NUCA Statement On House Committee Markup of PIPES Act of 2023
The chief executive officer of the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA), Doug Carlson, issued the following statement on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s markup of the Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act (H.R. 6494) of 2023:
“NUCA strongly supports the Pipeline Efficiency and Safety Act of 2023 being considered today by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.”
“The bill addresses damage prevention, a recurring and costly issue afflicting the utility construction industry. NUCA members work tirelessly to perform superior work while providing a safe and effective work environment, and damage prevention is and remains a fundamental part of that process. NUCA endorses the bipartisan proposal to strengthen damage prevention laws, by encouraging and endorsing state implementation of best practices long advocated for by those in the excavation community. The damage prevention and excavation safety language in the legislation largely aligns with the recommendations made by the Infrastructure Protection Coalition’s 2021 Damage Prevention study, which can be found at ipcweb.org.”
“Introduced by committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), ranking member Rick Larsen (D-WA), and subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls (R-TX) and ranking member Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), this bill will strengthen the safety of existing pipelines, help prevent damage to critical infrastructure and improve excavation safety, and support anticipated new modernized pipeline and energy distribution construction demanded by our nation’s growing energy requirements.”
“NUCA thanks the committee’s leadership for their bipartisan efforts to enact pipeline safety legislation and reauthorize critical USDOT’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration programs. We urge swift passage of this legislation.”