The Legislature finds and declares that damage to underground facilities caused by excavation and the discharge of explosives poses a significant risk to the public safety; that such damage to underground natural gas facilities poses a substantial risk to the public safety; and that the implementation of a comprehensive One-Call Damage Prevention System can substantially reduce the frequency of damage caused by these activities.
The Legislature therefore determines that it is in the public interest for the State to require all operators of underground facilities to participate in a One-Call Damage Prevention System and to require all excavators to notify the One-Call Damage Prevention System prior to excavation or demolition.
The Legislature further determines that the Board of Public Utilities is the appropriate State agency to designate the operator of, and provide policy oversight to, the One-Call Damage Prevention System and enforce the provisions of this act.
N.J.S. § 48:2-74