Pipeline Safety Trust @pstrust.bsky.social:
The operator and its contracted welder, Republic Testing Laboratories, physically blocked and verbally harassed Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) inspectors as they attempted to conduct routine inspections on the 24-inch Delhi pipeline segment
“If the allegations in PHMSA’s notice are true, it displays a brazen disregard for appropriate safety oversight. No industry polices itself well, so strong and effective regulators, including inspectors, are necessary to keep our communities safe.”
“One hoped that Denbury and the contractors it employs would display some humility after sending an entire town to the hospital while it rebuilds its failed pipeline, but instead we see this inexcusable behavior.”
Denbury Gulf Coast Pipelines Assessed over $2 Million Civil Penalty for Obstructing and Preventing PHMSA Inspection on Welding Procedure During Replacement of Pipeline that Ruptured Near Satartia, MS by Kenneth Clarkson, Feb 7, 2025, Pipeline Safety Trust
The operator and its contracted welder, Republic Testing Laboratories, physically blocked and verbally harassed Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) inspectors as they attempted to conduct routine inspections on the 24-inch Delhi pipeline segment.
Bellingham, WASHINGTON – [Feb. 07, 2025] – In Sept. 2023, the federal pipeline regulator PHMSA sent inspectors to La Porte, Texas to conduct an inspection at the Republic Testing Laboratories’ facility. Republic had been contracted by Denbury to assist in the replacement of the segment of its Delhi pipeline that notably ruptured in Feb. 2020, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the town of Satartia, MS, and sending 45 people to the hospital.
In its issued Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Civil Penalty, PHMSA detailed six separate instances from Sept. 6 to the 11, 2023 where Denbury and Republic employees prevented PHMSA inspectors from conducting safety inspections. Inspections such as these can ultimately save lives and prevent future pipelines incidents from happening.
PHMSA’s enforcement action details a pattern of aggressive interference with safety inspections, including:
- On Sept. 6, a PHMSA inspector is physically blocked by Denbury and Republic Employees from interviewing a Republic welder working on the project. Republic’s welding engineer pushes the inspector and then physically separates them to prevent the interview.
- On Sept. 7, Denbury and Republic employees lie to PHMSA about when they will be conducting welds, preventing PHMSA inspection. Denbury and Republic personnel, seemingly intentionally, conduct important destructive testing without PHMSA inspectors present.
- On Sept. 11, PHMSA inspectors are obstructed from viewing a welding procedure qualification; a large, orange opaque screen is placed in front of the inspectors obscuring their vision.
- On Sept. 11, A Republic employee mocks and verbally assaults a PHMSA inspector after the inspector points out noticeable defects on a weld. The Republic employee makes a sexist comment toward the PHMSA inspector, who then must leave the facility out of concern for their own safety. PHMSA requested the employee be reassigned to accommodate the inspector’s personal safety needs, yet Republic keeps the employee in the same role.
- From Sept. 6 to Sept. 11, PHMSA inspectors are refused access to important data on welds being conducted.
- On Sept. 11, Denbury and Republic employees prevented PHMSA inspectors from photographing readings from test equipment.
In response to these six serious accounts of interference and obstruction by Denbury and Republic, PHMSA issued a civil penalty of $2,366,900. Both Denbury and Republic personnel were notified of the penalty on Jan. 17. The companies must respond to PHMSA within 30 days of receiving the Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Civil Penalty.
“If the allegations in PHMSA’s notice are true, it displays a brazen disregard for appropriate safety oversight. No industry polices itself well, so strong and effective regulators, including inspectors, are necessary to keep our communities safe. One hoped that Denbury and the contractors it employs would display some humility after sending an entire town to the hospital while it rebuilds its failed pipeline, but instead we see this inexcusable behavior. PHMSA is taking its responsibility as a safety regulator seriously with this strong initial enforcement action,” Pipeline Safety Trust Executive Director Bill Caram said.
Welding procedure inspections are especially critical components of effective oversight given that failed welds are a relatively common point of pipeline failures. Further, welds on carbon dioxide pipelines specifically need to be able to withstand the rapid cooling of the pipeline in times of decompression, which can weaken welds that weren’t properly qualified.
In July 2023, two months before these inspection interference incidents, ExxonMobil announced its acquisition of Denbury and completed the $4.9 billion acquisition in November 2023.
Read the entire Notice of Probable Violation and Proposed Civil Penalty here.
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About Pipeline Safety Trust: The Pipeline Safety Trust is a nonprofit public watchdog promoting pipeline safety through education and advocacy by increasing access to information, and by building partnerships with residents, safety advocates, government, and industry, that result in safer communities and a healthier environment.
For More Information Contact:
Kenneth Clarkson, Communications Director - email hidden; JavaScript is required
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LEFT: The CO2 pipeline rupture. RIGHT: Vehicles pass over the pipeline explosion site in Satartia in July. Yazoo County Emergency Management Agency/Rory Doyle for HuffPost