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  2. Natural Gas STAR Program

2019 Natural Gas STAR & Methane Challenge Workshop

2019 Oil and Natural Gas Conference on Voluntary Methane Emission Reductions

November 4-6, 2019, Sheraton Pittsburgh Hotel at Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA

Agenda and Presentations

View the workshop agenda and download the speaker presentations below.

Time Session
MONDAY, November 4 Site Tours
8:00 am - 3:30 pm Range Resources Facility (Southpointe, PA)
Range Resources is one of the leading producers of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale and has extensive operations throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Participants on this field tour visited active drilling operations, hydraulic fracturing operations, gathering and production facilities, and a gas processing plant.
9:00 am - 2:00 pm Montauk Energy Renewable Natural Gas Plant (Monroeville, PA)
Participants visited the landfill gas capture area, gas processing plant, and the pipeline injection site at the Monroeville Landfill. Montauk Energy, Peoples Gas and Waste Management representatives discussed the collaboration required between the landfill and pipeline owners.
   
TUESDAY, November 5  
9:00 am – 9:10 am

Welcome and Introductions

Jerome Blackman - U.S. EPA

9:10 am – 9:30 am

Keynote Address

Paul Gunning - Director, Climate Change Division, Office of Air and Radiation, U.S. EPA

9:30 am – 9:45 am

First Year of Methane Challenge Data and Program Accomplishments (pdf) (550.93 KB, November 2019)

Sarah Menassian - U.S. EPA


Methane Challenge Partner Experiences Panel

9:45 am – 11:00 am
  • Consumers Energy Company Methane Challenge Program Partner Experience (pdf) (292.79 KB, November 2019)
    Amy Kapuga - Consumers Energy
  • On System Emission Reduction (pdf) (1.42 MB, November 2019)
    Peter Cathcart - NW Natural
  • Driving Emission Reductions (pdf) (743.23 KB, November 2019)
    Thomas D. Hutchins - Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipelines
  • CenterPoint Energy Methane Challenge Partner Experiences (pdf) (464.29 KB, November 2019)
    Chris LaNasa - CenterPoint Energy
  • Keith Weber - NiSource
    This presentation is not available.


Opportunities for Continuous Improvement

11:20 am – 11:35 am

Methane Challenge Continuous Improvement (pdf) (403.72 KB, November 2019)

Sarah Menassian - U.S. EPA

11:35 am – 12:00 pm

Proposed BMP Targeting Unit Isolation and Blowdown Valves (pdf) (2.55 MB, November 2019)

Josh Ennis - National Fuel Gas

1:00 pm – 1:20 pm

DTE Energy Rod Packing Evaluation and Replacement Program (pdf) (1.31 MB, November 2019)

Steven Anderson, Todd Baker - DTE Energy

1:20 pm – 1:40 pm

NGS Partner Experience with Liquids Unloading: Emission Verification and Reduction Initiative (pdf) (1.12 MB, November 2019)

Michael Ondash - Range Resources

1:40 pm – 2:00 pm

Minimizing Emissions While Manually Unloading Unconventional Shale Gas Wells (pdf) (7.72 MB, November 2019)

Jeff Formica - Seneca Resources Company

2:00 pm – 2:20 pm

Enhancing Transparency and Recognition of RNG Projects (pdf) (874.68 KB, November 2019)

Rob LaCount - M.J. Bradley & Associates

2:20 pm – 2:30 pm

Discussion and Q&A


Natural Gas STAR Partner Experiences

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Natural Gas STAR Program Update (pdf) (455.44 KB, November 2019)

Jerome Blackman - U.S. EPA

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm

Flare Reductions Achieved by Methane Reduction Strategy

Lisa Tiesman - Shell E&P
This presentation is not available.

3:30 pm – 3:45 pm

Innovative Methods to Minimize Emissions in a Highly Regulated State (pdf) (6.68 MB, November 2019)

Kelli Cox, Kathy Steerman, Josh Carlisle - Extraction Oil and Gas

3:45 pm – 4:00 pm

Discussion and Q&A


Data-Driven Decision Making

4:00 pm – 4:20 pm

Leveraging AI-powered Software to Predict which Daily Excavation Tickets are at the Highest Risk of Having Damages

Mishal Thadani - Urbint and LDC partner
This presentation is not available.

4:20 pm – 4:40 pm

Lessons Learned from the First Year of the Super Emitter Program (pdf) (1.52 MB, November 2019)

Francois Rongere - PG&E

4:40 pm – 5:00 pm

Using Off-the-Shelf Business Intelligence Tools to Identify Areas with Potential Methane / Fugitive Emissions Releases: Efficient CH4 Emissions Reduction (pdf) (494.16 KB, November 2019)

Dan McDermott - Huco Consulting, Inc.

   
WEDNESDAY, November 6  
9:00 am– 9:10 am

Opening Remarks and Recap from Day 1

Jerome Blackman - U.S. EPA

9:10 am– 9:40 am

Keynote Address: The Commitments Across National Fuel’s Subsidiaries as an Integrated Company An Integrated Company Approach - Voluntary GHG Reductions (pdf) (3.34 MB, November 2019)

Ronald Kraemer - President, National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation and Empire Pipeline Inc.


Renewable Natural Gas Projects

9:40 am – 10:00 am

Pipeline RNG Project (pdf) (5.92 MB, November 2019)

John Welch - Dane County, WI

10:00 am – 10:20 am

Lessons from Lifecycle Analysis and RNG Production Experience

Marianne Mintz - Argonne National Lab
This presentation is not available.

10:20 am – 10:40 am

Landfill Gas Energy Project (pdf) (1.15 MB, November 2019)

Chase Edmiston - ONEOK

10:40 am – 11:00 am

Monroeville Landfill (pdf) (1.09 MB, November 2019)

Dan Bonk - Montauk Energy


Advancements in Leak Detection and Measurement

11:15 am – 11:30 am

Results from Recent Field and Controlled Studies of Emerging Methane Leak Detection Technologies

Dr. Arvind Ravikumar - Harrisburg University
This presentation is not available.

11:30 am – 11:45 am

Handheld and Airborne Scanning Laser Sensors for Natural Gas Leak Imaging and Quantification

Dr. Michael Frish - Physical Sciences Inc.
This presentation is not available.

11:45 am – 12:00 pm

Source-Attributable, Quantitative Results from a Basin-Wide Survey of Methane Emissions (pdf) (2.54 MB, November 2019)

Dr. Elena Berman, Chief Science Officer, Kairos Aerospace


Industry Initiatives Panel​

1:00 pm – 1:15 pm

ONE Future Coalition (pdf) (1.28 MB, November 2019)

Richard Hyde - Our Nation's Energy Future Coalition

1:15 pm – 1:30 pm

ESG Metrics Reporting Template (pdf) (754.97 KB, November 2019)

Pam Lacey - American Gas Association

1:30 pm – 1:45 pm

INGAA's Voluntary Methane Emissions Commitments (pdf) (1.95 MB, November 2019)

Sandra Snyder - Interstate National Gas Association of America

1:45 pm – 2:00 pm

The Environmental Partnership (pdf) (1.03 MB, November 2019)

Matt Todd - American Petroleum Institute

2:00 pm – 2:15 pm

Natural Gas Supply Chain Initiatives (pdf) (749.21 KB, November 2019)

Rob LaCount - M.J. Bradley & Associates


EPA Greenhouse Gas Data

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm

EPA Greenhouse Gas Data for Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems (pdf) (1.21 MB, November 2019)

Adam Eisele, Melissa Weitz - U.S. EPA


Service Provider Panel

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
  • Jason Brangers - Utility Safety and Design (pdf) (275.57 KB, November 2019)
  • Steve Deiker - Kairos Aerospace (pdf) (1.69 MB, November 2019)
  • Jeremy Dobler - Spectral Sensor Solutions (pdf) (1.49 MB, November 2019)
  • Milton Heath, III - Heath Consultants (pdf) (1020.63 KB, November 2019)
  • Jeff Leake - Sierra Olympic Technologies (pdf) (594.5 KB, November 2019)
  • Doug Pauline - LaSen Inc (pdf) (1.92 MB, November 2019)
  • Dr. Pete Roos - Bridger Photonics, Inc (pdf) (583.91 KB, November 2019)
  • Heath Spidle - Southwest Research Institute (pdf) (7.7 MB, November 2019)
  • Jeffrey Voorhis - Hy-Bon EDI (pdf) (1.7 MB, November 2019)
4:30 pm– 5:00 pm

Closing Remarks and Workshop Adjourns

Jerome Blackman - U.S. EPA

   
THURSDAY, November 7  
9:00 am – 3:30 pm Stakeholder Workshop: EPA GHG Data on Natural Gas and Petroleum Systems

Site Tours

Montauk Energy Renewable Natural Gas Plant in Monroeville, PA

Monday, November 4, 2019
This site tour was hosted by Pittsburgh-based Montauk Energy, an industry leader on the national scale with more than 30 years of experience in the development, operation, and management of biogas-fueled renewable energy projects throughout the U.S. Topics included landfill gas fundamentals, project development, gas processing, and pipeline injection. A representative from Peoples Natural Gas discussed RNG from the utility perspective.

Learn more about Montauk Energy's operations in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Montauk Energy
Montauk Energy Monroeville

Range Resources’ Marcellus Shale Operation in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Monday, November 4, 2019
This site tour was hosted by Range Resources, one of the leading producers of natural gas from the Marcellus Shale with extensive operations throughout southwestern Pennsylvania. Participants toured active drilling operations, hydraulic fracturing operations, gathering and production facilities, and a gas processing plant.

Learn more about what Range Resources is doing in the Marcellus Shale.

Range Resources
Range Resources Marcellus Shale

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