If enacted, SB501 is expected to significantly bolster public safety concerning underground utility operations. By mandating quicker response times for marking facilities and requiring excavation operators to report any damages immediately, the bill aims to reduce the risks associated with underground excavations. This measure intends to decrease the likelihood of accidents that could potentially harm work crews or disrupt utility services, contributing to more efficient construction and repair operations throughout Texas.
Summary
SB501 addresses the safety measures surrounding underground facilities in Texas, focusing on the regulation and operation of such infrastructures. The bill amends several sections of the Utilities Code to enhance the responsibilities of operators of Class A underground facilities. Key provisions include amendments that require operators to participate in a notification center and maintain updated maps or grid locations of their facilities. Furthermore, the bill stipulates that operators must mark the approximate location of their underground facilities upon notification of an upcoming excavation to prevent accidents and damages.
Contention
While the bill generally seeks to improve safety measures, there may be contention regarding the regulatory burdens placed on operators, especially smaller entities. Critics may argue that the compliance costs, inclusive of routine updates to facility maps and departmental fees, could disproportionately affect smaller utility operators. Moreover, advocates for local control may voice concerns about state-level regulation overshadowing community-specific needs in facility safety management.
Texas Constitutional Statutes Affected
Utilities Code
Chapter 251. Underground Facility Damage Prevention And Safety
Relating to measures for ensuring public school safety, including the development and implementation of purchases relating to and funding for public school safety and security requirements and the provision of safety-related resources.
Relating to the establishment of the Texas Energy Insurance Program and other funding mechanisms to support the construction and operation of electric generating facilities.
Relating to measures for ensuring safety and security in public schools, including measures related to the health and safety of public school students and active shooter training for certain peace officers.
Relating to sexually violent predators and the prosecution of certain offenses involving prohibited items at correctional or civil commitment facilities; creating a criminal offense.
Relating to sexually violent predators and the prosecution of certain offenses involving prohibited items at correctional or civil commitment facilities; creating a criminal offense.
Environmental protection: underground storage tanks; placement distance of underground storage tanks from a public water supply system; revise. Amends sec. 21102a of 1994 PA 451 (MCL 324.21102a) & adds sec. 21102b.
Requesting The Public Utilities Commission To Address Certain Recommendations For Undergrounding The State's Utility Facilities As Outlined In The 1999 Legislative Reference Bureau Report Entitled "undergrounding Public Utility Lines".