Environmental Field Support for10,000-mile Undergrounding Program

Salas O’Brien is proud to partner with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the nation’s largest utility, for a massive undergrounding infrastructure project. Our team of environmental specialists supports sampling to characterize sites for the potential undergrounding of utilities, including utility location oversight and safety oversight for all contractors involved in field activities.

This project entails undergrounding over 10,000 miles of power lines to reduce ignition risk by nearly 99% in each location. This effort also has numerous benefits, including improved reliability and safety, reduced wildfire risk, fewer safety power outages, increased environmental protection, and local beautification.

The project scope includes monitoring Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD), conducting Environmental Release to Construction (ERTC) briefings, and performing compliance inspections. These inspections will provide documentation and photographs to confirm regulatory compliance. Additionally, we will create and submit all 811 tickets for PG&E Underground Service Alert (USA) to prevent damage to underground utilities.