PHMSA advisory bulletin puts excavation damage prevention back on the record

_PHMSA used National Safe Digging Month to restate what it expects: adherence to CGA best practices, accurate and timely locating, and proactive coordination with excavators._

What was published

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published an advisory bulletin in the Federal Register on April 21, 2026, on preventing excavation damage during National Safe Digging Month and beyond. ¹Jump to source 1

The bulletin emphasizes the importance of excavation damage prevention, and highlights adherence to Common Ground Alliance best practices, accurate and timely locating, and proactive coordination with excavators to prevent pipeline strikes. ¹Jump to source 1

An advisory bulletin is guidance rather than a new rule. It carries weight anyway, because it tells you what the regulator considers the standard of care — which is the frame an investigation will use after an incident.

The enforcement backdrop

PHMSA evaluates state excavation damage prevention enforcement programs against criteria set out in 49 CFR 198.55, including whether a state: ²Jump to source 2³Jump to source 3

• has authority to enforce using civil penalties and sanctions;
• has designated a responsible enforcement agency;
• assesses penalties at deterrent levels, with publicly available effectiveness data; and
• has a reliable mechanism for learning about excavation damage to underground facilities.

States whose programs PHMSA deems inadequate may face reductions in pipeline safety grant funding, and where a state program is found inadequate, PHMSA may itself conduct proceedings to assess civil penalties for excavation damage prevention violations. ²Jump to source 2³Jump to source 3

That is the mechanism worth understanding: federal pressure on state programs is what eventually shows up as changed ticket requirements and enforcement activity at the state level — the New Mexico rule change being a live local example.

What to do

• Read CGA Best Practices as the reference standard, since that is what the regulator points to.
• Document locate quality and timeliness. "Accurate and timely locating" is the phrase in the bulletin; records are how you demonstrate it.
• Treat coordination as part of the job. The bulletin names proactive coordination with excavators specifically.

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