Kansas man was killed during pipeline work; Texas-based firm to pay $1.4 million
A Texas-based gas pipeline operator will pay the United States more than $1.4 million to resolve allegations that violations of federal safety regulations at a Kansas facility resulted in the death of an employee.
The civil complaint stemmed from a March 2020 incident at a Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. facility near Meade, Kansas. While maintenance was being performed, a pipeline cleaning pig — a cylindrical object that removes deposits and contaminants from pipelines — ejected from a partially-pressurized, icy receiver barrel. The cleaning pig struck a PEPL technician, Everett Rogers, in the abdomen. The 59-year-old father of six was taken to a hospital where he later died.
On Dec. 31, 2025, PEPL agreed to the conditions of a civil settlement, requiring the company to pay the United States $1.425 million to resolve complaint allegations.
“This settlement reflects our commitment to impose accountability in regulatory matters,” United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould said in the statement. “The outcome here illustrates the importance and necessity of compliance and appropriate enforcement actions to prevent and address tragic circumstances such as those alleged in this case.”
But the claims resolved by the settlement, the statement from the Attorney’s Office read, are allegations only.
“There has been no determination or admission of liability,” the statement read.
A notice of probable violation sent to the company in 2023 alleges PEPL failed to follow several specific rules in its manual of written procedures for operations, maintenance and emergency response. The letter noted “PEPL’s failure to follow its written procedures was a causal factor in the incident.”
In another 2023 court document, however, the company asserted that “even if it had not complied with the regulatory requirements, such non-compliance could not and would not have prevented the incident.”
“Despite Respondent’s (PEPL) good faith efforts to comply with the pipeline safety regulations, this regrettable incident occurred,” a post-hearing brief read. “Importantly, however, the fact of an incident does not lead to the foregone conclusion that Respondent violated the pipeline safety regulations.”
The case was investigated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration before being passed on to the Department of Justice.
“Safety and enforcement go hand in hand,” said PHMSA Administrator Paul Roberti in the attorney’s office’s statement. “The complaint alleged that the company’s failure to follow the rules led to an employee’s death. We will not let operators escape accountability in cases like this one and will continue to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure our nation’s energy infrastructure is safe.”
