PHMSA-07-17
Friday, April 28, 2017

News Digest

PHMSA Adjusts Maximum and Minimum Civil Penalties for Violations of Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a Final Rule to revise its regulations and increase the maximum civil penalty amount for violations of Federal pipeline safety law. The maximum civil penalty for a single violation is now $209,002 for each day the violation continues, or $2,090,022 for a related series of violations of Federal pipeline safety laws. Additionally, PHMSA may impose civil monetary penalties not to exceed $1,214 for a violation concerning employee protections or $76,352 for a violation concerning Liquefied Natural Gas operations. Under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, which further amended the Federal Civil Penalties, Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990, federal agencies are required to adjust their civil monetary penalties each year to account for changes in inflation. Contact for media: Pat Klinger (202) 366-4831.