20 Jul Support for H.R. 9338, the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026
The Honorable Brett Guthrie
Chairman
Committee on Energy and Commerce
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Frank Pallone
Ranking Member
Committee on Energy and Commerce
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairman Guthrie and Ranking Member Pallone:
The Damage Prevention Action Center (DPAct) is writing to express its support for H.R. 9338, the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026, legislation which will advance pipeline safety and encourage states to adopt policies that will help reduce excavation damages to our Nation’s pipeline infrastructure and other critical underground utilities.
DPAct is a coalition of energy, utility and construction industry leaders advocating for public policies and industry practices that protect America’s critical underground utility infrastructure and those who work and live near these important assets.[1]
On July 14, 2026, the Common Ground Alliance released the 2025 DIRT Data Summary & Trends.[2] The report highlights that that damages continue to increase alongside construction activity, putting communities and businesses across the country at risk. These damages cost our communities more than $30 billion every year. Each of the hundreds of thousands of dig-ins to underground utilities disrupts businesses and communities, cuts off critical utility service, and can result in injuries and fatalities.
To protect public safety and secure the critical utilities on which all Americans rely, the entire industry must commit to tangible, enforceable accountability. As America’s infrastructure continues to expand, it is crucial that Congress pass the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 to safeguard our critical buried utilities and pipelines.
H.R. 9338, which the Committee is scheduled to markup today, July 20, 2026, would direct states to adopt or demonstrate progress toward adopting leading practices in their damage prevention notification programs as part of the criteria PHMSA considers when states apply for damage prevention grant dollars. These leading practices include (but are not limited to):
- Directing state one call notification programs to examine and limit exemptions to prevent common excavation damage incidents, including municipal exemptions;
- Requiring newly installed underground facilities to be locatable;
- Requiring the use of commercially available technologies to locate underground facilities, such as geographic information systems (GIS) and enhanced positive response.
The Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 also requires PHMSA to consider whether state damage prevention programs have “effective, active, and consistent enforcement of the State one-call notification program,” including resource and penalty structures that are applied to all stakeholders (such as operators, locators and excavators) in its evaluation of the programs’ effectiveness. The Common Ground Alliance’s most recent DIRT data illustrates that systemic challenges remain highly consistent year-over-year, with little movement in the top 10 root causes which account for 86% of all reported damages. Failure to notify before digging remains the single largest root cause of damages.
The Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 has strong bipartisan support, and we encourage Congress to adopt this important legislation as soon as possible.
DPAct commends the Committee’s leadership in prioritizing the advancement of the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026. H.R. 9338 provides an efficient, effective framework to improve our industry’s safety while ensuring the integrity and resilience of underground utility infrastructure across America.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with this committee and Congress to pass this important legislation.
Sincerely,
Sarah K. Magruder Lyle
Executive Director, Damage Prevention Action Center
[1] Damage Prevention Action Center members: https://damagepreventionactioncenter.com/members/
[2] CGA’s 2025 DIRT Report: https://dirt.commongroundalliance.com/