OPS Enforcement Actions:

The Office of Pipeline Safety is responsible for ensuring that all interstate hazardous liquid and natural gas transmission pipelines are periodically inspected. The main inspection goals are to ensure regulatory compliance and to identify and promptly deal with any potential safety or environmental problems. OPS has numerous enforcement tools that it may use to ensure compliance and safe operation of these pipeline systems. These tools include letters of concern, warning letters, notice of amendments, civil penalties, compliance orders, and corrective action orders. The Olympic Pipe Line system was last inspected prior to the accident in March 1999. Nine days after the June 10, 1999, accident, OPS issued a Corrective Action Order to address all known causal factors of the accident. On June 2, 2000, OPS issued a Proposed Civil Penalty to Olympic Pipe Line for $3.05 million for regulatory violations identified during the course of our accident investigation.

The most recent enforcement actions, excluding our Corrective Action Order, are presented in the pulldown screen below: