Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Underground Utilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Contractors and legislators urge fixes to Wyoming's 811 law to clarify enforcement and penalties
Summary
Contractors, representatives and industry groups urged the committee to refine Wyoming's 811 One-Call statute, citing gaps in enforcement, unclear penalty application and perceived unfair liability placed on excavators; the committee agreed to take the topic up in the interim.
Representatives and industry groups told the committee that Wyoming's Underground Utility Facilities Notification Act (the "811" system) contains enforcement gaps and unclear responsibilities between utility operators and excavators.
Kelly Little of the Associated General Contractors and other witnesses said enforcement often appears to fall on excavators even in ambiguous circumstances, generating fairness and safety concerns: "It felt like penalties were being levied against excavators when they were not necessarily the other way around," Little said.
Contractors and utility operators asked for clearer statutory language on which entity enforces violations, how penalties are assessed, and how to improve the one-call process to prevent strikes on buried infrastructure. The group said fair enforcement would improve safety and reduce lost-time incidents.
The committee received supportive public testimony and agreed to continue stakeholder work in the interim, referencing prior stakeholder groups and the Corporations Committee's overlapping jurisdiction on some enforcement and penalty issues.
