US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood gave the industry encouraging news when he said he expects to sign a new Highway Transportation bill by August and ensure it is pushed through Congress.
Speaking to CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2011 Daily News he said this is a reward for sustained coordinated campaigning actions by the construction industry. He added that everyone in government is aware of the importance of getting a bill passed to trigger infrastructure investment and boost the nation’s economic recovery for the long term.
“A transportation bill is a jobs bill. It puts people to work,” the Secretary said. “We want a six-year bill passed this year. We hope we can get it done by August. That’s our goal.”
Secretary LaHood made an appearance at the show to tout pipeline safety and to kick off National Pipeline Safety month. Speaking in front of a crowd of industry executives at John Deere’s booth the Secretary urged contractors to call 811 before starting any digging to avoid unintentional damage to underground wires, cables and pipeline.
According to Cynthia Quarterman, the administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) who accompanied Secretary LaHood from Washington, 38% of pipeline damage in the US last year was caused by unintentional digging – as were 25% of the deaths caused by pipeline explosions.
Shell Pipeline Company is leading the marketing effort run by Common Ground Alliance (CGA) to educate contractors to remember to always call 811 before digging at a construction site. According to Gweneyette Brousard, Shell’s legislative and regulatory affairs officer, as long as the call is made 48 hours in advance Shell and the other members of CGA will come out to the excavation site to mark pipelines, educate the excavator of the regulatory guidelines for the area and stay on site if necessary to provide guidance.
