WASHINGTON – (April 12, 2018) – Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-driven organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them, and their communities, is proud to announce that TransCanada Corporation has demonstrated more than a decade of its commitment to public safety by renewing its Platinum Sponsorship of the safety association for the 11th consecutive year.
A longtime member of CGA, TransCanada has gone beyond mere membership by supporting the organization for more than a decade through sustaining annual sponsorships at the highest level, service on the board of directors and significant additional financial and promotional support for key public awareness and industry initiatives across the country.
CGA worked with industry stakeholders like TransCanada to promote the federally designated call-before-you-dig phone number 811, which has now been in operation for more than a decade. Since 811’s inception, the rate of damage to buried utilities has decreased by more than 50 percent. While significant progress has been made in reducing damages, a buried utility line is still struck once every nine minutes in the U.S. because of a failure to call 811 beforehand, making this a critical public safety issue.
In addition to national public awareness campaigns dedicated to reminding homeowners and professionals to always call 811 to have buried utilities located before breaking ground, CGA and its members also produce an annual Best Practices Guide (now in its 15th edition) regarded as the definitive resource for underground damage prevention and the annual DIRT (Damage Information and Reporting Tool) Report detailing the state of damage prevention in the U.S. CGA members, including TransCanada Pipelines, also meet regularly to discuss damage prevention topics and initiatives in technology, education and marketing, data reporting and evaluation, one call systems, regional partnerships and stakeholder outreach.
TransCanada employees demonstrate their deep commitment to a culture of safety by participating in every single CGA committee and maintaining continual board representation. The company keeps a pulse on emerging best practices, trends, education and training through its close work with its peers in the CGA membership.
“Safety is integral to everything TransCanada does. A crucial component of keeping our pipelines safe and reliable is getting out the word about the importance of knowing where pipelines are located and how to avoid activities that might damage them or harm people and property in any way,” said Ken Oostman, vice-president of U.S. Gas Technical Services at TransCanada. “The Common Ground Alliance is the preeminent organization working toward keeping buried infrastructure safe. We are very proud of our association with CGA.”
“TransCanada has been a leader in the industry by supporting CGA’s safety mission at the highest level for an incredible 11 years,” said Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, president and CEO of CGA. “TransCanada’s sustaining sponsorship has made our organization’s tremendous growth over the last decade possible, including education surrounding the designation of 811 as the national call before you dig number and developing damage prevention resources that are helping us work toward our goal of zero damages.”
About CGA
CGA is a member-driven association of nearly 1,700 individuals, organizations and sponsors in every facet of the underground utility industry. Established in 2000, CGA is committed to saving lives and preventing damage to North American underground infrastructure by promoting effective damage prevention practices. CGA has established itself as the leading organization in an effort to reduce damages to underground facilities in North America through shared responsibility among all stakeholders. For more information, visit CGA on the web at http://www.commongroundalliance.com.
About TransCanada
With more than 65 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates one of the largest natural gas transmission networks that extends more than 91,900 kilometres (57,100 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is a leading provider of gas storage and related services with 653 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A large independent power producer, TransCanada currently owns or has interests in approximately 6,100 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is also the developer and operator of one of North America’s leading liquids pipeline systems that extends approximately 4,900 kilometres (3,000 miles), connecting growing continental oil supplies to key markets and refineries. TransCanada’s common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP. Visit TransCanada.com to learn more, or connect with us on social media and 3BL Media.