Recent Projects

Wrote draft legislation for updating Minnesota’s “Gopher State One Call” (GSOC) Statute based on results of 3-year, 4-dozen person review committee. Legislation passed unanimously.
Gave primary testimony in favor of cities marking sewer laterals and wrote commentary on behalf of Minnesota Utility Contractors Association for updating GSOC Rules. Proposed Rules were upheld by the Administrative Law Judge.
Working with the Wisconsin Utility Contractors Association to pass legislation requiring Wisconsin municipalities to locate sewer laterals.
Member of the Advisory Board of the Damage Prevention Conference for 2004 and 2005, speaker each year from 1998 through 2005, and Program Coordinator for 2005 and 2006.
Member of the Best Practices Committee of the Common Ground Alliance.
Expert Witness in approximately two dozen lawsuits. Retained on behalf of excavators, facility operators, contract locators, and One-Call Notification Centers.
Author of articles on relevant damage-prevention issues in national trade magazines.

Between 1997 and 2001, called in 12,000 excavation notices covering 4,000 miles in 16 states for fiber optic cable installation. Working with the general contractor to prevent excavation damage by implementing a One-Call Ticket Management Program and conducting damage prevention training classes, damages were reduced from 7 unmarked utilities in 90 miles, to 2 unmarked lines, and no marked lines in 500 miles the next year. Over the four year period, with multiple crews, including subcontractors, damages were down about two-thirds.
In 1994-95, was consultant to the U.S. DOT Office of Pipeline Safety to help craft its National Campaign to improve pipeline safety by reducing damage from excavators.
Worked with the National Transportation Safety Board on behalf of the DOT to organize and conduct the NTSB/DOT 1994 Damage Prevention Workshop in Washington, D.C.
Assisted Oregon, New Jersey and Iowa One-Call Boards write Requests For Proposals for One-Call Center vendors, stressing clear performance measures.
Worked with legislative committees in North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, Texas, New York, Iowa, and Wyoming to pass damage prevention legislation.