Senate File 147 - Introduced




                                 SENATE FILE       
                                 BY  MATHIS

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act requiring the conducting of an underground facility
  2    low=impact marking study.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
    TLSB 1302XS (2) 86
    rn/nh

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  UNDERGROUND FACILITY LOW=IMPACT MARKING ==
  1  2 STUDY.
  1  3    1.  The utilities board of the utilities division of the
  1  4 department of commerce, in consultation with the statewide
  1  5 notification center established in section 480.3, shall
  1  6 conduct an underground facility low=impact marking study.
  1  7 The objective of the study shall be to determine underground
  1  8 facility marking practices, procedures, and techniques
  1  9 which will provide sufficient notice to excavators of the
  1 10 existence and location of underground facilities in the least
  1 11 conspicuous and least permanent manner possible. The study
  1 12 shall include examination of underground facility low=impact
  1 13 marking approaches undertaken in other states, the merits
  1 14 of water=based marking formulations and the utilization of
  1 15 nonpaint marking products, and methods for educating operators
  1 16 regarding underground facility low=impact marking options.
  1 17    2.  For the purposes of this section, "excavator",
  1 18 "operator", and "underground facility" mean the same as defined
  1 19 in section 480.1.
  1 20    3.  The board shall submit a report containing findings
  1 21 and recommendations to the members of the general assembly by
  1 22 January 1, 2016.
  1 23                           EXPLANATION
  1 24 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with
  1 25 the explanation's substance by the members of the general assembly.
  1 26    This bill directs the Iowa utilities board, in consultation
  1 27 with the statewide notification center established in Code
  1 28 section 480.3, to conduct an underground facility low=impact
  1 29 marking study.
  1 30    The bill provides that the objective of the study shall
  1 31 be to determine underground facility marking practices,
  1 32 procedures, and techniques which will provide sufficient notice
  1 33 to excavators of the existence and location of underground
  1 34 facilities in the least conspicuous and least permanent manner
  1 35 possible. The study is required to include examination of
  2  1 underground facility low=impact marking approaches undertaken
  2  2 in other states, the merits of water=based marking formulations
  2  3 and the utilization of nonpaint marking products, and methods
  2  4 for educating operators regarding underground facility
  2  5 low=impact marking options.
  2  6    The bill requires the board to submit a report containing
  2  7 findings and recommendations to the members of the general
  2  8 assembly by January 1, 2016.
       LSB 1302XS (2) 86
       rn/nh