Washington – The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is scheduled to host a public forum on March 14 in West Palm Beach, FL, to discuss state-issued exemptions for reporting excavation activities.

States can choose to exempt certain excavators using mechanized equipment from federal call-center reporting requirements before digging. PHMSA is seeking input from stakeholders on how this has impacted pipeline safety. PHMSA will use feedback from the forum for a federally mandated (.pdf file) report on the exemptions that is due in 2014.

The forum also can be viewed via webcast.