Gold Shovel Association Adds PG&E’s Joe Forline to Board of Directors

The Gold Shovel Association (GSA) has added utility industry veteran Joe Forline to its board of directors. Forline is senior vice president of gas operations at Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E).

GSA is a nationally recognized organization committed to improving public and workforce safety by focusing on the protection of underground infrastructure.

“There is absolutely nothing more important to me than safety,” said Forline in a July 7 statement. “One of the key areas of focus for customer and contractor safety is around excavation and safe digging practices. I am honored to represent PG&E on the board of directors for the Gold Shovel Association. It is an opportunity to collaborate with industry colleagues on raising awareness around the Gold Shovel Standard and identifying new ways to promote safety.”

The Gold Shovel Standard is a leading safety program across North America, with a growing membership that includes some of the largest telecom companies, gas and electric utilities, pipeline operators and municipalities.

With more than 35 years of utility industry experience, Forline will serve as the PG&E representative on the GSA board. PG&E has established itself as a leader in pipeline damage prevention. In 2021, PG&E achieved top decile industry performance in damage prevention by reducing gas dig-ins and raising public and contractor awareness of safe digging practices.

“We are very pleased to welcome Joe to the Gold Shovel Association board of directors. Joe’s deep experience in the gas industry and his commitment to improving damage prevention programs will benefit GSA and its member companies,” said Josh Hinrichs, GSA board chair and president of UtiliSource LLC.

Forline oversees the daily operations of PG&E’s gas transmission and distribution systems, including all maintenance, leak management, field services, storage operations, compression, emergency dispatch and response, damage prevention and corrosion operation to help ensure the integrity and safety of PG&E’s gas system.

Prior to joining PG&E in 2021, Forline served as Vice President of Gas Operations for Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PSEG), New Jersey’s largest provider of electric and natural gas service.

Tags: Gold Shovel Association, Gold SHovel Standard, PGandE