ONEOK Partners, L.P. OKS
today announced that three of its subsidiaries have filed a declaratory
judgment action in federal District Court in Tulsa, Okla., seeking a ruling on
the jurisdictional limits of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA).
The action asks the court to rule on the extent of PHMSA's regulatory
jurisdiction over ONEOK Partners' natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionation
plant, associated storage and in-plant piping systems in Bushton, Kan., and
requests a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to delay a
scheduled PHMSA inspection of this plant until a decision is made resolving
the jurisdictional boundary issue.
"This filing is an effort to resolve an ongoing disagreement over the extent
of PHMSA's jurisdictional boundaries at our Bushton NGL fractionation plant,"
said Pierce H. Norton, executive vice president and chief operating officer of
ONEOK Partners. "Although PHMSA has jurisdiction over our pipeline systems
into and out of the plant, the Bushton NGL fractionation plant is regulated by
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
"We believe PHMSA is outside its jurisdictional authority by inspecting and
attempting to impose different regulations on the assets and operating
procedures currently regulated by OSHA and the EPA. We believe that having
different rules within the same plant could result in misinterpretation and
confusion," added Norton.
The partnership remains committed to safe, reliable and compliant operations
of its facilities.
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