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Gas Industry Subcommittee

Objectives:
  • Investigate new technologies that minimize utility cuts and improve the quality of pavement restoration
  • Work with government agencies, the American Public Works Association, and other underground utilities to create reasonable restoration specifications, standards, best practices and procedures to ensure the long-term performance of utility cut restorations in public streets.
  • Support efforts to reduce utility cuts in newly renovated or constructed streets by coordinating the planning and construction of utility projects with major public works and municipality improvements, utility projects, and private developments.
  • Communicate information on new technologies, practices, and ongoing efforts to key stakeholders
  • Educate state, public works agencies and local regulators about natural gas industry programs and undertake efforts that restore street cuts and pavement restoration more quickly, with less public impact, better quality and often at a lower cost. Prevent regulations and laws regarding right-of-way practices in public thoroughfares from being unfairly imposed on natural gas utilities.
Background
The nation’s streets and highways (public right-of-ways) serve not only the needs of the traveling public, but also the utility infrastructure required to meet the health, safety, and welfare needs of the citizens of the nation’s cities and communities. The use of these streets and highways by utilities at times requires the cutting of street surfaces to install new facilities, replace facilities, perform required maintenance or perform emergency repairs.

Natural gas utilities own over 1 million miles of distribution pipeline -- pipes that safely and reliably deliver natural gas to more than 59 million homes and businesses every day. Over the next 20 years, growth in natural gas consumption is projected to increase considerably, thus increasing the amount of construction, repair and maintenance activity on city streets. The natural gas industry currently spends more than $4.3 billion each year to provide the safe and efficient operation of our delivery system. A sizeable chunk of that money is devoted to maintenance, repairs and upgrades of our pipelines, including street cutting and pavement restoration to keep our natural gas infrastructure in prime condition. Natural gas utilities employ a variety of re-paving techniques to preserve the streets with the utmost care and least amount of disruption possible. In addition, the natural gas industry has invested millions of research dollars in developing tools and techniques that improve the overall quality of pavement restoration practices and reduce street excavation requirements by employing a host of "trenchless" and "keyhole" construction methods.

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