Excavation is the single greatest threat to pipeline safety, said Mike Loeffler, the company’s senior director of external affairs. Having personnel on hand lowers the risk of a line being hit and the time needed to respond in the event of a leak.

“We know where our line is and we can take measures to protect our pipeline,” he said.

Commissioners pointed to what they see as another shortcoming of the law: Muscatine Utility Services did not respond to any of the PSC’s requests for information or show up for the hearing before an administrative law judge.

“I find it frustrating at best,” said PSC Chair Rebecca Valcq.

“This isn’t the first (case) where the respondent has basically blown us off,” said Commissioner Ellen Nowak. “To me, that is dangerous to the citizens and the homeowners.”

In an email to the State Journal, James Thye of Muscatine Utility Services said as soon as he realized his mistake he reported it to Northern Natural Gas and thought that was the end of it.

Other cases

The case is just the second to be resolved under the new law. Another eight cases referred by Diggers Hotline remain under investigation.