Damage Prevention Action Center Leaders Gather on Capitol Hill

Leaders from the Damage Prevention Action Center (DPAct) met on Capitol Hill to advocate for critical infrastructure protection. The Senate passes the bipartisan PIPELINE Safety Act.

This approval marks a significant step forward in ensuring the safety and reliability of the Nation’s extensive network of buried utilities. In addition, experts are urging the U.S. House to pass its related PIPES Act of 2025. They want the House to reconcile in conference with the Senate and advance final legislation to the President.

According to Common Ground Alliance (CGA) data, there are nearly 200,000 reported instances of damage to buried utilities each year, impacting power, water, internet and natural gas lines. These incidents pose a threat to American communities, leading to service disruptions, outages, injuries and in some cases, fatalities.

“Every three minutes on average, a buried utility is hit, creating risks for workers and communities nationwide. While contacting 811 before digging is paramount, the 811 system only functions when supported by robust damage prevention policy,” noted Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, executive director of the Damage Prevention Action Center. Magruder Lyle is also CGA president and CEO. “We commend the Senate for passing the PIPELINE Safety Act, and we strongly urge the House of Representatives to follow suit with the PIPES Act. We thank the Members of Congress, agency officials and their staff who met with us this week to discuss this vital legislation, which supports the Nation’s energy dominance agenda while protecting the tens of millions of miles of underground infrastructure that Americans rely on every day.”

The DPAct members spent several days engaging with 42 Members of Congress, staff members and agency officials. During those meetings, they worked to highlight solutions and urge further legislative action.

Senate Passes PIPELINE Act

The recently passed PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025, which received unanimous bipartisan support in the Senate, is designed to reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) pipeline safety program for five years. The legislation includes key provisions intended to strengthen excavation damage prevention efforts. For example, it limits exemptions to participation in the 811 system, encourages GIS mapping of facilities and requires training and education for utility contractors.

“With the rapid expansion of broadband being a national infrastructure priority, we see firsthand the dangers posed by utility strikes,” added Ariane Schaffer, Head of U.S. Federal and State Policy for GFiber and Co-Chair of DPAct’s Government Affairs Committee. “The PIPELINE Safety Act represents a significant step toward a safer environment for the public and those who work around buried utilities. It reinforces the need for clear regulations, effective enforcement and the continuous adoption of best practices across all buried utility stakeholders. This legislation, along with the PIPES Act in the House, will help better protect the vital energy, water and communication lifelines that serve every American.”

Dangers of Buried Utility Strikes

 In addition to road collapses, water main breaks, and 911 outages, incidents in recent years have highlighted the potentially fatal consequences of utility strikes. These include a Pennsylvania factory explosion that killed seven workers, and a Missouri home explosion that killed a five-year-old and injured his family when an unmarked natural gas line was struck during utility work. Last year, Missouri passed legislation to update state law regarding buried utilities, and DPAct has encouraged other states to follow suit.

Issue & Priorities

 Data-driven policy priorities that DPAct members advocated for this week include:

• Ensuring effective, balanced enforcement of digging laws for all stakeholders, driving behavior change
• Removing special-interest exemptions for 811 notifications, reducing damages
• Incentivizing utility facility owner/operators to provide distributed real-time mapping and geospatial data to 811 centers in a timely fashion
• Requiring reporting of all utility damages to 811, to understand how and why damages occur, and
• Ensuring that laws allow effective implementation of CGA Best Practices

DPAct

The Damage Prevention Action Center advocates for public policies and industry practices that protect our Nation’s critical underground utility infrastructure and those who work and live near these important assets. DPAct focuses on educating policymakers at the federal, state and local levels on the importance of updating and enacting laws and regulations to meet the needs of today. In addition, they support implementing effective damage prevention policies, as well as understanding the significant economic, environmental, safety and social impacts of dig-ins on communities.

SOURCE – Common Ground Alliance

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