# ALPINE TRANSPORTATION CO. — Warning Letter

- **operation:** document
- **citation:** CPF 520195006W
- **title:** ALPINE TRANSPORTATION CO. — Warning Letter
- **source type:** enforcement
- **agency:** Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
- **status:** historical
- **official:** true
- **published on:** 2019-07-15
- **effective on:** Not available
- **summary:** CLOSED warning letter citing 195.452(k).
- **machine formats:** - **json:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520195006w.json
- **markdown:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520195006w.md
- **app url:** https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-enforcement-520195006w
- **source url:** https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-data/case/520195006W
**body:**

Warning Letter involving ALPINE TRANSPORTATION CO.. PHMSA's enforcement data identifies the cited regulation as 195.452(k). The case was opened on 2019-07-15 and is reported as closed as of 2019-07-15. Open the official case record for notices, responses, orders, and the latest status.

Official case documents:

520195006W_Operator Response to Notice_08282019.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520195006W/520195006W_Operator%20Response%20to%20Notice_08282019.pdf

520195006W_Warning Letter_07152019.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520195006W/520195006W_Warning%20Letter_07152019.pdf

520195006W_Warning Letter_07152019_text.pdf: https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/enforcement-documents/520195006W/520195006W_Warning%20Letter_07152019_text.pdf

520195006W_Warning Letter_07152019_text.pdf

WARNING LETTER
CERTIFIED MAIL - RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
July 15, 2019
Mr. Scott Jepsen
President
Alpine Transportation Company
P.O. Box 100360
Anchorage, AK 99501
CPF 5-2019-5006W
Dear Mr. Jepsen:
From February 25 through March 1, 2019, and from March 11 through 15, 2019, representatives of
the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), pursuant to Chapter 601 of
49 United States Code (U.S.C.), inspected your Alpine Crude Pipeline located on the North Slope
of Alaska and related documents in Anchorage, Alaska.
As a result of the inspection, it is alleged that you have committed probable violations of the
Pipeline Safety Regulations, Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The items inspected
and the probable violations are:
1. § 195.452 Pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas.
(a) …
(k) What methods to measure program effectiveness must be used? An operator's
program must include methods to measure whether the program is effective in
assessing and evaluating the integrity of each pipeline segment and in protecting the
high consequence areas. See Appendix C of this part for guidance on methods that
can be used to evaluate a program's effectiveness.



The operator failed to perform, in a timely manner, periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of its
integrity management program in assessing and evaluating the integrity of each pipeline segment
and in protecting the high consequence areas. Specifically, when requested to provide
documentation of periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of its integrity management program,
the operator initially provided performance measures results for 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014, and
stated that effectiveness evaluations were not conducted for the time periods between 2015 and
2018. Subsequent to PHMSA’s initial request, the operator performed evaluations of the
effectiveness of its integrity management program for 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, and provided
the results to PHMSA at the end of the inspection. As such, the operator failed to perform periodic
evaluations of the effectiveness of its integrity management program for 2015, 2016, and 2017 in a
timely manner.
Under 49 U.S.C. § 60122 and 49 CFR § 190.223, you are subject to a civil penalty not to exceed
$213,268 per violation per day the violation persists, up to a maximum of $2,132,679 for a related
series of violations. For violation occurring on or after November 2, 2015 and before November
27, 2018, the maximum penalty may not exceed $209,002 per violation per day, with a maximum
penalty not to exceed $2,090,022. For violations occurring prior to November 2, 2015, the
maximum penalty may not exceed $200,000 per violation per day, with a maximum penalty not to
exceed $2,000,000 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
items identified in this letter. Failure to do so will result in Alpine Transportation Company 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 5-2019-5006W. 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,
Dustin B. Hubbard
Director, Western Region
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
cc: Wes Olson, DOT Program Coordinator
PHP-60 Compliance Registry
PHP-500 J. Gano/T. Johnson (#163823)
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