# TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY — Notice of Probable Violation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 420101002
- **title:** TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY — Notice of Probable Violation
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2010-05-19
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.179(b)(1), 192.243(b), 192.745(a).
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- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/420101002
**body:**

Notice of Probable Violation involving TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulations as 192.179(b)(1),  192.243(b),  192.745(a). The case was opened on 2010-05-19 and is reported as closed as of 2012-01-26. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

420101002_Closure Letter_ 01262012_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_Closure%20Letter_%2001262012_text.pdf

420101002_Closure Letter_01262012.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_Closure%20Letter_01262012.pdf

420101002_FinalOrder_08232010.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_FinalOrder_08232010.pdf

420101002_FinalOrder_08232010_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_FinalOrder_08232010_text.pdf

420101002_NOPV PCO_05192010.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_NOPV%20PCO_05192010.pdf

420101002_NOPV PCO_05192010_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_NOPV%20PCO_05192010_text.pdf

420101002_Response to NOPV PCO_08172010.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420101002/420101002_Response%20to%20NOPV%20PCO_08172010.pdf

420101002_FinalOrder_08232010_text.pdf

AUG 23 2010
Mr. Larry Hjalmarson
Vice President, Operations
Williams Gas Pipeline Company, LLC
2800 Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056
Re: CPF No. 4-2010-1002
Dear Mr. Hjalmarson:
Enclosed please find the Final Order issued in the above-referenced case. It makes one finding
of violation and specifies actions that need to be taken by Williams Gas Pipeline Company, LLC,
to comply with the pipeline safety regulations. When the terms of the compliance order have
been completed, as determined by the Director, Southwest Region, this enforcement action will
be closed. Service of the Final Order by certified mail is deemed effective upon the date of
mailing, or as otherwise provided under 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey D. Wiese
Associate Administrator
for Pipeline Safety
Enclosure
cc: Mr. R.M. Seeley, Director, Southwest Region, PHMSA
CERTIFIED MAIL – RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED [7009 1410 0000 2472 2780



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590
____________________________________
)
In the Matter of )
)
Williams Gas Pipeline Company, LLC, ) CPF No. 4-2010-1002
)
Respondent. )
____________________________________)
FINAL ORDER
During August, September, and December 2009, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60117, a representative
of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline
Safety (OPS), conducted an on-site pipeline safety inspection of the facilities of Williams Gas
Pipeline Company, LLC (Williams or Respondent), in southern Louisiana. The OPS
representative inspected transmission, compression, storage, and metering facilities along the
Transcontinental Pipeline. Williams, a subsidiary of The Williams Companies, Inc., owns and
operates approximately 14,000 miles of gas transmission and gathering lines across the United
States, including the 10,000-mile Transcontinental Pipeline, which extends from Texas,
Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico to Atlantic seaboard states.
1
As a result of the inspection, the Director, Southwest Region, OPS (Director), issued to
Respondent, by letter dated May 19, 2010, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed
Compliance Order (Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed
finding that Williams had violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.179(b) and proposed ordering Respondent to
take certain measures to correct the alleged violation. The Notice also proposed finding that
Respondent had committed certain other probable violations of 49 C.F.R. Part 192 and warning
Respondent to take appropriate corrective action or be subject to future enforcement action.
An electronic record from the U.S. Postal Service confirms that Williams received the Notice on
May 24, 2010. Respondent failed to respond within 30 days of receipt of the Notice. Pursuant to
49 C.F.R. § 190.209(c), Respondent’s failure to respond constitutes a waiver of the company’s
right to contest the allegations in the Notice and authorizes the entry of this Final Order finding
the facts to be as alleged.
1 The Williams Companies, Inc., SEC Annual Report (Form 10-K), at 2 and 9 (Feb. 26, 2010). Respondent files
annual reports with PHMSA under the name Williams Gas Pipeline – Transco. Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line
Company, LLC (Transco) is a division of Williams Gas Pipeline Company, LLC.



2
FINDING OF VIOLATION
Williams has waived its right to contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated 49 C.F.R. Part
192, as follows:
Item 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.179(b), which states in
relevant part:
§ 192.179 – Transmission line valves.
(a) . . . .
(b) Each sectionalizing block valve on a transmission line, other than
offshore segments, must comply with the following:
(1) The valve and the operating device to open or close the valve must
be readily accessible and protected from tampering and damage.
The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.179(b) by failing to protect
sectionalizing block valves from tampering and damage. Specifically, the Notice alleged that the
chain on a block valve at Cow Island was not secured, which left the valve vulnerable to
tampering or damage. The Notice also alleged that the block valves at the company’s Gueydan
meter station used decorative chains that provided inadequate security. Respondent’s failure to
respond authorizes PHMSA to find these facts to be as alleged. Accordingly, based upon a
review of all of the evidence, I find that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.179(b) by failing to
protect sectionalizing block valves from tampering and damage.
COMPLIANCE ORDER
The Notice proposed a compliance order with respect to Item 1 in the Notice for violation of 49
C.F.R. § 192.179(b). Under 49 U.S.C. § 60118(a), each person who engages in the
transportation of gas or who owns or operates a pipeline facility is required to comply with the
applicable safety standards established under chapter 601. Pursuant to the authority of 49 U.S.C.
§ 60118(b) and 49 C.F.R. § 190.217, Respondent is ordered to take the following actions to
ensure compliance with the pipeline safety regulations applicable to its operations:
With respect to the violation of § 192.179(b), Respondent must:
1. Within 90 days of receipt of this Final Order, survey all transmission line
sectionalizing block valves and replace all decorative style chain and other non-
secure means of protection with security chain or other secure means of protection to
ensure that valves are protected from tampering.
2. Maintain documentation of the safety improvement costs associated with fulfilling
this Compliance Order and submit the total to the Director. Costs shall be reported in
two categories: 1) total cost associated with preparation/revision of plans, procedures,
studies, and analyses, and 2) total cost associated with replacements, additions, and
other changes to pipeline infrastructure.



3
3. Complete each of the above items and submit documentation of compliance to the
Director, Southwest Region, Office of Pipeline Safety, 8701 South Gessner Dr. Suite
1110, Houston, TX 77074-2949.
The Director may grant an extension of time to comply with any of the required items upon a
written request timely submitted by the Respondent and demonstrating good cause for an
extension.
Failure to comply with this Order may result in the administrative assessment of civil penalties
not to exceed $100,000 for each violation for each day the violation continues or in referral to the
Attorney General for appropriate relief in a district court of the United States.
WARNING ITEMS
With respect to Items 2 and 3, the Notice alleged probable violations of Part 192 but did not
propose a civil penalty or compliance order for these items. Therefore, these are considered to
be warning items. The warnings were for:
49 C.F.R. § 192.243(b) (Item 2) ─ Respondent’s alleged failure to perform
nondestructive testing of welds in accordance with its written procedures.
Specifically, the Notice alleged that Williams performed nondestructive testing of
welds in 2007, and that the company could not demonstrate that during this
testing it complied with applicable procedures relating to densitometers, film
density, radiographic procedure qualification reports, and NDE work reports; and
49 C.F.R. § 192.745(a) (Item 3) ─ Respondent’s alleged failure to inspect and
partially operate a transmission line with the required frequency. Specifically, the
Notice alleged that Respondent could not provide documentation that it had
inspected a particular isolation valve during the 2007 calendar year.
Accordingly, having considered such information, I find, pursuant to 49 C.F.R. § 190.205, that
probable violations of 49 C.F.R. § 192.243(b) (Notice Item 2) and 49 C.F.R. § 192.745(a)
(Notice Item 3) have occurred and Respondent is hereby advised to correct such conditions. In
the event that OPS finds a violation of any of these items in a subsequent inspection, Respondent
may be subject to future enforcement action.
Under 49 C.F.R. § 190.215, Respondent has a right to submit a Petition for Reconsideration of
this Final Order. The petition must be sent to: Associate Administrator, Office of Pipeline
Safety, PHMSA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, East Building, 2nd Floor, Washington, DC
20590, with a copy sent to the Office of Chief Counsel, PHMSA, at the same address. PHMSA
will accept petitions received no later than 20 days after receipt of this Final Order by the
Respondent, provided they contain a brief statement of the issue(s) and meet all other
requirements of 49 C.F.R. § 190.215. The terms of the Final Order, including any required



4
corrective action, shall remain in full force and effect unless the Associate Administrator, upon
request, grants a stay. The terms and conditions of this Final Order are effective upon service in
accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.
___________________________________ __________________________
Jeffrey D. Wiese Date Issued
Associate Administrator
for Pipeline Safety

420101002_Closure Letter_ 01262012_text.pdf

CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
January 26, 2012
Mr. Larry Hjarlmarson
Vice President, Operations
Williams Gas Pipelines
2800 Post Oak Blvd
Houston, TX 77056
CPF 4-2010-1002
Dear Mr. Hjarlmarson:
On August 23, 2010, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
issued to Williams Gas Pipelines a Final Order in the above-referenced case. This Order
included a Compliance Order. Based on our review of the documentation you provided, it has
been determined that you have complied with the terms of this Order.
Accordingly, this case is now closed and no further action is contemplated with respect to the
matters involved in this case. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
R. M. Seeley
Director, Southwest region
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration

420101002_Closure Letter_01262012.pdf

U.S. Department 8701 South Gessner, Suite 1110
Houston, TX 77074
of Transportation
Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
January 26, 2012
Mr. Larry Hjarlmarson
Vice President, Operations
Williams Gas Pipelines
2800 Post Oak Blvd
Houston, TX 77056
CPF 4-2010-1002
Dear Mr. Hjarlmarson:
On August 23 , 2010, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)
issued to Williams Gas Pipelines a Final Order in the above-referenced case. This Order
included a Compliance Order. Based on our review of the documentation you provided, it has
been determined that you have complied with the terms of this Order.
Accordingly, this case is now closed and no further action is contemplated with respect to the
matters involved in this case. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
R. M. Seeley
Director, Southwest region
Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration
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