Advocacy forums at GPA Midstream Convention include environment awards and update from EPA

The advocacy track at the GPA Midstream Convention is focusing on environmental regulatory compliance and safety and will include an update on the Air Rule from one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's top scientists.

Melissa Weitz, a physical scientist for the EPA's Office of Atmospheric Programs, is presenting during the Environmental Forum at the annual convention in San Antonio Sept. 22-25. Her talk on the status of the agency's clean air efforts is one of several presentations on Tuesday from 1:30-5 p.m.

Weitz, who has been with the EPA since 2005, specializes in the quantification of methane emissions from oil and gas systems. She is responsible for overseeing measurement of fugitive methane emissions of the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks.

Also presenting at the Environmental Forum is John Happ, CEO of Pressure Corp., which specializes in harnessing clean energy from waste pressure. He will address efforts to meet climate change goals in the presentation "Can We Spend Fast Enough to Achieve Sustainability Goals?"

Providence Photonics CEO Yousheng Zeng, who served on the EPA's Science Advisory Board for a decade, will discuss flare compliance monitoring under current EPA regulations.

The GPA Midstream's Environmental Excellence Awards also will be presented during the forum.

The advocacy programs begin Monday with the Safety and Reliability Forum from 8-10:15 a.m. Brian McNeill and Shane Kelliher of The Equity Engineering Group will get into the nitty gritty of "The Value of Corrosion Studies for Amine Processing Units." Enerflex's Lance Roberts and Jim McTasney take on the increasingly important issue of "Electrification in Gas Processing: Keeping up with Electrical Demand." Rounding out the forum is Operation Sustainability LLC's David Drerup on "Better Safe Work Permitting Execution."

Monday afternoon, pipeline experts have the mic. The Pipeline Safety Forum at 1 p.m. kicks off with Process Vision's Paul Stockwell on how "Pipeline Videos Help Improve Gas Quality." Alberta, Canada-based Flex Steel Pipeline's Kirill Kovalenko and Shawn Poworoznik check in with "Rehabilitation of Existing 49 CFR 192 Pipeline Using Steel-Reinforced Spoolable Pipe." Gavin Duncan of IK Trax ends the session taking the squeal out of pipeline detection technology in the presentation "Non-Intrusive Pig Signallers - Should You 'Make the Switch?'"

All session are at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.

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