# PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC — Warning Letter

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 420155007W
- **title:** PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC — Warning Letter
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2015-03-31
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED warning letter citing 195.202, 195.214(a), 195.214(b), 195.228(a).
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- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-420155007w
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/420155007W
**body:**

Warning Letter involving PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulations as 195.202,  195.214(a),  195.214(b),  195.228(a). The case was opened on 2015-03-31 and is reported as closed as of 2015-03-31. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

420155007W_Operator Response to Notice_04242015.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420155007W/420155007W_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_04242015.pdf

420155007W_Warning_03312015.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420155007W/420155007W_Warning_03312015.pdf

420155007W_Warning_03312015_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/420155007W/420155007W_Warning_03312015_text.pdf

420155007W_Warning_03312015_text.pdf

WARNING LETTER
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
March 31, 2015
Mr. Todd Denton
President
Phillips 66 Pipeline LLC
3010 Briarpark Drive
Houston, TX 77042
CPF 4-2015-5007W
Dear Mr. Denton:
On February 9-12, 2015, a representative of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code inspected your
construction on the Triple C Project in Pasadena, TX.
As a result of the inspection, it appears that you have committed a probable violation of the
Pipeline Safety Regulations, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations. The items inspected and the
probable violation(s) are:
1. §195.228 Welds and welding inspection: Standards of acceptability.
(a) Each weld and welding must be inspected to insure compliance with the
requirements of this subpart. Visual inspection must be supplemented by
nondestructive testing.
Phillips 66 failed to visually inspect welds made during construction of the Triple C project as
required by §195.228. During the PHMSA inspection, Phillips 66 was unable to produce any



records or other documentation of visual inspection of the welds showing that they were found to
have met the requirements of Section 9 of API 1104 and the Phillips 66 welding procedures.
2. §195.214 Welding procedures
(a) Welding must be performed by a qualified welder in accordance with welding
procedures qualified under Section 5 of API Std 1104 or Section IX of the ASME
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (ASME BPVC) (incorporated by reference, see
§195.3). The quality of the test welds used to qualify the welding procedure shall be
determined by destructive testing.
(b) Each welding procedure must be recorded in detail, including the results of the
qualifying tests. This record must be retained and followed whenever the procedure
is used.
Phillips 66 failed to confirm that welds made during construction of the Triple C project were
done according to the qualified welding procedure (WPS# P1D). During the PHMSA
inspection, Phillips 66 was unable to produce any records or other documentation showing that
the welds were confirmed to have been made according to the essential variables and within the
parameters of the qualified welding procedure (i.e., within the ranges of voltage, amperage,
travel speed, appropriate number of passes, and using the specified electrodes, etc.). The
nondestructive examination (NDE) employed by Phillips 66 on the construction project can
determine if the welders introduced a defect into the weld that would cause the weld to be
rejected by the criteria in API 1104, Section 9. However, the NDE by itself cannot determine
that the weld was made within the parameters of the qualified welding procedure to ensure that
the weld has the same required strength and mechanical properties as the qualifying weld.
3. §195.202 Compliance with specifications or standards.
Each pipeline system must be constructed in accordance with comprehensive
written specifications or standards that are consistent with the requirements of this
part.
Phillips 66 failed to follow its specification, Welding Procedures and Welder Qualification,
P66PL-MPR-4401 during the construction of the Triple C project. During the PHMSA
inspection, Phillips 66 was unable to produce any records or other documentation showing that
the welding was performed according to the requirements of P66PL-MPR-4401, Section 8,
Production Welding. Paragraph 8.1.1 states, “Each weld must be thoroughly inspected to
identify any defect. All defects in the root pass must be repaired before welding is resumed
because defects in the root pass can propagate through the entire finished weld.” Section 8
effectively details nineteen additional items associated with the root bead pass, interpass welds,
and the completed weld that must be inspected. Phillips 66 could not provide any records or
documentation that these welding inspections had been performed.
2



Under 49 United States Code, § 60122, you are subject to a civil penalty not to exceed $200,000
per violation per day the violation persists up to a maximum of $2,000,000 for a related series of
violations. For violations occurring prior to January 4, 2012, the maximum penalty may not
exceed $100,000 per violation per day, with a maximum penalty not to exceed $1,000,000 for a
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.
Failure to do so will result in Phillips 66 being subject to additional enforcement action.
No reply to this letter is required. If you choose to reply, in your correspondence please refer to
CPF 4-2015-5007W. Be advised that all material you submit in response to this enforcement
action is subject to being made publicly available. If you believe that any portion of your
responsive material qualifies for confidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. 552(b), along with the
complete original document you must provide a second copy of the document with the portions
you believe qualify for confidential treatment redacted and an explanation of why you believe
the redacted information qualifies for confidential treatment under 5 U.S.C. 552(b).
Sincerely,
R.M. Seeley
Director, SW Region
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
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