Page 6 - AR811

news release
NOVEMBER 30, 2023
Griffin: ‘I ... hope this judgment serves as notice to all excavators and operators of underground facilities that my office will enforce Arkansas’s laws’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing a $20,000 civil penalty against Siloam Springs-based Ground Zero Construction, Inc. and its owner Rod Garman as part of a consent judgment issued in Benton County Circuit Court:
“My office is charged with enforcing the Arkansas Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act, which requires excavators to call the One Call Center, commonly known as 811, before they excavate and timely mark the location of their underground facilities. Ground Zero did not comply with the law and, as such, repeatedly put Arkansans in danger. This is why I filed suit against the company in April and why I am pleased with the consent judgment in this case.
“I thank Assistant Attorney General Matthew Ford and the Public Protection Division of my office for bringing this matter to completion and hope this judgment serves
as notice to all excavators and operators of underground facilities that my office will enforce Arkansas’s laws.”
Griffin filed suit against Ground Zero on April 27, 2023.
Earlier this year, the Arkansas General Assembly passed and the Governor signed into law Act 309 of 2023, amending the Arkansas Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Act (AUFDPA) by establishing new penalties and mandatory training for persons who violate the provisions of the Act and giving the Attorney General enhanced enforcement authority.
Complaints of violations of the AUFDPA may be submitted to the Office of the Attorney General by visiting https://arkansasag.gov/resources/file-an-811-complaint/ and completing the online complaint form and submitting it and all supporting documentation to 811complaints@ArkansasAG.gov.
from the Attorney General’s Website
ATTORNEY GENERAL GRIFFIN ANNOUNCES $20K CIVIL PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF UNDERGROUND FACILITIES DAMAGE PREVENTION ACT
4 • Arkansas 811 Magazine 2023, Issue 4