Letter to Governor Abbott and Dallas County Order

Letter to Governor Abbott's office respectfully urging that any order limiting business activities be mindful of the unique characteristics of the surveying and geospatial professions and that these activities not be closed or limited.

Read Letter to Governor Abbott

Also from the Dallas County Order with bold emphasis, which we believe gives field work some foot hold especially considering the TxDOT position below.

Essential Critical Infrastructure. Work necessary to the operations and maintenance of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors as identified by the National Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) including public works construction, residential and commercial construction, airport operations, water, sewer, gas, electrical, oil refining, roads and highways, public transportation, solid waste collection and removal, internet, and telecommunications systems (including the provision of essential global, national, and local infrastructure for computing services, business infrastructure, communications, and web-based services), financial institutions, defense and national security-related operations, essential manufacturing operations provided that they carry out those services or that work in compliance with social distancing requirements of six feet, to the extent possible. Essential Businesses providing essential infrastructure should implement screening precautions to protect employees and all activity shall be performed in compliance with social distancing guidelines attached.

Read Dallas County Order (page 3)

From TxDOT PEPS email, procurement and contracting will continue as usual and field work is considered essential work. "Field Work: Field operations are considered essential work that needs to continue to be performed. Just like our TxDOT Maintenance and Construction crews that must continue working, we consider that survey, SUE, CEI and geotechnical services must be considered essential services that need to continue to be performed during this time" per Martin Rodin, P.E., PEPS Division Director.

From a NSPS perspective: “We have been successful in numerous parts of the country issuing “shelter in place orders” by being under stated Essential to Critical Infrastructure exceptions in those orders and per the DHS memo to keep our field staff operational. That being said, it is only happening when we have the same understanding with our clients and our field staff are only working if they personally feel safe doing so and are following all the other COVID-19 work safe guidelines” stated Pat Smith, RPLS, NSPS Governmental Affairs Chair and TSPS Past President.