{"operation":"document","citation":"CPF 520101005","title":"GAS TRANSMISSION NORTHWEST LLC — Notice of Probable Violation","source_type":"enforcement","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"historical","official":true,"published_on":"2010-09-21","effective_on":null,"summary":"CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.465(d).","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520101005.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520101005.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520101005","source_url":"https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/520101005","body":"Notice of Probable Violation involving GAS TRANSMISSION NORTHWEST LLC. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.465(d). The case was opened on 2010-09-21 and is reported as closed as of 2011-05-27. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.\n\nOfficial case documents:\n\n520101005_FinalOrder_05272011.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520101005/520101005_FinalOrder_05272011.pdf\n\n520101005_FinalOrder_05272011_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520101005/520101005_FinalOrder_05272011_text.pdf\n\n520101005_NOPV PCO_09212010.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520101005/520101005_NOPV%20PCO_09212010.pdf\n\n520101005_NOPV PCO_09212010_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520101005/520101005_NOPV%20PCO_09212010_text.pdf\n\n520101005_operator response_10182010.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520101005/520101005_operator%20response_10182010.pdf\n\n520101005_FinalOrder_05272011_text.pdf\n\nMAY 27 2011\nMr. Ken Leier\nRegion Director\nU.S. Western Pipe Region\nTransCanada Corporation\n201 West North River Drive, Suite 505\nSpokane, WA 99201\nRe: CPF No. 5-2010-1005\nDear Mr. Leier:\nEnclosed please find the Final Order issued in the above-referenced case. It makes a finding of\nviolation and finds that TransCanada has completed the actions specified in the Notice to comply\nwith the pipeline safety regulations. Therefore, this case is now closed. Service of the Final\nOrder by certified mail is deemed effective upon the date of mailing, or as otherwise provided\nunder 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. Chris Hoidal, Director, Western Region, PHMSA\nCERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED [7005 1160 0001 0075 9312]\n\n\n\nU.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION\nPIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION\nOFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY\nWASHINGTON, D.C. 20590\n____________________________________\n)\nIn the Matter of )\n)\nTransCanada Corporation, ) CPF No. 5-2010-1005\n)\nRespondent. )\n____________________________________)\nFINAL ORDER\nBetween August 24 to 27, 2009, and September 8 to 11, 2009, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60117, a\nrepresentative of the Washington Utilities Commission (WUTC), as agent for the Pipeline and\nHazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS),\nconducted an on-site pipeline safety inspection of the facilities and records of TransCanada\nTransCanada’s Rosalia District, an area in the eastern part of the State that includes\napproximately 201 miles of interstate natural gas transmission lines in Spokane and Whitman\nCorporation (TransCanada or Respondent) in the State of Washington.1 The inspection covered\nCounties.\nAs a result of the inspection, the Director, Western Region, OPS (Director), issued to\nRespondent, by letter dated September 21, 2010, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed\nCompliance Order (Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed\nfinding that TransCanada had violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.465(d) and proposed ordering\nRespondent to take certain measures to correct the alleged violation.\nTransCanada responded to the Notice by letters dated October 18, 2010, and December 8, 2010\n(Response). The company did not contest the allegation of violation but provided information\nconcerning the corrective actions it had taken. Respondent did not request a hearing and\ntherefore has waived its right to one.\nFINDING OF VIOLATION\nIn its Response, TransCanada did not contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated 49\nC.F.R. Part 192, as follows:\nItem 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.465(d), which states:\n§ 192.465 External corrosion control: Monitoring.\n(a) . . .\n1 http://www.transcanada.com/ (last accessed on May 10, 2011).\n\n\n\n2\n(d) Each operator shall take prompt remedial action to correct any\ndeficiencies indicated by the monitoring.\nThe Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.465(d) by failing to take prompt\nremedial action to correct deficiencies indicated by corrosion control monitoring. Specifically,\nthe Notice alleged that TransCanada failed to take prompt action to correct deficiencies in the\npipe-to-soil readings discovered at the Spokane Gate/Meter Station in 2007. The Notice alleged\nthat the 6-inch buried piping between the heater unit and meter building had a pipe-to-soil “on”\npotential value of approximately -443 mv DC at the time of the 2009 inspection, and that the\nnative potential at that location had been measured at -229 mv DC in 2006. The Notice further\nalleged that this location had an “off” potential value of -210 mv DC at the time of the 2009\ninspection, and that TransCanada had not taken any steps to remediate its cathodic protection\nsystem since 2007.\nRespondent did not contest this allegation of violation. Accordingly, based upon a review of all\nof the evidence, I find that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.465(d) by failing to take prompt\nremedial action to correct deficiencies indicated by corrosion control monitoring.\nCOMPLIANCE ORDER\nThe Notice proposed a compliance order with respect to Item 1 in the Notice for a violation of 49\nC.F.R. § 192.465(d). Under 49 U.S.C. § 60118(a), each person who engages in the\ntransportation of gas or who owns or operates a pipeline facility is required to comply with the\napplicable safety standards established under chapter 601. The Director indicates that\nRespondent has taken the following actions specified in the proposed compliance order:\n1. With respect to the violation of § 192.465(d) (Item 1), Respondent has taken steps\nto address the deficiencies identified in its corrosion control monitoring. Specifically,\nTransCanada has installed additional anodes and a flange insulation kit to improve the\nperformance of its cathodic protection system and performed testing to ensure that its\npipe-to-soil potential at the location meets the specified criteria. In March 2011,\nWUTC confirmed that these measures had been properly implemented in a follow-up\ninspection of the Rosalia District.\nAccordingly, I find that compliance has been achieved with respect to this violation. Therefore,\nthe compliance terms proposed in the Notice are not included in this Order.\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","truncated":false,"body_characters":6651}