PHMSA Publishes Pipeline Civil Penalty Structure Online. The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today announced it has made a pipeline civil penalty framework available on its website. A respondent in an enforcement case may request a proposed civil penalty calculation related to that case. PHMSA also announced that it will, as appropriate, issue higher penalties, which serve as a strong deterrence, driving down incident risk. For more information on DOT's efforts to improve pipeline and hazardous materials safety and awareness, including details about PHMSA's pipeline civil penalty framework, visit www.phmsa.dot.gov.