October 12-13, 2021 | Fort Collins, CO
CH4 Connections 2020 Preliminary Agenda (All times subject to change. Please check back for updates.)
Day 1: Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (all times in U.S. Mountain Time Zone)
| 10:00 – 10:15 AM | Welcome Remarks: Ron Snedic, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, GTI Bryan Willson, Executive Director, Energy Institute, Colorado State University |
| 10:15 – 10:35 AM | Keynote Speaker Senator Chris Hansen, Senate District 31, Colorado State Senate |
| 10:35 – 10:55 AM | Questions and Answers with Keynote Speaker Fireside chat and Moderator: Bill Ritter Jr., former Colorado Governor, Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University |
| 10:55 – 11:00 AM | Break |
| 11:00 – 11:40 AM | Panel #1: Consumer-driven environmental standards Consumers of natural gas – particularly power generators and end consumers through their distribution companies – are increasingly interested in responsibly sourced gas. This panel will explore the current state of these efforts, the players, and possible structures for implementing these initiatives. Moderator: Robert LaCount, Executive Vice President, M.J. Bradley Panelist: Roy Hartstein, Founder, Managing Director, Responsible Energy Solutions Panelist: Cate Hight, Principal, Rocky Mountain Institute |
| 11:40 – 12:00 PM | Sponsor Showcase Rapid-Fire Session Moderator: Anthony Marchese, Assoc. Dean for Academic & Student Affairs, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University |
| 12:00 – 1:00 PM | Exhibit Hours and Lunch Break |
| 1:00 – 1:50 PM | Panel #2: Technology – growing potential for satellites to find and measure natural gas leaks A new generation of satellite and airplane-based technologies have generated substantial interest as a means of detecting leaks and other emissions from oil and gas sites, worldwide, with unprecedented temporal and spatial coverage. But … what can these sensors see? And what is their likely spatial coverage and frequency of sampling? This panel will highlight the latest information on remote sensing, delivered by experts who are independent of the technology developers. Moderator: Joe von Fischer, Professor, Department of Biology, Colorado State University Panelist: Nicole Downey, Principal Consultant, Earth System Sciences Panelist: Dan Cusworth, Data Scientist, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Panelist: Jason McKeever, Science and Systems Lead, GHGSat Panelist: Brian Jones, Co-founder and COO, Kairos Aerospace |
| 1:50 – 2:00 PM | Technical presentation: Mark Congdon, Hydromax |
| 2:00 – 2:10 PM | Break |
| 2:10 – 2:55 PM | Panel #3: Operationalization – how are operators handling information from remote sensing? Broad-area screening for leaks is coming – from satellites, aircraft, stationary sensors, and other methods. Conducted from off-site locations, these sensing efforts do not require the site access, and are likely to be deployed by a wide range of interested parties, rather than just traditional regulators and operators. The detections are ‘about to show up in operator inboxes.’ What will that look like? How can the information be most effectively used? What are the risks? This panel will explore the latest thinking on remote sensing, inter-stakeholder communications, reporting, and related operational issues. Moderator: Susan Stuver, R&D Manager, Energy Delivery & Utilization, GTI Panelist: David Lyon, Scientist, Environmental Defense Fund Panelist: Erin Tullos, Environmental Risk Management Team Lead, ExxonMobil Panelist: Howard R. Dieter, P.E., Vice President - Environmental, Health & Safety, Jonah Energy LLC |
| 2:55 – 3:00 PM | Break |
| 3:00 – 3:30 PM | Birds of a Feather Sessions (Attendees choose one) Day 1 Session 1 – Watch this! – Stories from gas imaging Sponsor co-hosts –Bridger Photonics and Kuva A discussion among users and technology developers of gas imaging. Have there been times when users have had to use gas imaging cameras to be sneaky and scan for emissions? The discussion can also get into technology hurdles and beyond. Day 1 Session 2 – Walk a mile in my shoes – Advancements in traditional leak survey Sponsor co-host – Heath Consultants Sponsor co-host – Hydromax USA There are a lot of logistics involved with surveying for leaks which are not often talked about. Let’s discuss finding the leaks from the industry perspective. There are some advancements being made, what are those? Are there stresses on the surveyors? |
| 3:30 – 4:00 PM | Virtual Social Happy Half-hour |
| 4:00 PM | Adjourn Day 1 |
Day 2: Wednesday, November 18, 2020 (U.S. Mountain Time Zone)
| 10:00 – 10:15 AM | Welcome Remarks: Ron Snedic, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, GTI Bryan Willson, Executive Director, Energy Institute, Colorado State University |
| 10:15 – 11:00 AM | Panel #4: International perspectives on reducing methane emissions The motivation to reducing methane emissions knows no boundaries. This session explores efforts outside the U.S. focused on monitoring and reducing methane emissions. Moderator: Bryan Willson, Executive Director, Energy Institute, Colorado State University Panelist: Pietro Mezzano, Project Manager, Oil and Gas Climate Initiative Panelist: Paul Cheliak, VP Regulatory Affairs, Canadian Gas Association Panelist: Paula Gant, SVP, Strategy & Innovation, GTI |
| 11:00 – 11:10 AM | Break |
| 11:10 – 11:55 AM | Sponsor Showcase Rapid-Fire Session Five Silver Sponsors presenter for 5 minutes each
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| 11:55 – 12:30 PM | Exhibit Hours and Lunch Break |
| 12:30 – 1:15 PM | Panel #5: How can we compare leak detection technologies and work practices? Update on FEAST, MEET (methane emissions evaluation tool), the Pathway to Equivalency projects. Comparing next-generation leak detection and quantification tools requires a new generation of simulation tools. A multi-university coalition is developing a spatially and temporally resolved emission simulation software (MEET) and extending and integrating the well-known LDAR simulator (FEAST). This panel will provide a robust update on the state of these efforts, new features and applications, and how to engage. Moderator: Dan Zimmerle, Senior Research Associate, Energy Institute, Colorado State University Panelist: Arvind Ravikumar, Assistant Professor of Energy Engineering, Harrisburg University in Pennsylvania Panelist: Chris Moore, Sr. Scientist, Energy Delivery & Utilization, GTI Panelist: David Allen, Professor, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin |
| 1:15 – 1:25 PM | Technical presentation: “Beyond emissions factors: Directly measuring methane intensity to drive efficient LDAR strategies,” Elena Berman, Chief Science Officer, Kairos |
| 1:25 – 1.45 PM | Break |
| 1:45 – 2:30 PM | Panel #6: Net Zero Goals: A conversation about the proposed pathways Multiple jurisdictions have announced ‘net zero’ carbon goals – including some with relatively high natural gas usage for space heating and electricity generation. Achieving these goals would doubtlessly impact the natural gas supply chain. This panel will explore the modeling done by these jurisdictions to develop these goals and provide insight into the pathways envisioned to achieve them. Moderator: Pam Lacey, Chief Regulatory Counsel, American Gas Association Panelist: Bob Kleinberg, Senior Research Scholar, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University Panelist: Zeke Hausfather, Director of Climate and Energy, The Breakthrough Institute Panelist: Kristine Wiley, Executive Director, Hydrogen Technology Center, GTI |
| 2:30 – 2:35 PM | Break |
| 2:35 – 3:15 PM | Birds of a Feather Sessions (Attendees choose one) Day 2 Session 1 – Big Brother is watching – Satellite advancements (not just for methane) Sponsor co-host – GHGSat Sponsor co-host – Kairos Satellites for methane are advancing, but also satellites in general are advancing. Let’s take the time to discuss what we know about satellite developments in general. This can include launching, scanning, tracking, etc. Day 2 Session 2 – Notes from the road – Vehicle Based Leak detection Sponsor co-host – Picarro Sponsor co-host – SENSIT Technologies Folks can share stories about their experiences with vehicle based leak detection. There has been a lot of advancement in vehicle based leak detection which can be discussed. |
| 3:15 PM | Adjourn Day 2 |
Day 3: Thursday, November 19, 2020 (U.S. Mountain Time Zone)
| 10:00 – 10:15 AM | Welcome Remarks: Ron Snedic, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, GTI Bryan Willson, Executive Director, Energy Institute, Colorado State University |
| 10:15 – 10:35 AM | Keynote Speaker Vanessa Ryan, Manager, Carbon Reduction, Chevron Corporation |
| 10:35 – 11:00 AM | Questions and Answers with Keynote Speaker Moderator of fireside chat: Bryan Willson, Executive Director, Energy Institute at Colorado State University |
| 11:00 – 11:10 AM | Technical presentation: Sensit, Dr. Jacob Melby |
| 11:10 AM – 12:00 PM | Exhibit Hours and Lunch Break |
| 12:00 – 12:50 PM | Panel #7: How stakeholders are driving new state-level regulatory initiatives
In elements of natural gas operations, from safety to greenhouse gas mitigation, states – and occasional smaller – jurisdictions are playing an increasingly active role in setting the legislative agenda and regulatory approach, a substantial shift away from centralized rule development. Constituents in these jurisdictions are playing an active role in crafting these policies, leading to an unprecedented level of community engagement. This panel will explore ‘what that looks like’ – who’s driving the change, and how states and localities are reacting. Moderator: Bill Ritter, Former Colorado Governor, Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, Colorado State University Panelist: Diane Burman, Commissioner, New York State Public Service Commission Panelist: Sandra Ely, Environmental Protection Division Director, New Mexico Environment Department |
| 12:50 – 1:00 PM | Closing Remarks Bill Ritter, Director, Center for the New Energy Economy, CSU Ron Snedic, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, GTI Bryan Willson, Executive Director, Energy Institute, CSU |
| 1:00 PM | Adjourn Day 3 |
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