Kinder Morgan Energy Partners

[3] Kinder Morgan is credited for bucking the trend in MLPs that traditionally deliver low double-digit total return to investors.

[1] On March 1, 2002, Shares of Kinder Morgan Inc., fell to a 15-month low on concern that the company faced competition for assets and on investor wariness about its partnership arrangements.

The company maintains a safety record and follows many regulations and procedures to monitor and ensure the integrity of its pipelines[citation needed], despite involvement in numerous accidents as outlined below.

[13] On April 28, 2004, a petroleum pipeline owned and operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners ruptured, spilling an estimated 1,500 barrels (240 m2) of diesel fuel into marshes adjacent to Suisun Bay.

[14][15] On November 9, 2004 in Walnut Creek, California, a petroleum pipeline carrying gasoline to San Jose owned and operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMEP) was struck by a backhoe used by Mountain Cascade Inc. (MC), a contractor operating in the construction of a water pipeline for the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD).

A massive gasoline spill was subsequently ignited, likely by the unaware welders of subcontractor Matamoros Welding[16] working inside the steel water pipe, resulting in an explosive fireball that caused the deaths, by burns, of four workers and one supervisor and the severe injury of four others.

The fire burned for several hours before being brought under control by firefighters from departments throughout the central Contra Costa County region.

CalOSHA (California Occupational Safety and Health Administration) cited KMGP Services Company (a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan) for failure to accurately stake-out the pipeline location.

[24] On July 24, 2007, a crude oil pipeline owned and operated by Kinder Morgan Energy Partners was ruptured by an excavator digging a storm sewer trench.