Common Ground Alliance

🚨 Announcing CGA’s new Technology & Innovation Grant Program! 🚨 Our new Damage Prevention Technology & Innovation Grant Program will fund one-year, real-world pilots of technologies and processes that reduce damages to underground utilities. ✅ Up to $25,000 available across one or more recipients ✅ Open to CGA members with qualifying 501(c) nonprofit status ✅ Priority for projects advancing Next Practice focuses: Mapping & Recordkeeping, Technology & Process Enhancements, and Compliance Tracking & Data Gathering 📅 Applications are due Nov. 30. Full details and application materials are linked in the comments. 👇 #DamagePrevention #TechnologyTransfer #TechnologyTranslation #811BeforeYouDig #UtilitySafety #Innovation

The Northeast air travel disruptions dominated coverage this week after FAA ground stops hit five airports when a circuit failed and a backup line was cut. CGA issued a statement on the incident, and outlets including Fierce Network and ENR looked at whether fiber sensing could have prevented the cut and who will ultimately be held liable. CGA's new state-by-state economic impact study also drew attention, putting the cost of damage to buried utilities at $83.2 billion. Elsewhere, DOE awarded $1.9 billion for advanced transmission projects, including federal funding behind a $1.2 billion line in eastern Colorado. Gov. Greg Abbott appointed five members to the One-Call Board of Texas, Enbridge estimated a Line 5 gas leak in northern Wisconsin will cost $15 million, and WBNS-TV in Columbus tracked gas line strikes across central Ohio. For members, proposals for 2027 CGA Conference & Expo education sessions are due Oct. 23, and registration is open for the Fall Committee Summit, Oct. 26-28 in Charlotte Harbor, Fla.

Earlier this month, we released a state-by-state breakdown detailing the economic impacts of damage to underground utility infrastructure. Across the United States, billions of dollars are lost every year to preventable damages. By understanding the risks in your region, you can do something about it. Share the state data with C-Suite leadership of utility, excavation and location companies. Tell state utility commissioners, legislative leadership and media outlets that these numbers are a floor, not a ceiling. Actual costs in most states are higher. Read the full report by following the link in the comments below.

Excavators are the last line of defense in protecting underground facilities — and the lives of those who live and work near them. Washington Gas and its partner, UtiliQuest, have been industry leaders in the development and use of Enhanced Positive Response (EPR), a growing technology that shares key information beyond field locates with excavators. Join us to learn more about this effective practice, which has led to a significant reduction in damages to gas facilities throughout Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. JIM PLASYNSKI Adam Zeciri SCOTT BROWN Ryan Reese

⚡ One-month warning! ⚡ Open submission for CGA’s 2027 Conference & Expo proposals closes on Oct. 23 — one month from today. If you have an engaging idea for a proposal focused on education, innovation or industry advancement, don’t wait! Visit our CGA Conference & Expo website and learn more about this exciting opportunity today!

In this week’s CGAlert, a fiber cut triggered a ground stop and delays at several major East Coast airports. CGA President and CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle issued a statement "...reminding the public of how quickly a severed line can create safety concerns and disrupt daily life." CGA also launched a new state-by-state breakdown of the $83.2 billion in annual underground utility damage costs. Elsewhere in this issue, a Kansas City, Kan., gas line rupture forced evacuations, and a San Antonio investigation mapped more than 800 gas leak records. The Call for Proposals for the 2027 CGA Conference & Expo continues until Oct. 23, and registration for the CGA Fall Committee Summit is ongoing.

💥 Eye-opening new data: State-level economic impact analysis is now available! 💥 Building on last month's landmark national study, we've applied the same economic impact model directly to 2025 DIRT submissions from states that reported more than 25 damages last year. The results? Utility strikes to buried infrastructure place a tremendous financial burden on communities across the country. ⚡These numbers are a floor, not a ceiling. Because DIRT reporting is voluntary, actual costs in most states are higher.⚡ "State lawmakers, regulators and industry partners now have a local, data-backed case for investing in damage prevention," said CGA President and CEO Sarah Magruder Lyle. See how much utility strikes cost your state 👇

🌰 → 🌳 Strong systems start small. Two acorns aren't particularly impressive when you're standing underneath an oak tree. But that's where the oak started. DIRT is similar in some ways. We tend to notice the big moments: a new dashboard, a new feature, a new release. But much of the work that makes a system better happens in much smaller increments. Since January, our DIRT development team and partners have moved 54 tickets to “done.” Some addressed things users immediately noticed. Others improved functionality, data quality, usability, or something behind the scenes. After doing hours of testing of some new features that will be released this fall, it is important to notice the small acorns that built the oak of DIRT. #commongroundalliance #dirt #mybackyard

In this week’s CGAlert, US gas utilities are focusing on repairs after buried-line damage cost $36.8 billion in 2025, with CGA putting the total economic impact at $83.2 billion. A pipeline safety bill is advancing in the US House as recent incidents keep pressure on the industry, including a backhoe strike in Portland, a natural gas pipeline strike in Alabama and a June house explosion in Twinsburg, Ohio. Elsewhere, the Trump administration moved to ease environmental rules for data centers, federal regulators warned the grid lags AI-driven demand and Verizon and Corning signed a multibillion-dollar broadband deal.

This Construction Worker Appreciation Week, we aim to go beyond recognition. CGA is dedicated to protecting those who live and work near underground utility assets. Protect yourself and your community by contacting 811. Every dig. Every time.