Underground Infrastructure - June 2023 - 10

INSIDEINFRASTRUCTURE
Eben Wyman | Wyman Associates
DCA/AGA Workshop Provides Forum
on Wide Range of Topics
EDITOR'S NOTE
Eben Wyman is a veteran advocate
for key underground utility and pipeline
associations. He can be contacted at
eben@wymanassociates.net.
gagement of customers, project bidding and decisions about
preferred construction methods.
The central message of the session was that better collabIn
late March, the Distribution Contractors Association
(DCA) and the American Gas Association (AGA) held the
8th Annual DCA/AGA Workshop in Chicago, Ill. The event
brought together some 150 gas distribution operators, contractors,
manufacturers and other service providers to discuss
and evaluate ways to communicate and collaborate effectively.
The workshop also offered a forum to address the more impactful
issues facing the industry and hear varying positions
among participating stakeholders.
The 2023 workshop featured presentations and panel discussions
on enduring challenges related to operator qualification
requirements, workforce development in the gas distribution
construction industry, pipeline safety management
systems, and damage prevention. In addition, some new subjects
gained national attention, such as increased use of hydrogen
as a sustainable energy source, and promoting carbon
capture, use and storage efforts.
At the conclusion of the workshop, the hope was that attendees
had a better appreciation of current sentiments of
these issues and related positions held by local distribution
companies and the contractors who work for them.
Workshop roots
After introductions and opening remarks made by DCA and
AGA executives, workshop participants heard from a panel
of local distribution companies (LDCs) describing specific
strategies employed by operators and contractors to improve
productivity, safety and risk management, and facilitate regulatory
compliance. By sharing information and promoting
collaboration, these strategies can lead to more effective en10
JUNE 2023 | UndergroundInfrastructure.com
oration can result in higher levels of both safety and effectiveness.
While always important, collaboration is especially
important now as the nation begins to turn toward electrification
of utilities and increased use of clean energy sources,
such as hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide.
Of course, current challenges facing the industry, such
as rising costs of fuel, materials and other supply chain issues,
come into play. If contractors feel like they are considered
an extension of the utility workforce, the more they
will feel comfortable collaborating. A clear scope of work
will also enhance collaboration - operators on this panel
agreed that pre-construction meetings are a great way to
begin enhancing trust and cooperation between operators
and their contractors.
Compensation methods were also addressed in this discussion.
Master Services Agreements (MSAs) were compared
with other compensation approaches, and that sometimes
the " back-and-forth " of service agreements can slow
down the process. Haggling over specific job functions often
wastes time unnecessarily, and panelists suggested that
MSAs can be preferable because parties are able to lock in
prices for the entire project and/or over a set period of time.
Operators who bring in contractors early in these discussions
will find these processes more beneficial.
Legislative issues
AGA provided an informative presentation on legislation facing
the natural gas and pipeline industry. While there has been
significant action within the federal government, much of the
debate over the future of natural gas is happening at the state
and local level. Some municipal and state policies are currently
pushing to ban or restrict access to new natural gas connections,
while others are doing what they can to prevent such
restrictions from being enacted through preemptive measures
that ensure " fuel choice " for consumers.
The discussion began with the " good news. " Natural gas remains
popular with the American people, including in states
pushing for mandatory electrification. For example, residents
in the state of New York, where transporting natural gas recently
has been next to impossible because of permit restrictions,
strongly support natural gas.
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Underground Infrastructure - June 2023

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