Page 9 - Louisiana 811 Magazine 2021 Issue 3

A Change to Louisiana Dig Law
It was once stated that “change is inevitable.” This statement is especially applicable to the Louisiana Underground Utilities and Facilities Damage Prevention Law (commonly referred to as the Dig Law). Yes, the Dig Law has been amended once again with not one but two amendments this last legislative session. We’re only going to address one of the two amendments in this article since the latter will not go into effect until January 2022.
Essentially, what this means for farmers is that they’ll now have an exemption from having to call in a locate request in certain situations and will have a depth exemption in other situations. To be more specific, normal commercial farming operations or activities that do not encroach upon a private utility or pipeline servitude, public right-of-way or a public franchise area don’t require a Louisiana 811 dig ticket. Furthermore, activities that do encroach upon a private utility or
Senate Bill No. 169... was passed in an attempt to help farmers performing “normal” commercial farming operations.
pipeline servitude and the depth of the excavation is less than twelve inches in the soil below the existing surface grade don’t require a Louisiana 811 dig ticket either.
It’s important to note that this change in the Dig Law doesn’t prevent a farmer from calling in a locate request. They can certainly do that and it’s encouraged by those of us involved in damage prevention.
There were many meetings between farming representatives, pipeline companies and other utility companies before Senator Allain proposed this bill. Senator Allain actually formed an agricultural study committee comprised of various stakeholders to study this issue and develop the language to be used in his bill.
Louisiana 811 works closely with the Louisiana Farm Bureau and it is our intent to utilize our relationship to educate farmers around the state on this amendment. Time will tell whether or not underground utility and facility damages will increase as a result of this new language but, in my opinion, all parties involved knew some concessions had to be made in order for farmers to abide by the law.
Don’t make a dig mistake
As an excavator, you have projects to complete and deadlines to meet. But when it comes to working around buried utilities, there’s always time to dig safe. One wrong move can lead to a cut utility line and that means costly project delays, fines and the potential for serious injuries.
At CenterPoint Energy, we’re committed to being your safe digging partner. That’s why we offer no-cost excavation safety training. Our training covers state and federal regulations, identification of underground facilities and excavation safety best practices, all so you can finish your work safely and on time.
To schedule your training session, email PublicAwareness@CenterPointEnergy.com.