On November 16, the Public Utility Commission filed disciplinary action against 68 facility owners, excavators and project owners during the first meeting of the PA One Call Damage Prevention Committee in Harrisburg.

Click Here for a list of actions taken. Among the actions taken was--

-- Brubacher Excavating fined $500 for hitting Mariner East 2 Pipeline after it was mis-marked by Sunoco as being deeper than it was in Delaware County in May.

The creation of the committee was authorized by Act 50 of 2017, which enhances Pennsylvania’s Underground Utility Line Protection Act – also known as the “One Call Law.”

Each year contractors and property owners strike pipelines and underground utilities more than 6,000 times, half of which involve natural gas pipelines.  PA One Call and Act 50 are designed to prevent those accidents.

Modeled after successful programs in other states, the focus of the committee is a reduction in the number of “hits” on underground utilities.

The DPC will meet regularly to review alleged violations of the Act and make determinations as to the appropriate response including, but not limited to, the issuance of warning letters or administrative penalties.

Each month, the committee will hold a public meeting in Hearing Room 1 of the Commonwealth Keystone Building, Harrisburg. The next meeting is scheduled for December 11. Each meeting will be livestreamed online.

For more information on the program, visit the PUC’s PA One Call Enforcement webpage.  Visit the PA One Call for more information on how contractors and property owners can prevent damage to pipelines.

(Photo: The result when a backhoe hit a natural gas gathering pipeline.)

NewsClips:

State Cites Businesses For Careless Digging Of Utility Lines

Sunoco Responds To Questions About Mariner East 2 Pipeline Safety

Hurdle: Residents Urge PUC To Halt Mariner East Pipeline Operation, Hold Hearing

Upper Bucks Residents Scrambling To Oppose Adelphia Pipeline Coming To Their Backyards

Related Story:

Sen. Baker’s Natural Gas Pipeline Safety, PA One Call Bill Signed Into Law

[Posted: Nov. 22, 2018]

11/26/2018