Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP () (KMEP) is a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, Inc. The company, which is classified as an oil and gas master limited partnership (MLP), owns or operates petroleum product, natural gas, and carbon dioxide pipelines, related storage facilities, terminals, power plants and retail natural gas in the United States and Canada. History Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, headquartered at One Allen Center in Houston, Texas, was co-founded by Richard Kinder and William Morgan. The company began in 1997, when Kinder, a former Enron executive, and Morgan purchased the liquid pipeline assets of Enron for $40 million. It has since employed many former Enron employees, including former Enron whistleblower Jordan Mintz. Kinder Morgan is credited for bucking the trend in MLPs that traditionally deliver low double-digit total return to investors. It has produced a 26 percent compound growth rate from its founding to May of 2009. 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. On March 1, 2002, Nova Chemicals Corp. sold its 20-per-cent share of the Cochin pipeline, and the sale, for $64 million (U.S.), is subject to right of first refusal by the other Cochin owners, which include subsidiaries of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP. In May 2013, the company acquired Copano Energy LLC (NASDAQ:CPNO, closed), which is now assigned under the company's Natural Gas Pipeline section as well as under Product Pipeline section. On August 10, 2014, Kinder Morgan announced it was moving to full ownership of along with two other partly owned companies, Kinder Morgan Management, and El Paso Pipeline Partners, in a deal worth $71 billion. Kinder Morgan announced its completion of the acquisition on November 26, 2014. The combined entity became the largest midstream energy company in North America. Regulatory oversight The majority of its pipelines fall under the regulatory oversight of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The company maintains a safety record and follows many regulations and procedures to monitor and ensure the integrity of its pipelines, despite involvement in numerous accidents as outlined below. Interstate natural gas pipelines are subject to the rate and facility regulation of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission under the Natural Gas Act. Facilities Calnev Pipeline (Hazardous Liquids) Central Florida Pipeline (Hazardous Liquids) Cypress Pipeline System (Hazardous Liquids) Plantation Pipe Line (Hazardous