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Underground Safety Board outlines 2025 work plan, seeks input on potholing and GIS rules
Summary
At its Sept. 8 education and outreach meeting in Sacramento, the California Underground Safety Board presented its 2025 work plan and invited public comment on draft potholing standards and GIS mapping regulations while describing planned audits and pilot programs to improve ticket compliance.
The California Underground Safety Board on Sept. 8 in Sacramento released its 2025 work plan and asked stakeholders to provide feedback on draft standards for potholing and geospatial information system (GIS) rules that would implement the state's GIS mapping law.
The work plan, presented at the board's Education and Outreach meeting, lays out investigations, policy and training priorities the board staff intends to pursue this year to reduce excavation risks across the state.
Why it matters: the board enforces the Dig Safe Act of 2016 by investigating excavation accidents, developing safety standards and coordinating statewide education and outreach. Changes to standards, GIS requirements and enforcement practices affect excavators, utility operators, locators, local agencies and the public who rely on safe excavation practices.
Acting Executive Officer Britney Branaman, acting executive officer for the California Underground Safety Board, told attendees that the board will continue investigations and regulatory work begun under the Dig Safe Act and listed several items on the 2025 agenda. "This year's theme, sharing what works and shaping what's next, is exactly why we are here," Branaman said. "The board is committed to building on our mission in bold ways, developing safety standards that reflect the latest technology and the best practices, expanding education and outreach programs...and strengthening our investigative processes."
Board staff described three enforcement and investigation priorities: expanding the no-811 pilot program that tracks damages reported when excavators bypass 811 requirements; conducting compliance audits to promote electronic positive response (EPR) use; and continuing accident and complaint investigations. The investigations unit will carry out one or more compliance audits this year for operators whose EPR compliance fell below thresholds used during 2023, staff said.
On rulemaking and standards, staff said a public comment period for draft GIS regulatory language closed Sept. 3; the board will consider stakeholder feedback before initiating formal rulemaking. A separate public comment period for draft standard safety practices for potholing was open through Sept. 9 at 5 p.m., and a public workshop on unmarked-line communication practices was scheduled for Sept. 17 in Corona. Jessica, identified in the meeting as the board's chief of education and outreach, said the potholing draft and the unmarked-line standards are intended to standardize practices where stakeholders have reported inconsistent communication between operators and excavators.
Staff also said proposed rules on how operators terminate memberships with regional notification centers and requirements for accurate operator shapefiles will open later in the year. The board emphasized stakeholders may participate by submitting comments, attending workshops and using online resources posted on energysafety.ca.gov.
The board reminded attendees that draft standards and their comment periods are informational and that materials shared at the event do not represent formal board policy until adopted through rulemaking. "These presentations, ideas, and products shared during this event are for informational purposes only and do not necessarily represent the official policies or positions of the Underground Safety Board or the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety," Jessica said during introductions.
The meeting segment devoted to the work plan and upcoming rulemaking will be followed by additional workshops, public comment opportunities and a staff presentation on investigations planned for later this year.
Reporting/next steps: stakeholders may submit written comments to the board's posted dockets, attend scheduled workshops and review the board's annual work plan and meeting recordings on the Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety YouTube channel. The board said it will consider submitted comments before advancing formal regulations.
