Advocates press Congress to protect buried utilities as Senate clears pipeline safety bill

By AI, Created 5:03 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Infrastructure advocates are urging the House to move on companion legislation after the Senate passed the bipartisan PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025, a five-year reauthorization aimed at reducing damage to buried utilities. The push comes amid nearly 200,000 reported strikes a year and rising concern over outages, injuries and deadly explosions.

Why it matters: - Buried utility strikes damage power, water, internet and natural gas lines and can trigger service outages, injuries and fatalities. - Common Ground Alliance data shows nearly 200,000 reported damage incidents each year. - Advocates say stronger federal policy is needed to protect tens of millions of miles of underground infrastructure and support reliable service.

What happened: - National infrastructure experts and the Damage Prevention Action Center spent several days on Capitol Hill this week meeting with 42 members of Congress, staff members and agency officials. - The outreach came after the U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan PIPELINE Safety Act of 2025. - Advocates are urging the House to pass its related PIPES Act of 2025, go to conference with the Senate and send final legislation to the president.

The details: - The PIPELINE Safety Act passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support. - The bill would reauthorize the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s pipeline safety program for five years. - The legislation includes provisions to tighten excavation damage prevention rules. - Those provisions would limit exemptions to 811 participation, encourage GIS mapping of facilities and require training and education for utility contractors. - Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, executive director of the Damage Prevention Action Center, said a buried utility is hit every three minutes on average. - Magruder Lyle said contacting 811 before digging is essential, but the system works best when backed by strong damage prevention policy. - Ariane Schaffer, head of U.S. federal and state policy for GFiber and co-chair of DPAC’s Government Affairs Committee, said broadband expansion has made utility strikes a growing infrastructure concern. - Schaffer said the Senate bill would help create a safer environment and reinforce clear regulations, effective enforcement and best practices. - DPAct’s stated priorities include balanced enforcement of digging laws, removal of special-interest 811 exemptions, better real-time mapping and geospatial data sharing, reporting all utility damages to 811 and laws that support CGA Best Practices.

Between the lines: - The lobbying effort ties broadband expansion, energy reliability and public safety together as one damage-prevention issue. - The push for mapping, reporting and fewer exemptions suggests advocates see weak data and inconsistent participation as major reasons buried utility damage continues. - The mention of state action in Missouri signals that federal changes could also shape similar updates in state law. - Recent fatal incidents underline how utility strikes can move from a technical problem to a public safety crisis.

What’s next: - The House is being pressed to act on the PIPES Act of 2025. - If both chambers align, lawmakers would need to reconcile the bills in conference before sending a final version to the president. - DPAct is likely to continue federal and state advocacy for updated damage-prevention rules.

The bottom line: - The Senate vote gives buried-utility advocates momentum, but the next step is House action and a final federal package that can reduce the costly and sometimes deadly toll of utility strikes.