29; October 10 - 13; and October 30 - November 3, 2006,
representatives of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
(PHMSA), Arizona Corporation Commission, and the California State Fire Marshall
pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code inspected your procedures for your
Integrity Management Program (lMP) in Houston, TX, Alpharetta, GA, and Orange, CA,
respectively.
As a result of this inspection, it appears that Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, L.P.
(KMEP) has committed probable violations of the pipeline safety regulations, Title 49,
Code of Federal Regulations, Part 195. The probable violations are as follows:
1. S 195.452 Pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas.
(fl What are the elements of an integrity program? Each operator of a
pipeline covered by this section must include, at minimum, in its written
IMP:
(5) A continual process of assessment and evaluation to maintain a
pipeline's integrity (see paragraph 0) of this section);
U) What is a continual process of evaluation and assessment to maintain a
pipeline's integrity?
(1) General. After completing the baseline integrity assessment' an



operator must continue to assess the line pipe at specified intervals and
periodically evaluate the integrity of each pipeline segment that could
affect a high consequence area.
(3) Assessment intervals. An operator must establish intervals not to
exceed five (5) years for continually assessing the line pipe's integrity.
An operator must base the assessment intervals on the risk the line
pipe poses to the high consequence area to determine the priority for
assessing the pipeline segments, An operator must establish the
assessment intervals based on the factors specified in paragraph (e) of
this section, the analysis of the results from the last integrity
assessment, and the information analysis required by paragraph (g) of
this section.
Seven pipeline segments were not re-assessed within the maximum S-year re-
assessment interval required by $195.a52fi)(3). Segments that exceeded the S-year
timeframe are noted below.
Pipeline Segment
Baseline
Completion Date
Five Year
Actual Date
Reassessment
Gompleted or
Date
Scheduled
1S.64 Rocklin - Chico 41212000 4t2t2005 11t9t2005
LS-14 Portland -
5t24t2000 5t2412005 10t2812005
Euqene
Hwy 52 -
LS-122
Mission Valley
5l4l20oo 5t4t2005 6t28t2005
10"
GX64A
14" GX64A 14" 6t28t2000 6t28t2005 11t1012005
GX64B
14', GX64B 14" 612812000 6l28l2oj5 1111012005
GX32
10"t12" GX3210"112" 6t27t2000 6t27t2005 1111812005
PL-1 19 8" Pacific Jct -
8t15t2001 811512006 Scheduled for 4'n
Council Bluff
quarter 2006
KMEP did not provide notification to PHMSA that KMEP required a longer assessment
interval to perform any of the seven integrity assessments. When KMEP anticipates a
delay in conducting an integrity assessment, a notification of the variance from the five
year maximum interval should be submitted to PHMSA under 195.452(JX4). A
notification based on engineering basis or unavailable technology should be submitted
270 days and 180 days respectively before the end of the five year (or less) assessment
interval.
PHMSA understands that operational difficulties arise during the performance of
integrity assessments, and the organizational changes and process improvements
KMEP has implemented to address this issue was discussed during the inspection.
When operational difficulties arise during the performance of integrity assessments that



initiated wiihin required timeframes and/or KMEP anticipates the possibility of exceeding
required timeframes, the notification process may be used to communicate the reasons
for the delay, identify preventive and mitigative measures to be performed during the
delay, and provide PHMSA the opportunity to comment.
2. S 195.452 Pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas.
(f) see above
(4) Griteria for remedial actions to address integrity issues raised by the
assessment methods and information analysis (see paragraph (h) of
this section);
(h) What actions must an operator take to address integrity issues?
(in its entirety)
An anomaly classified as a 60-day repair on PL-107, Morris to Lemont, was not
discovered or remediated within required timeframes. The preliminary lLl report was
received 121212005, and the final lll report was received 11312006. Discovery of
condition was established as 612312006, which exceeded the required 180 day
timeframe for discovery. The repair was completed on 9/6/2006, which exceeded the
60-day repair timeframe criteria.
Under 49 United States Code, $ 60122, you are subject to a civil penalty not to exceed
$100,000 for each violation for each day the violations persists up to a maximum of
$1,000,000 for any related series of violations. We have reviewed the circumstances
and supporting documents involved in this case, and have decided not to conduct
additional enforcement action or penalty assessment proceedings at this time. We
advise you to correct the item(s) identified in this letter. Be advised that failure to do so
will result in KMEP being subject to additional enforcement action.
No reply to this letter is required. lf you choose to reply, in your correspondence please
refer to CPF 4-2007-5008W.
Sincerely,
4*-e6
R. M. Seeley
Director, Southwest Region
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
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