# TRANSCOLORADO GAS TRANSMISSION COMPANY LLC — Notice of Probable Violation

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 520141004
- **title:** TRANSCOLORADO GAS TRANSMISSION COMPANY LLC — Notice of Probable Violation
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2014-12-08
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED notice of probable violation citing 192.731(a).
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520141004.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520141004.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520141004
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/520141004
**body:**

Notice of Probable Violation involving TRANSCOLORADO GAS TRANSMISSION COMPANY LLC. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 192.731(a). The case was opened on 2014-12-08 and is reported as closed as of 2015-04-17. Proposed civil penalty: $33,100. Assessed civil penalty: $33,100. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

520141004_Final Order_04172015.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520141004/520141004_Final%20Order_04172015.pdf

520141004_Final Order_04172015_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520141004/520141004_Final%20Order_04172015_text.pdf

520141004_NOPV PCP_12082014.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520141004/520141004_NOPV%20PCP_12082014.pdf

520141004_NOPV PCP_12082014_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520141004/520141004_NOPV%20PCP_12082014_text.pdf

520141004_Operator Response to Notice_01162015.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520141004/520141004_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_01162015.pdf

520141004_Final Order_04172015_text.pdf

April 17, 2015
Mr. Gary Buchler
Vice-President, Operations and Engineering
Kinder Morgan, Inc.
1001 Louisiana Street, Suite 1000
Houston, Texas 77002
Re: CPF No. 5-2014-1004
Dear Mr. Buchler:
Enclosed please find the Final Order issued to your subsidiary, TransColorado Gas Transmission
Company, LLC. It makes findings of violation and assesses a civil penalty of $33,100. This is
to acknowledge receipt of payment of the full penalty amount, by wire transfer, dated January
14, 2015. This enforcement action is now 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. Chris Hoidal, Director, Western Region, OPS
Mr. Richard D. Kinder, Chairman of the Board & CEO, Kinder Morgan, Inc.



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PIPELINE AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SAFETY ADMINISTRATION
OFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590
In the Matter of )
TransColorado Gas Transmission Company, LLC, ) CPF No. 5-2014-1004
a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc., )
Respondent. )
)
)
)
)
FINAL ORDER
Between April 7-11, 2014, 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 and records of TransColorado
Gas Transmission Company, LLC,’s (TransColorado or Respondent) South Unit, in Grand
Junction, Colorado. TransColorado, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc. (Kinder Morgan), is a
300-mile natural gas transmission pipeline that runs from the Greasewood area pipeline in Rio
Blanco County, Colorado, to San Juan County, New Mexico.1
As a result of the inspection, the Director, Western Region, OPS (Director), issued to
Respondent, by letter dated December 8, 2014, a Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed
Civil Penalty (Notice). In accordance with 49 C.F.R. § 190.207, the Notice proposed finding
that TransColorado had violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a) and assessing a civil penalty of $33,100
for the alleged violation.
Kinder Morgan responded to the Notice by letter dated January 16, 2015 (Response). The
company did not contest the allegation of violation and paid the proposed civil penalty of
$33,100, as provided in 49 C.F.R. § 190.227, on January 14, 2015. Payment of the penalty
serves to close the case with prejudice to the Respondent.
FINDING OF VIOLATION
In its Response, Respondent did not contest the allegation in the Notice that it violated
49 C.F.R. Part 192, as follows:
1 Kinder Morgan, Inc., website, available at:
http://www.kindermorgan.com/pages/business/gas_pipelines/west/TransColorado/default.aspx (last accessed
February 9, 2015).



CPF No. 5-2014-1004
Page 2
Item 1: The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a), which states:
§ 192.731 Compressor stations: Inspection and testing of relief
devices.
(a) Except for rupture discs, each pressure relieving device in a
compressor station must be inspected and tested in accordance with
§§ 192.739 and 192.743, and must be operated periodically to determine
that it opens at the correct set pressure.
The Notice alleged that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a) by failing to inspect and test
the relief valve at its Blanco Compressor Station. Specifically, the Notice alleged that
Respondent’s annual inspection and testing of its relief valve at the station Blanco Compressor
Station was not performed within the required regulatory interval of once per calendar year but not
exceeding 15 months, as required under § 192.739(a). The Notice further alleged that according
to Respondent’s Blanco Compressor Station, Relief Valve Summary Report for Relief Valves,
1029-2927-RVO, the relief valve was inspected and tested on August 15, 2012, but not again until
December 18, 2013. This exceeds the maximum allowable inspection and test interval by one
month and three days.
Respondent did not contest this allegation of violation. Accordingly, based upon a review of all
of the evidence, I find that Respondent violated 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a) by failing to inspect and
test relief valves once per calendar year but not exceeding 15 months.
This finding of violation will be considered a prior offense in any subsequent enforcement action
taken against Respondent.
ASSESSMENT OF PENALTY
Under 49 U.S.C. § 60122, Respondent is subject to an administrative civil penalty not to exceed
$200,000 per violation for each day of the violation, up to a maximum of $2,000,000 for any
related series of violations. In determining the amount of a civil penalty under 49 U.S.C.
§ 60122 and 49 C.F.R. § 190.225, I must consider the following criteria: the nature,
circumstances, and gravity of the violation, including adverse impact on the environment; the
degree of Respondent’s culpability; the history of Respondent’s prior offenses; and any effect
that the penalty may have on its ability to continue doing business; and the good faith of
Respondent in attempting to comply with the pipeline safety regulations. In addition, I may
consider the economic benefit gained from the violation without any reduction because of
subsequent damages, and such other matters as justice may require. The Notice proposed a total
civil penalty of $33,100 for the violation cited above.
Item 1: The Notice proposed a civil penalty of $33,100 for Respondent’s violation of 49 C.F.R.
§ 192.731(a), for failing to inspect and test relief valves once per calendar year but not exceeding
15 months. Respondent neither contested the allegation nor presented any evidence or argument
justifying a reduction in the proposed penalty. Accordingly, having reviewed the record and



CPF No. 5-2014-1004
Page 3
considered the assessment criteria, including the nature, circumstances, and gravity of the
violation, and the degree of Respondent’s culpability, I assess Respondent a civil penalty of
$33,100 for violation of 49 C.F.R. § 192.731(a), which amount has already been remitted.
In summary, having reviewed the record and considered the assessment criteria for each of the
Items cited above, I assess Respondent a total civil penalty of $33,100.
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
- **truncated:** false
- **body characters:** 7725