Penske, Shell and the Common Ground Alliance Expand Safe Digging Awareness Campaign

HOUSTON, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Shell has teamed up with the Common Ground Alliance for the fourth consecutive season to raise awareness for 811, the national "Call Before You Dig" hotline.

Like last year, the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge will carry the 811 logo during National Safe Digging Month in April. Due to the program's success in previous seasons, the partnership will expand this year, with new Shell-Pennzoil driver AJ Allmendinger featuring the logo on his car during the Watkins Glen race, as part of National 811 Day on August 11. The logo will also run on the car during the final race of the season in Homestead, FL.

"The decision to expand the Penske, Shell and Common Ground Alliance safe digging initiative to include National 811 Day in August speaks to the impact the program had last year," said Roger Penske. "This is a great example of our businesses working together to engage fans on the importance of calling 811."

"Heading into the fourth year of executing racing initiatives with the CGA, we've found targeting race fans to be a successful strategy," said Greg Smith, President, Shell Pipeline Company. "Calling 811 before digging is so important to safety and protecting America's underground infrastructure, and the CGA routinely sees a significant increase in calls to 811 each time we run one of these programs."

As people are planning outdoor projects, they don't always consider the elaborate infrastructure beneath the surface. When somebody starts a digging project without calling 811, they run the risk of damaging pipelines, which may cause serious injury or harm to those in close proximity. Additionally, it may knock out power or gas to an entire neighborhood. An individual can be held financially responsible for repairs if they don't call 811 and damage a pipeline while digging.

Every digging project requires a call to 811 – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. The quick and easy call will connect you with a local One Call Center operator who will record information about your dig location and notify the underground facility operators so they can mark the approximate location of underground utilities and pipelines.  Once the lines are marked, you can begin to dig, but always dig with care.

For more information, visit www.call811.com. 

Shell Oil Products US, a subsidiary of Shell Oil Company, is a leader in the refining, transportation and marketing of fuels, with a network of approximately 6,000 Shell-branded gasoline stations in the western United States. Another 8,300 Shell-branded stations in the eastern and southern are managed by Motiva Enterprises LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Shell Oil Company and Saudi Refining, Inc.

Shell Oil Company is an affiliate of the Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with 93,000 employees in more than 90 countries. [(NYSE:RDS.A) and (NYSE:RDS.B)]

SOURCE Shell Oil Company