{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 420111001","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":"2011-01-05","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.739(a).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-420111001.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-420111001.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-420111001","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/420111001","body":"Notice of Probable Violation involving TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.739(a). The case was opened on 2011-01-05 and is reported as closed as of 2011-06-24. Proposed civil penalty: $23,800. Assessed civil penalty: $23,800. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n420111001_Final Order_06242011.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420111001/420111001_Final%20Order_06242011.pdf\n\n420111001_Final Order_06242011_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420111001/420111001_Final%20Order_06242011_text.pdf\n\n420111001_NOPV PCP_01052011.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420111001/420111001_NOPV%20PCP_01052011.pdf\n\n420111001_NOPV PCP_01052011_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420111001/420111001_NOPV%20PCP_01052011_text.pdf\n\n420111001_Operator Response to Notice_01312011.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420111001/420111001_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_01312011.pdf\n\n420111001_Final Order_06242011_text.pdf\n\nJUN 24 2011\nMr. Randall L. Barnard\nPresident, Gas Pipeline and Director\nWilliams Gas Pipeline – Transco\n2800 Post Oak Boulevard\nPO Box 1396, MD 11324\nLevel Twelve (12)\nHouston, Texas 77056\nRe: CPF No. 4-2011-1001\nDear Mr. Barnard:\nEnclosed please find the Final Order issued in the above-referenced case. It makes findings of\nviolation and assesses a civil penalty of $23,800. This is to acknowledge receipt of payment of\nthe full penalty amount, by wire transfer, dated January 13, 2011. Therefore, this enforcement\naction is now closed. Service of the Final Order by certified mail is deemed effective upon the\ndate of mailing, or as otherwise provided under 49 C.F.R. § 190.5.\nThank you for your cooperation in this matter.\nSincerely,\nJeffrey D. Wiese\nAssociate Administrator\nfor Pipeline Safety\nEnclosure\ncc: Mr. Alan Mayberry, Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations, Pipeline Safety\nMr. R.M. Seeley, Director, Southwest Region, PHMSA\nMr. Hjalmarson, Vice President, Williams Gas Pipeline – Transco, 2800 Post Oak\nBoulevard, PO Box 1396, MD 11324,Level Twelve (12), Houston, Texas 77056\nCERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED [7005 1160 0001 0075 9411]\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 )\nTranscontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC, )\na subsidiary of Williams Partners L.P., )\nalso known as Williams Gas Pipeline- Transco, ) CPF No. 4-2011-1001\n)\n)\n)\nRespondent. )\n____________________________________________ )\nFINAL ORDER\nOn October 18-20 and October 25-28, 2010, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60117, a representative of\nthe Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety\n(OPS), conducted an on-site pipeline safety inspection of the facilities and records of Williams\nGas Pipeline - Transco (WGP or Respondent) in the Cypress Division District that runs from\nEdna, Texas to Kinder, Louisiana. At the time of the inspection, WGP operated three major\nnatural gas transmission pipelines that deliver approximately 14 percent of the natural gas\noperates an interstate natural gas transportation system that covers 10,000 miles and serves major\nmarkets in New York City, Atlanta, and the Mid-Atlantic region.\nconsumed in the United States.1 Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco)\nAs a result of the inspection, the Director, Southwest Region, OPS (Director), issued to\nRespondent, by letter dated January 5, 2011, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Civil\nPenalty (Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed finding that\nWGP violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.739(a) and proposed assessing a civil penalty of $23,800 for the\nalleged violation.\nWGP responded to the Notice by letter dated January 31, 2011 (Response). The company did\nnot contest the allegation of violation and paid the proposed civil penalty of $23,800, as provided\nin 49 C.F.R. § 190.227. Payment of the penalty serves to close the case with prejudice to the\nRespondent.\nFINDING OF VIOLATION\nIn its Response, WGP did not contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated 49 C.F.R. Part\n192, as follows:\n1 See http://www.williams.com/gas_pipeline/. (last accessed on May 6, 2011)\n\n\n\n2\nItem 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.739(a), which states:\n§ 192.739 Pressure limiting and regulating stations: Inspection and testing.\n(a) Each pressure limiting station, relief device (except rupture discs),\nand pressure regulating station and its equipment must be\nsubjected at intervals not exceeding 15 months, but at least once\neach calendar year, to inspections and tests to determine that it is-\n(1) In good mechanical condition;\n(2) Adequate from the standpoint of capacity and reliability of\noperation for the service in which it is employed;\n(3) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, set to control\nor relieve at the correct pressure consistent with the pressure limits\nof § 192.201(a); and\n(4) Properly installed and protected from dirt, liquids, or other\nconditions that might prevent proper operation.\nThe Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.739(a) by failing to inspect and test\nrelief devices at intervals not to exceed 15 months and at least once each calendar year.\nSpecifically, the Notice alleged that WGP failed to inspect and properly operate relief devices for\neight compressor units at Station 45 in accordance with the regulatory timeframe. WGP\nregulator, relief valve and other overpressure protection device used in natural gas service once\neach calendar year, not to exceed 15 months. . .\n” However, WGP’s Relief Valve Inspection\nReports indicate that inspection and testing of the eight compressor units at Station 45 occurred\non various dates in the months of December 2006 and January 2008. Respondent conducted no\ninspections of these compressor units in 2007 and therefore failed to meet the calendar year\nmandate for inspection and testing of relief devices.\nOperations & Maintenance Manual2 states that “It is the policy of WGP to inspect and test each\nRespondent did not contest this allegation of violation.\nAccordingly, based upon a review of all of the evidence, I find that Respondent violated 49\nC.F.R. § 192.739(a) by failing to inspect and test relief valves at intervals not to exceed 15\nmonths and at least once every calendar year. I assess Respondent a civil penalty of $23,800 for\nthe violation, which has been paid.\nThe terms and conditions of this Final Order are effective upon service in accordance with 49\nC.F.R. § 190.5.\n___________________________________ __________________________\nJeffrey D. Wiese Date Issued\nAssociate Administrator\nfor Pipeline Safety\n2 Measurement Policy 60.02.00.13: “Regulator and Overpressure Protection Systems,” Frequency 2.1.","truncated":false,"body_characters":7061}