Last year, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed a record US$8.7 million in pipeline safety fines in response to 116 alleged federal rule violations.

The bureaucracy said the number of cases against pipeline operators was four shy of the record set in 2012. The enforcement orders covered integrity management programs, qualified personnel, corrosion control and other issues identified during routine inspections and failure investigations.

The 2011 Pipeline Safety Act doubled the maximum civil penalties that PHMSA can issue to US$200,000 for each violation or US$2 million for a related series of violations. After negotiating with pipeline firms, the agency often collects much less than the original proposed fine.

One of 10 Transportation Department bureaus, PHMSA develops and enforces regulations for the nation’s 2.5 million mile (4 million km) pipeline grid and the one million daily shipments of hazardous materials by land, sea and air.