Listing of Proposed Civil Penalties

This report lists all of the enforcement cases in which civil penalties are proposed for a given year, beginning in 2002. The yearly tables include the date the case was opened, the name of the operator involved, the PHMSA Region initiating the enforcement action(s), the date the case was closed (when applicable), the total civil penalty proposed, the current status of the case, and the PHMSA case number. When PHMSA identifies a probable violation following an inspection or incident investigation, it may decide to propose a civil penalty by issuing the operator a Notice of Probable Violation (NOPV). NOPVs inform the operator that PHMSA is charging the operator with probable violations of pipeline safety statutes or regulations. These allegations are accompanied by either a proposed Compliance Order identifying actions the operator is required to take, proposed civil penalties for these alleged violations, or both. An operator has the right to respond and a right to an administrative hearing before a final decision by the Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety. Only after a Final Order has been issued and all compliance terms satisfied and civil penalties paid is a case considered "closed." The administrative enforcement procedures and other regulations governing the enforcement program are described in 49 CFR 190 Subpart B "Enforcement."