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CGA Conference & Expo Highlights Risks of Damage to Buried Infrastructure
CGA celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, returning to Orlando after its successful Conference & Expo in 2023. Attendees included senior leaders from 16 key industries including utility companies, oil and gas pipeline operators, construction, equipment manufacturing, state 811 call centers, and underground locating technology companies such as Verizon, Honeywell, Rust-Oleum, 3M, Sunshine 811, and others. April is also National Safe Digging Month across the U.S. More than 190,000 times each year, buried power, water, natural gas, internet, and other utility lines are damaged by digging across the U.S., costing the US$30 billion ($40 billion) annually. Nearly 26,000 times each year, buried utilities are damaged in Florida – almost 71 times each day, making Florida the #1 state for damage to underground infrastructure. Damage to buried utilities has led to road collapses, water main breaks, service disruptions like 911 outages, and injuries and fatalities. “As we celebrate this milestone of 25 years of damage prevention insights, our Conference & Expo this year reflected on the past by looking towards the future of solutions, innovations and partnerships to reduce the buried utility damages that risk lives, property and disruption to communities and businesses,” said Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, president and CEO of the Common Ground Alliance and executive director of the Damage Prevention Action Center. “We thank Orlando for the warm welcome back, and we’re grateful to the attendees and sponsors who are helping us raise awareness of what’s at risk and how to protect the critical buried infrastructure on which all Americans rely.” The Damage Prevention Action Center – the industry’s advocacy arm – met to discuss key state and federal issues impacting damage prevention. This included the Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act, legislation in Congress that would allocate funding for protecting buried infrastructure. The legislation has found bipartisan support, including from U.S. Representative Dan Webster (R-FL), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. Attendees received insights from acting administrator Benjamin Kochman of the U.S. Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) on the Trump Administration’s drive to unleash American energy to safely serve American communities, as well as inspiring remarks on creativity from acclaimed journalist, bestselling author, and award-winning tech and media entrepreneur Shane Snow as the keynote speaker. The Conference & Expo hosted more than 50 interactive educational sessions on topics including pipeline safety, the role of AI in damage prevention, excavator education and more. Nearly 9,300 m2 of exhibit space – the conference’s largest-ever and the equivalent of nearly 2 football fields – showcased the latest technology for safely digging, locating and installing fiber/broadband, water, gas, power and other underground utility lines. Examples include GPS-enabled ground-penetrating radar devices, vacuum excavation equipment that allows digging using compressed air or high-pressure water and cloud-enabled handheld subsurface mapping equipment. CGA also recognized top leaders in the industry through prestigious industry awards. James Holland, COO at Kinder Morgan, accepted the president’s Award of Corporate Excellence. Sandra Holmes of Arizona 811 and Scott Brown of Washington Gas were inducted into the CGA Hall of Fame. This year’s Groundbreaker Award honored Jai Kalayil of the Chicago Department of Transportation/Chicago 811.
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