04 Mar Support for 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 Bob Latta
Chairman
Subcommittee on Energy
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
The Honorable Kathy Castor
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Energy
Committee on Energy and Commerce
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Re: Support for the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026
Dear Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, Chairman Latta and Ranking Member Castor:
The Damage Prevention Action Center (DPAC) is writing to express its support for 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.
DPAC 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]
According to the Common Ground Alliance’s Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Report,[2] the annual rate of damages to buried infrastructure in the U.S. has remained stagnant for most of the last decade and costs our communities a staggering $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. 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.
The pipeline safety legislation in front of the Subcommittee on Energy’s March 4 hearing “America’s Energy Infrastructure: Authorizing Pipeline Safety” 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 State one-call laws,” 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 Report notes that effective enforcement of state damage prevention laws is needed to reduce dig-ins to buried infrastructure.[3]
The Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026 has strong bipartisan support, and we encourage Congress to consider this important legislation as soon as possible. The legislation provides an efficient, effective framework to advance the safety and integrity of our Nation’s energy infrastructure and buried utilities.
DPAC looks forward to continuing our collaboration with this committee and Congress to pass the Pipeline Safety Authorization Act of 2026, and enhance and improve our industry’s safety while delivering quality and safe underground utility infrastructure projects to America.
Sincerely,
Sarah K. Magruder Lyle
Executive Director, Damage Prevention Action Center
[1] Damage Prevention Action Center members: https://damagepreventionactioncenter.com/members/
[2] CGA’s 2024 DIRT Report: https://dirt.commongroundalliance.com/Portals/9/Common-Ground-Alliance-DIRT-Report-2024.pdf
[3] CGA’s 2024 DIRT Report – Recommendations for Breaking Through the Damage Prevention Plateau: https://dirt.commongroundalliance.com/2024-DIRT-Report/Recommendations-for-Breaking-Through-the-Damage-Prevention-Plateau#mainContentAnchor