25 Feb CGA CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle Statement to U.S. House Pipelines & HAZMAT Subcommittee
WASHINGTON – Today, Sarah Magruder Lyle, President and CEO of the Common Ground Alliance and Executive Director of the Damage Prevention Action Center (DPAC), submitted a written statement to the U.S. House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials related to today’s hearing, “Promoting and Improving Safety and Efficient Pipeline Infrastructure.”
In the statement, Magruder Lyle lays out the current state of damage prevention across the country, and how GIS mapping has the potential to reduce excavation-related damages to pipeline infrastructure nationwide. Through the various reports and tools produced by the Common Ground Alliance, Magruder Lyle provides an overview of guidelines and benchmarks for adopting damage prevention practices across industries.
Damage to buried infrastructure costs the U.S. an estimated $30 billion every year. One of the most common causes for underground utility damage involves the lack of access to accurate utility mapping records. In 2023, failure to locate accurately and on time was the root cause attributed to 34% of damages to underground utilities. These records are often inaccurate or incomplete and are largely unavailable to damage prevention stakeholders like designers, locators and excavators, prompting calls for increased adoption of mapping technology and map accessibility.
By incorporating updated GIS mapping technology and using collaborative mapping data across stakeholder groups, Magruder Lyle suggests the use of this technology has the potential to increase locating efficiency, decrease 811 request volumes and improve project and process efficiency – thus reducing underground utility damage, including critical pipeline infrastructure.
Magruder Lyle’s full statement can be read here.
Watch the full hearing here.