# KERN RIVER GAS TRANSMISSION CO — Notice of Amendment

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 520121005M
- **title:** KERN RIVER GAS TRANSMISSION CO — Notice of Amendment
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2012-03-22
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED notice of amendment citing 192.805(b).
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520121005m.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520121005m.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520121005m
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/520121005M
**body:**

Notice of Amendment involving KERN RIVER GAS TRANSMISSION CO. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.805(b). The case was opened on 2012-03-22 and is reported as closed as of 2012-07-31. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

520121005M_closure letter_07312012.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520121005M/520121005M_closure%20letter_07312012.pdf

520121005M_closure letter_07312012_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520121005M/520121005M_closure%20letter_07312012_text.pdf

520121005M_notice of amendment_03222012.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520121005M/520121005M_notice%20of%20amendment_03222012.pdf

520121005M_notice of amendment_03222012_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520121005M/520121005M_notice%20of%20amendment_03222012_text.pdf

520121005M_Operator_Response_05212012.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520121005M/520121005M_Operator_Response_05212012.pdf

520121005M_closure letter_07312012_text.pdf

CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
July 31, 2012
Mr. Robert Checketts
Vice President
Operations, IT and Engineering
Kern River Gas Transmission Company
2755 East Cottonwood Pkwy., Suite 300
Salt Lake City, Utah 84121
CPF 5-2012-1005M
Closure Letter
Dear Mr. Checketts:
On April 12-14, 2011, a representative from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA), pursuant to chapter 601 of 49 United States Code, conducted an on-site
pipeline safety inspection of Kern River Gas Transmission Company’s (Kern River) Qualification
procedures in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a result of the inspection, Kern River Gas Transmission
Company was issued a Notice of Amendment on March 22, 2012, which required revision of your
procedures.
Kern River submitted its amended procedures on May 21, 2012. My staff reviewed the amended
procedures, and it appears that the inadequacies presented in this Notice of Amendment have been
corrected.
This letter is to inform you no further action is necessary and this case is now closed. Thank you for
your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Chris Hoidal
Director, Western Region
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
cc: PHP-60 Compliance Registry



PHP-500 J. Haddow(#128585)
5.9 Sample NOA Closure Letter (7/5/95)

520121005M_notice of amendment_03222012_text.pdf

NOTICE OF AMENDMENT
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
March 22, 2012
Mr. Robert Checketts
Vice President
Operations, IT and Engineering
Kern River Gas Transmission
2755 E. Cottonwood Pkwy., Ste. 300
Salt Lake City, UT 84121
CPF 5-2012-1005M
Dear Mr. Checketts:
On April 12-14, 2011, representatives of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA), pursuant to Chapter 601 of 49 United States Code, inspected Kern
River Gas Transmission Company’s (Kern River) procedures and implementing records for
their Operator Qualification (OQ) program at the Salt Lake City, Utah office.
On the basis of the inspection, PHMSA identified apparent inadequacies within Kern River’s
OQ procedures, as described below:
1. §192.805 Qualification program.
Each operator shall have and follow a written qualification program. The
program shall include provisions to:
(b) Ensure through evaluation that individuals performing covered tasks are
qualified;
Kern River’s OQ procedures do not include provisions to cover personnel performing
“covered tasks”. The Operator Qualification procedures did not include a process to ensure
contracted staff are trained and evaluated with respect to duties performed under Kern River’s
Operation and Maintenance Manual.



Response to this Notice
This Notice is provided pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 60108(a) and 49 C.F.R. § 190.237. Enclosed
as part of this Notice is a document entitled Response Options for Pipeline Operators in
Compliance Proceedings. Please refer to this document and note the response options. 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). If you do not respond
within 30 days of receipt of this Notice, this constitutes a waiver of your right to contest the
allegations in this Notice and authorizes the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety to
find facts as alleged in this Notice without further notice to you and to issue a Final Order.
If, after opportunity for a hearing, your plans or procedures are found inadequate as alleged in
this Notice, you may be ordered to amend your plans or procedures to correct the inadequacies
(49 C.F.R. § 190.237). If you are not contesting this Notice, we propose that you submit your
amended procedures to my office within 60 days of receipt of this Notice. This period may be
extended by written request for good cause. Once the inadequacies identified herein have been
addressed in your amended procedures, this enforcement action will be closed.
It is requested (not mandated) that Kern River maintain documentation of the safety
improvement costs associated with fulfilling this Notice of Amendment (preparation/revision
of plans, procedures) and submit the total to Chris Hoidal, Director, Western, Pipeline and
Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. In correspondence concerning this matter, please
refer to CPF 5-2012-1005M and, for each document you submit, please provide a copy in
electronic format whenever possible.
Sincerely,
Chris Hoidal
Director, Western Region
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Enclosure: Response Options for Pipeline Operators in Compliance Proceedings
cc: PHP-60 Compliance Registry
PHP-500 J. Haddow (#128585)
- **truncated:** false
- **body characters:** 6134
