Speakers
Each year we feature preeminent industry professionals who share their expertise on uniting science, technology, construction, and reclamation, and provide actionable advice for your industry and projects. Our speakers include agency representatives, operators, construction contractors, reclamation contractors, key service/product vendors, environmental scientists, and representatives from equipment companies.
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Speakers
Three main speakers address several topics at key points during the day. The morning schedule includes both a keynote address and a presentation on industry advocacy, and in the afternoon a motivational speaker to get us energized for the afternoon activities.
Tobias Kraft, Founder and CEO SolSpec
Speaker Topic: Playing Offense & Being Industry Advocates
Tobias Kraft is the founder and CEO of SolSpec, a spatial analytics company that delivers insightful analytics to major land-use industries (agriculture, oil and gas, renewables, etc..). With deep roots in environmental science, Tobias cut his teeth as a consultant using drones and precision ag technology to revolutionize vegetation management on oil and gas facilities. His thirst for using new technology to influence critical decisions didn't stop there. In 2017 Tobias left his position as a GIS Analyst for Duraroot, an environmental consulting firm, to found SolSpec where he could assemble a team of like-minded individuals focused on the discovery of industry pain points and developing cost-saving solutions. "We don't start by building the best technology and waiting to see how the market responds. We find the problems and build the best technology to solve them." This process has positioned SolSpec as a leader in blending big data and machine learning with best-in-class environmental expertise. When not in a boardroom or in the field, you can find him blowing off steam with his wife (Kat) and dog (Kumbre) skiing and biking in the Rocky Mountain backcountry.
Aaron DeJoia, Professional Soil Scientist
Speaker Topic: Playing Offense & Being Industry Advocates
Aaron DeJoia is a board-Certified Professional Soil Scientist, Certified Professional Agronomist, Certified Crop Advisor, and a North Dakota Professional Soil Classifier with 18 years of experience as a soil science consultant for both international and domestic clients. He currently works as an environmental soil scientist/agronomist providing permitting, operational, reclamation and salinity remediation assistance to varying clients in both the private and public sectors. Mr. DeJoia has served on the National Soils Certification Board and Soil Science Society of America Board of Directors is currently serving as the Chairman for Council of Soil Science Examiners. Mr. DeJoia was also the March, Soils Support Agriculture” International Year of Soil Chairman for the Soil Science Society of America.
Lynn Phillips - Motivational Speaker
Phillips is a Pro rodeo Announcer from Enid Oklahoma. Lynn has announced many of the most prestigious rodeos in the United States and Canada including the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. He is also a Cowboy Poet, voice talent, has appeared in movies, has a weekly radio program and was recently awarded the Outstanding Special feature of the year by the Oklahoma Broadcasters Association. His Keynote address "EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED" has been heard by audiences all across America as well as Canada, Cayman Islands and Curacao.
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Roundtable Discussion #1: Industry Protecting Sage Grouse – IT’S HAPPENING!
Rusty Shaw, REM, Environmental Compliance Manager, Denbury Resources, Inc
Roundtable Speaker: Industry Protecting Sage Grouse – IT’S HAPPENING!
Mr. Shaw received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Millsaps College in December 1999. Mr. Shaw started his career at Grand Gulf Nuclear Power Station in Port Gibson, MS in February 2001. Mr. Shaw held various positions at Grand Gulf to include Chemistry Technician, Environmental Specialist, and HP/Chemistry Specialist before resigning and joining Denbury Resources in April 2008.Mr. Shaw started his career with Denbury Resources as a HSE Coordinator until May 2010 when he accepted a role as HSE Compliance Manager. Mr. Shaw is currently the Environmental Compliance Manager at Denbury Resources in Plano, TX. As Environmental Compliance Manager, Mr. Shaw manages all aspects of HSE permitting, compliance, and reporting including air, water, waste, wetland permits, and NEPA compliance and reporting for all oil & gas operations including CO2 Pipeline infrastructure.
Todd Yeager, BLM Miles City Field Office
Round Table Speaker: Industry Protecting Sage Grouse – IT’S HAPPENING!
Todd Yeager is the Field Manager for the Bureau of Land Management in Buffalo, Wyoming. Before his appointment as the Buffalo Field Manger, Todd was the Field Manager for the Miles City Field Office in Montana where he oversaw a magnitude of uses that occur on BLM-administered lands (e.g. coal, oil and gas development, bentonite mining, livestock grazing, wildlife habitat management, cultural resources, and recreational activities) Todd has worked for the BLM for 17 years as an Assistant Field Manager, Acting District Manager, Rangeland Management Specialist, Rocky Mountain Region Sage-grouse Coordinator, Special Assistant to the Montana State Director and as in a team member in several BLM Washington Office endeavors. Prior to federal service he worked as a County Extension Agent/Adjunct Professor in Colorado and Montana. He graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.S. degree in agriculture education and from the University of Wyoming with a M.S. degree in rangeland ecology and watershed management. In his free time Todd enjoys spending time with his wife Heidi, and their three daughters in exploring the outdoors, hunting, and in raising 4-H livestock.
Jon Kehmeier, SWCA
Roundtable Speaker: Industry Protecting Sage Grouse – IT’S HAPPENING! Jon Kehmeier is a Principal Ecologist for SWCA Environmental Consultants in Denver, Colorado. He provides technical oversight and project management for natural resource project activities throughout the West and across the Great Plains. For the past 15 years, Mr. Kehmeier has been actively involved in developing practical solutions for sage-grouse conservation. He is currently the principal investigator on a multi-year effort to evaluate the effects of energy development on greater sage-grouse. In addition, he has developed decision support and conservation planning tools that are currently being used by industry and state and federal agency staff to better understand impacts of development activities on sage-grouse populations and habitat. These tools allow for quantification of potential project impacts on sage-grouse that result in practical and scientifically-defensible mitigation and conservation approaches including focused reclamation, optimization of construction scheduling, habitat enhancement, and land conservation.
Jason Driscoll, Duraroot (moderator and coordinator)
Roundtable Speaker/Moderator: Industry Protecting Sage Grouse – IT’S HAPPENING!
Mr. Driscoll is the Financial Manager based in Duraroot, LLC’s Keenesburg, Colorado office. He has 12 years of environmental consulting experience and has managed a variety of environmental permitting, compliance, monitoring, and reclamation projects. His responsibilities have included Reclamation of oil and gas development (upstream and midstream), National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting management, NPDES compliance reporting, monitoring of Storm Water Pollution and Prevention (SWPP) and Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plans as well as reclamation plan monitoring for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Mr. Driscoll has also been a part of project teams for due diligence studies, baseline water quality programs, waste management plans. Along with client related projects, he has been heavily involved in policy and rule-making with regulatory agencies, on behalf of oil and gas (O&G) industry and has been an integral part in the Wyoming Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WYPDES) program implementation since 2006. Mr. Driscoll has been involved in reclamation in the mineral extraction industry from both upstream and midstream aspects. He focuses on long term programmatic projects that entail comprehensive pre-construction planning, as well as data driven reclamation success monitoring. Projects range from drill pad reclamation to 50+ mile pipelines.
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Roundtable Discussion #2 Post Construction Restoration Best Practices
Heath Morton, TC Energy
Roundtable Speaker: Post Construction Restoration Best Practices
Heath Morton is a project manager for TransCanada pipeline company Liquids operations engineering projects. Heath provides project management for the Post Construction Reclamation and Monitoring PCRM program and Right of Way Maintenance. Heath started at TransCanada in 2008 as an environmental specialist on the gas side obtaining environmental permits for FERC regulated projects. In 2011 Heath transferred to the Keystone project team as an environmental specialist for the PCRM program. Prior to working at TransCanada, he worked as an environmental consultant at SWCA, as a contracted lead Biologist for MMS conducting seismic survey and worked as a lead scientist for both Miami and Galveston labs for the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Gertrude F. Johnson, FERC
Roundtable Speaker: Post Construction Restoration Best Practices
Gertrude Johnson is the Compliance Manager for FERC’s Office of Energy Projects, Division of Gas-Engineering and Environment (DG2E). Gertrude provides oversight of DG2E’s post-certificate compliance program and advises stakeholders regarding laws, regulations, and policy affecting natural gas facility construction and compliance techniques. Gertrude joined the FERC in 2005 as a Mechanical Engineer, specializing in review of air quality, noise, and pipeline safety. She has managed NEPA document preparation and monitored environmental compliance on numerous pipeline and LNG projects. Prior to her employment at the FERC, Gertrude worked as a manufacturing engineer on non-nuclear pipe fabrication at the Newport News Shipbuilding. Gertrude has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.
Greg Eckert, NPS
Roundtable Speaker: Post Construction Restoration Best Practices
Greg is the Restoration Ecologist in the National Park Service where he provides restoration technical support to parks across the US, and works closely with wildland fire, invasive plant management and contaminants programs. Greg is the Park Service representative to the National Native Seed Strategy and is currently working on reviewing and proposing changes to Park Service policies and practices on native seed conservation and use in restoration. Greg previously served as the Director of Science and Stewardship for the Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania and was a Superfund Project manager for the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC and San Francisco. Somewhere in there he worked towards and was awarded a PhD in Ecology from the University of Georgia.
Jason Knight, H-2 Enterprises (moderator and coordinator)
Roundtable Moderator: Post Construction Restoration Best Practices
Jason Knight has over 10 years of experience in linear energy projects. Jason is particularly knowledgeable in land restoration/ re-vegetation, erosion control, FERC and USACOE rules and regulations. My expertise is valuable to energy clients as they work on large-and small-scale development and maintenance projects from post construction reclamation to new construction projects. Jason also specializes in: client relationships, compliance monitoring, water quality and agricultural monitoring and SWPPP.
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Roundtable Discussion #3 Sustainability and Commitment to Habitat Restoration
Ashely Zickefoose-ONEOK
Roundtable Speaker: Sustainability and Commitment to Habitat Restoration
Ashley Zickefoose is an Environmental Manager at ONEOK, Inc. Her responsibilities include leading Corporate Environment, Safety & Health and Sustainability programs. Ashley has over a decade of professional experience in Environmental Compliance and Sustainability in the Oil & Gas industry Ashley helps to improve ONEOK’s Environmental, Social and Governance performance by working with various stakeholders including employees, external Sustainability organizations, communities and investors. Ashley holds a bachelor’s degree from Oral Roberts University, where she played on the college’s competitive golf team. Outside of the office Ashley enjoys spending time with her family and two golden retrievers.
Matt Baumgartner, H-2 Enterprises
Roundtable Speaker: Sustainability and Commitment to Habitat Restoration
Matt Baumgartner is a Director at H-2 Enterprises, LLC. Matt and his team’s work are focused in the western region of the United States. Tasked with business development, sustainable growth, customer satisfaction, and quality in all aspects of the business, his roots are firmly grounded in the agriculture industry. Matt was raised on the family farm which reinforced his strong work ethic and taught him that attention to details is a key factor to success. Matt possesses a bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences with a Secondary Education Emphasis from the University of Northern Colorado and a master’s degree from Concordia University in Athletic Administration. Currently employed with H-2 Enterprises for nearly 8 years; previously, Matt was a high school educator for five years. His background in education is evident in his involvement in various associations such as International Erosion Control Association (IECA), American Pipeline Contractors Associations (APCA), and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA).
Rhett Kerby, Circle Back Consulting
Roundtable Moderator: Sustainability and Commitment to Habitat Restoration
Rhett provides stakeholders of civil construction projects reclamation consultation and contracting services such as: seed bed preparation, seed application methods, seeding rates, species selection, weed control methods (chemical and mechanical), soil health, and erosion control. Consultation and/or contracting clients include: Landowners, Attorneys, Civil Project Developers, Engineers, CPESCs, SWPPP administrators, Environmental Consulting Firms, Landscape Architects, District Conservationists and Rangeland Management Specialists, Oil and Gas Contractors, Mining contractors, DOT Vegetation specialists, Hydromulch contractors, Wildlife Biologists, and State/County/City government officials.
Bryan Jewett, PE, ENERCON
Bryan Jewett is the Business Development Manager for ENERCON’s Environmental Services Group where he is based in ENERCON’s Tulsa, Oklahoma office. Bryan received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Tulsa and is licensed as an Environmental Engineer in multiple states. He has over twenty years of consulting and engineering practice including environmental permitting and project management with substantial experience conducting and managing an array of projects including Pipelines and Industrial developments. Bryan additionally serves as ENERCON’s Program Manager for Environmental Midstream Pipeline Services. His project experience includes obtaining various state and federal environmental permits (e.g. Clean Water Act, National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, Historic Preservation Act, Endangered Species Act); and preparing numerous environmental reports as well as development of reporting & training platforms.
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Roundtable Discussion #4 Wetland and Stream Restoration in the Mountain West
Ernie Ladkani, TC Energy
Roundtable Speaker: Wetland and Stream Restoration in the Mountain West
Ernest Ladkani currently serves as a Senior Advisor within the Environmental Planning & Permitting team for U.S. natural gas pipelines operated by TransCanada. Based in Houston, TX, he has over 25 years of project management experience associated with natural and cultural resource management for multiple concurrent linear infrastructure projects. Ernest has spent nearly equal parts of his career as both a consultant and as a representative of several operating companies working on a portfolio of domestic and international infrastructure projects. Ernest is a co-chair of the Construction Permitting and Compliance Task Force for the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America and an active member of the Southern Gas Association. Ernest also volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America in a variety of roles.
Lucy Harrington, Westervelt Ecological Services
Roundtable Speaker: Wetland and Stream Restoration in the Mountain West
Lucy Harrington is a Colorado native and the Rocky Mountain Region Director. In her position, she oversees site feasibility analysis and selection, bank entitlement, credit sales, land stewardship, and long-range planning. Prior to joining Westervelt, Ms. Harrington worked as a federal employee for nine years for a variety of agencies throughout the western U.S. including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamations, and the U.S. Forest Service. Through this experience, she gained a solid understanding of both regulations and field restoration techniques. She also served as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s representative on the Interagency Review Team (IRT) in the San Francisco Bay region. Ms. Harrington graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, with double majors in Wildlife Biology and Spanish Languages and Literature. She also holds a certificate from the School for International Training for Comparative Ecology (Ecuador). Ms. Harrington has a 10(a)(1)(a) Scientific Collecting permit for the California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) and has served as president and vice president of the Sacramento-Shasta chapter of The Wildlife Society. She currently sits on the steering committee of the Middle South Platte River Alliance in Evans, Colorado.
John Auriemma, exp (moderator)
Roundtable Moderator/Speaker: Wetland and Stream Restoration in the Mountain West
In summary, Mr. Auriemma’s thirty-one-year career in the energy industry has focused on NEPA environmental impact assessment, permitting, and compliance for major capital projects as well as being a core team member in environmentally assessing the acquisition, divestiture, and decommissioning of existing assets. This broad experience has included all phases of energy facility development ranging from opportunity to commissioning on capital projects to the acquisition, divestiture and decommissioning of existing assets both domestically and internationally. With respect to major capital projects both onshore and offshore, he has conducted environmental regulatory interpretation and agency coordination, including permitting; performed routing, siting, and feasibility analyses; executed environmental field surveys; supported stakeholder outreach; and conducted environmental inspection for compliance purposes. He is well-versed in interpreting environmental regulations that govern oil and gas facility development and in securing environmental permits at the Federal, regional, state, county, and municipal levels. Mr. Auriemma has managed permitting and outreach activities associated with the FERC, BLM, USACE, BOEM (formerly the MMS), USEPA, USCG, USFWS, NOAA Fisheries (formerly NMFS), various State PSCs/PUCs, DEPs, CZMAs, SHPOs, and Marine Fisheries Commissions. Finally, he has developed and implemented environmental compliance strategies and plans at both the project and corporate levels.
Sarah Marshall, PhD, Colorado Natural Heritage Program
Sarah has a background in water resources engineering and environmental science, with a focus on the effects of land use on wetland hydrology, soils, water quality, and ecology. As a native Oregonian, Sarah worked in mineral flat wetlands in the Willamette Valley for her PhD, taught nonpoint source pollution and soil science courses at Oregon State and the University of Oregon, and helped design and manage wetland restoration projects prior to falling in love with Colorado’s fens and other rare wetlands. For the last three years, she has worked with the Colorado Natural Heritage Program on projects ranging from the National Wetland Condition Assessment to developing tools and resources like the Watershed Planning Toolbox. She particularly enjoys working with Wetland Focus Area Committees and other partners to incorporate wetlands into watershed planning and restoration efforts. When she’s not working, Sarah can often be found skiing or scrambling in Colorado’s headwater basins, or gardening with native plants.
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Roundtable Discussion # 5 Working in the DJ Basin and Stormwater Permit Update
Chris Binschus, COGCC
Roundtable Speaker: Working in the DJ Basin and Stormwater Permit Update
Chris Binschus graduated from Humboldt State University with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management and Conservation with a Botany minor. He then went on to secure a Masters of Natural Resources Stewardship degree in Ecological Restoration from Colorado State University. Chris joined the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) in 2015. Prior to the COGCC, he was a Wildlife Biologist for oil and gas companies, monitoring environmental compliance of energy development with sensitive and threatened plant and animal species. In his current position with COGCC, he is a Reclamation Specialist within the Field Inspection Unit who focuses on ecological restoration and management of stormwater issues on lands disturbed by oil and gas.
Denise Arthur, COGCC
Roundtable Speaker: Working in the DJ Basin and Stormwater Permit Update
Dr. Arthur graduated Magna cum laude from the University Colorado, Boulder in Environmental Population Organismic Biology. She then went on to secure a Ph.D. from Colorado State University, Fort Collins in the Rangeland Ecosystem Science Department with an emphasis in Restoration Ecology. Dr. Denise Arthur joined the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC), who regulates the oil and gas industry, in 2014. Her career spans 30 years in restoration ecology, including large scale native revegetation/restoration planning and oversight, specification development, project design/review, compliance and project management. For many years Dr. Arthur worked in environmental consulting serving a broad client base including private industry as well as governmental entities. In her current position as the COGCC Reclamation Supervisor, she is developing a reclamation/restoration group, within the Field Inspection Unit, who focuses on ecological restoration and management of stormwater issues on lands disturbed by oil and gas.
Brandon Marrette, CO Parks & Wildlife
Roundtable Speaker: Working in the DJ Basin and Stormwater Permit Update
Brandon Marette works for Colorado Parks as Wildlife as their Northeast Region Energy Liaison and Land Use Coordinator. His primary job duties require him to collaborate with energy developers with proposed well pads within sensitive wildlife habitats. Together, they achieve a responsible balance of protecting sensitive species and their habitats and the goals/timelines of a given project. He is a native of Colorado, specifically the Metro Denver Region. He received a bachelor’s & Master's degree from Colorado State University. He spent 15 years as a private consulting wildlife & wetland biologist before joining CPW in 2016. When he's not cheering on the Rockies or Broncos, you'll probably find him on some type of outdoor adventure with his wife and 3 kids.
James Hartsig, Duraroot (moderator and coordinator)
Roundtable Moderator: Working in the DJ Basin and Stormwater Permit Update
James Hartsig is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist with more than 8 years of experience as an environmental scientist conducting oversight, field work, and laboratory analyses for the energy industry. He provides reclamation and remediation assistance to varying clients in both the private and public sectors. His technical strengths are in soil science, water resources, stormwater management, permitting, and handling/disposing wastewater. This experience has been used for coal producing plants in Tennessee as well as oil and gas production facilities in Colorado and Wyoming. He has extensive experience with oversight of the reclamation of older oil well pads which included the removal of noxious weeds and applying topsoil and amendments for vegetative success.
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Roundtable Discussion #6 Steep Slopes and Slips – What have we learned and where are we going?
Tom Finch, PHMSA
Roundtable Speaker: Steep Slopes and Slips – What have we learned and where are we going?
Tom has been a Community Liaison for the Western Region, which is in Lakewood, CO, since August 20, 2009. From 2002 -2009 he was the State Liaison Representative (SLR). His role in the OPS focuses on enhancing communications with Stakeholders including the Western Region States Pipeline Safety Programs. Tom attended the Colorado School of Mines from majoring in Petroleum Engineering. He has over 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Prior to October 1999, he was employed by Cathodic Protection Services, working mainly in the cathodic protection of well casings and pipelines. Mr. Finch has completed the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) Cathodic Protection (CP) Level 1 thru Level 3 Courses. He joined OPS on October 12, 1999.
Brian Crowe, SolSpec
Roundtable Speaker: Steep Slopes and Slips – What have we learned and where are we going?
Bryan Crowe currently serves the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for SolSpec. Previously he was with MarkWest as a regional manager with overall responsibility for pipeline operations in five states including Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In addition to his operational responsibilities, Mr. Crowe serves as the lead technical and regulatory subject matter expert for a myriad of pipeline integrity and safety issues including Recommended Practices and current/future regulations. He has more than 15 years of experience in pipeline operations including control room management and PHMSA regulatory compliance. Additionally, he is a subject matter expert in pigging emissions controls, special operational requirements related to longwall coal mining and geohazards. When not in the office you can find Bryan spending time with his wife and daughter or on the golf course.
John Norman, SolSpec
Roundtable Speaker: Steep Slopes and Slips – What have we learned and where are we going?
John Norman is a spatial ecologist/soil scientist specializing in the statistical analysis and predictive modeling of terrestrial and hydrological systems. His academic contributions to these fields include developing a standardized methodology for modeling sediment yield scenarios across large spatial extents (Theobald et al. 2010),known as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). Prior to joining SolSpec, John spent nearly a decade as a soil scientist with the USDA NRCS, where he modeled the extent to which increased sediment yields from wildfire pose a threat to assets and developed a hillslope stabilization and prioritization plan for mitigating sedimentation threats. John’s
statistical expertise is complemented by field experience mapping over 500,000 acres of soils and geohazards across the U.S.
Chris Ruppen, GSI
Roundtable Speaker: Steep Slopes and Slips – What have we learned and where are we going?
Chris Ruppen, P.G., is GeoStabilization International’s (GSI) Energy Services Director. In this role, he brings nearly 35 years of Geotechnical and Geohazard experience to help solve the Energy industry’s challenging slope related issues. This involves impacts to midstream and upstream infrastructure from Geohazards, including pipeline right of way slips, over steepened slopes, stream and road crossings, effects of erosion and poor drainage, mining impacts, rockfalls and rockslides. Chris earned double Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology and Conservation of Natural Resources from Kent State University and a master’s certificate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Graduate School of Business. Chris is a licensed Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania, He has published and presented numerous papers on Geotechnical and Geohazard related topics. GSI® provides the most responsive and experienced geohazard mitigation services in North America and specializes in design/build/warranty landslide repair, rockfall mitigation, excavation shoring, GRS-IBS abutment construction, settlement control, densification, grouting, and micropile underpinning.
Chris Scheve, H-2 Enterprises (moderator)
Roundtable Moderator: Steep Slopes and Slips – What have we learned and where are we going?
Chris Scheve currently serves as the Director for Northeast Operations for Huwa Enterprises. Chris has been in the oil and gas industry for 25 years building pipelines, compressor stations and conducting pipeline integrity projects in every shale basin in the U.S. Chris has worked on both the operating company side (ARCO Pipeline, now BP and with Southern Natural Gas, now Kinder Morgan) as well as the contractor side with several pipeline large contractors. For the last 9 years, Chris has been focused on the Marcellus and Utica Shales in the Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia region; steep slopes and significant weather challenges are daily challenges to his operations team. Chris recently came to Huwa and has learned there are “Rec-Tech-Science” best practices that can be deployed to help minimize the risks associated with landslides on steep slopes.
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FERC Compliance Tour
John Peconom, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Office of Energy Projects Environmental Project Manager
John Peconom has been with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for 15 years. He has participated in the environmental review, construction, and restoration of thousands of miles of interstate natural gas transmission pipeline. John is also the Commission’s Water Resources Program Manager
Nancy Fox-Fernandez
Nancy Fox-Fernandez is an Environmental Biologist/Project Manager for the Division of Gas Environment and Engineering in the Office of Energy Projects at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Specializing in National Environmental Policy Act compliance, she has been with FERC for almost 5 years. Prior to that, she spent almost 9 years as a Biologist/Project Manager for an environmental consulting firm in Ventura, California. She has a Master of Science in Natural Resources: Wildlife from State University, and Bachelor of Arts from Skidmore College. In addition to a background in scientific writing for compliance with various federal, state, and local jurisdictions, her field experience ranges from working with endangered species such as grey whales, gibbons, shorebirds, island birds, and desert tortoises, to wetland and upland restoration and monitoring for compliance with jurisdictional permits.
Gertrude Johnson
The Summit provides an active learning and information sharing environment with live equipment demonstrations, interactive stations, and nationally recognized speakers on 20+ acres.
