New Routledge book links federal policy, state regulations, utility practices, and public education in addressing a critical nationwide infrastructure safety issue

/PRNewswire/ - Days after the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) announced that its national indicator of digging-related harm to underground utilities hit an all-time peak, preorders are now available for Holding Back Disaster: Protecting Lives and Infrastructure Through Excavation Damage Prevention, a fresh Routledge publication authored by damage prevention expert Scott Landes and Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure Executive Director Benjamin R. Dierker.

CGA's recently issued 2025 Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) Data Summary and Trends sets the CGA Index at 102, surpassing its 2022 baseline of 100 and rising eight points from the 2023 level. Drawing from 221,717 distinct damage reports, CGA determined that incidents are climbing in tandem with expanded construction. This marks the highest value recorded under the present CGA Index and arrives three years into efforts aimed at cutting excavation damages in half.

The Index functions as a modeled metric instead of a direct national tally, and shifts in approach plus voluntary submissions mean it cannot be directly translated into older DIRT Report estimates. Still, the sequence offers key perspective: CGA noted that reported and unique damage incidents peaked in 2019 with roughly 532,000 U.S. cases estimated; later reviews showed damages had largely stalled through 2021; and the 2022 analysis indicated further growth. With 2022 established as the Index baseline of 100, the measure started after years of elevated or increasing harm rather than following a period of reduced incidents. The 2025 reading of 102 now tops that initial benchmark.

Across 50 million miles of buried pipes, cables, and wires in the U.S., excavation damage occurs regularly. Yet each event can be avoided. CGA deserves recognition for monitoring these figures and guiding the sector toward eliminating every incident. The record Index sets the stage for Holding Back Disaster, though it forms just one element of the broader narrative.

Instead of framing excavation damage as an isolated technical issue or the shortcoming of one party, Holding Back Disaster reviews the entire framework around buried infrastructure protection. It ties together national infrastructure funding and federal safety rules with state digging statutes, local public works, utility documentation, One-Call centers, locating resources, construction agreements, project timelines, workforce demands, on-site methods, data accuracy, mapping, oversight, risk handling, and new technologies.

"The record-high Index serves as a pressing alert, yet a single figure cannot capture the full system at work," said Dierker. "Washington influences infrastructure funding and regulation, while states, municipalities, utilities, contractors, and crews shape how safeguards operate daily. Holding Back Disaster unites these elements."

"The book offers no simple fix," Dierker added. "It supplies vital background for improved policy, training, operations, reporting, and public awareness, and it should be essential for anyone who creates, manages, follows, instructs, or communicates the standards safeguarding underground infrastructure."

From Federal Policy to the Local Jobsite

Safeguarding buried infrastructure represents a national priority carried out by thousands of groups and millions of daily actions. Federal infrastructure outlays, pipeline safety mandates, broadband initiatives, energy stability, workforce efforts, and transportation funding all affect excavation volume and the rules covering parts of the work. Actual execution occurs via state-specific dig laws, state and regional One-Call networks, public utility commissions, and individual field participants.

Combining real incidents, historical context, policy review, expert views, operational methods, and emerging tools, Holding Back Disaster aims to serve the entire system:

Federal policymakers and regulators addressing infrastructure investment, pipeline safety, energy reliability, broadband rollout, workforce capacity, data standards, and coordination across government levels;
State and local officials handling excavation rules, enforcement, 811 operations, public works, water and wastewater networks, utility mapping, permitting, and emergency response;
Utilities and practitioners, including excavators, locators, engineers, Subsurface Utility Engineering specialists, safety leads, risk experts, contractors, insurers, and infrastructure owners;
Journalists, educators, students, and the general public looking for a clear overview of the hidden networks under communities, the teams that protect them, and the outcomes when protections fall short.

The book acts at once as an entry point for newcomers to damage prevention, a reference for seasoned experts, a training and workforce tool, a classroom text, and a policy guide to the legal and institutional structure of excavation safety at federal, state, and local levels.

Endorsed by Federal Policy and Infrastructure Leaders

Holding Back Disaster begins with a foreword by Mary E. Peters, the 15th U.S. Secretary of Transportation, who held the post when the national 811 number debuted publicly in 2007. Its afterword comes from Robert "Bob" Kipp, CGA's founding president, who retired in 2017.

The book has received endorsements from former federal officials and prominent infrastructure policy figures:

DJ Gribbin, former Special Assistant to the President for Infrastructure Policy, describes it as a "valuable resource for practitioners and policymakers alike."
Neil Chatterjee, former Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, notes the book highlights "an often overlooked factor in infrastructure resilience and economic stability."
Timothy P. Butters, former Acting Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, highlights its importance to "life safety, protection of property, and critical infrastructure."
Jeff Wiese, former Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, states the book equips those new to damage prevention with the foundation to grasp the field and the serious results of infrastructure failures.

Further endorsements arrive from leaders across law, public administration, emergency management, engineering, utilities, construction, locating, insurance, education, telecommunications, and infrastructure technology.

Holding Back Disaster releases on August 10, ahead of National 811 Day, the yearly public call to reach 811 before any digging.

Preorder Holding Back Disaster

About Aii

The Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure is an independent, nonpartisan think tank focused on infrastructure. Through research, education, and public engagement, Aii promotes innovation across industry and public policy to enhance the safety, efficiency, and resilience of our nation's infrastructure.

Media Contact:
Benjamin Dierker
(703) 574-7376

SOURCE Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure