This month, NUCA's 2026 Washington Summit will deliver our industry's advocates into Congress with the message to keep water infrastructure resources turned on and flowing to America's communities. Zack delivers an overview of this year's premier industry advocacy event and the important legislation our attendees will be discussing with federal lawmakers and their staff. (16:08)

This edition of NUCA's podcast Dig This! chats with Ed DeNeale about the upcoming Safety & Damage Prevention Conference (SDPC), Sept. 15-18, 2026. This is the must-attend industry safety event of the year — packed with three high-energy days of cutting-edge speakers, real-world solutions, and powerful networking at Louisville’s iconic The Brown Hotel.

In this episode, Ed discusses the conference's sessions on transportation accidents, risk management, mental health in the workplace, the latest OSHA updates, emergency preparedness, rethinking trench safety, and a fresh 811 update. Ed also talks about future SDPC events and NUCA's safety program over the next 12 months.

Learn more here: https://nuca.com/safety-damage-prevention-conference/

Safety consumes our nation's trenching and excavation industry, and NUCA leads the way. This episode's guest is Skout Raney, NUCA's new Safety Committee chairman. Skout talks about NUCA's safety program, the Safety Committee, our several upcoming safety education events, and what members can do to improve their company's safety culture.

Lobbying Congress and key Federal agencies on behalf of our members is a top reason why NUCA and other trade associations have aggressive government affairs programs. NUCA's Dig This! interviews Jim Kolb, partner at Summit Strategies and NUCA's new lobbyist, about his background, his insider work with water issues in Congress over the last 25 years, and his thoughts about our 2026 legislative program and what is ahead for the industry at May’s NUCA Washington Summit.

This Dig This! podcast interviews Scott Berry, senior policy advisor at the U.S. Water Alliance. Scott discusses the value of water investment and the Alliance's detailed 2025 report on the many economic benefits this nation derives from the investments in water and wastewater infrastructure. To read the Alliance’s “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Water Infrastructure” report, go here.

https://uswateralliance.org/

Link to report: https://uswateralliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Economic-Impact-of-Investing-in-Water-Infrastructure_VOW_FINAL_pages_0.pdf

On this Dig This! podcast we interview NUCA's 2026 Chairman David Howell about his background of many years in utility and trenchless construction with Midwest Mole, the role NUCA has played in his career choices, and his outlook for the year ahead for the association.

Our latest Dig This! podcast shines a spotlight on OSHA's On-Site Consultation Program, a terrific resource for small and medium-sized construction businesses looking to improve their workplace safety environment. Two OSHA experts discuss with NUCA the program, worksite visits, services offered, and how this program differs from enforcement. 21,000 employers took advantage of this helpful program last year to improve their workplace safety. (18:43)

Dig This! host Robert Baylor talks to Firestarter's Wally Adamchik about utility construction company executives investing in their employees and fostering a productive and safe work culture--and seeing a stronger bottom line, higher retention, and better project outcomes. Join us in Tucson in February 2026 at our National Convention for Wally's session on "People in Construction." Wally's website is found at wallyadamchik.com. Register today for the Feb. 10-13, 2026, NUCA National Convention at nucadigs.com.