#Fugitive Emissions Management Program

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Measuring moon dust to fight air pollution

Moon dust, or regolith, isn't like the particles on Earth that collect on bookshelves or tabletops—it's abrasive and it clings to everything. Throughout NASA's Apollo missions to the moon, regolith posed a challenge to astronauts and valuable space hardware.

During the Apollo 17 mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt described his reaction to breathing in the dust as "lunar hay fever," experiencing sneezing, watery eyes, and a sore throat. The symptoms went away, but concern for human health is a driving force behind NASA's extensive research into all forms of lunar soil.

The need to manage the dust to protect astronaut health and critical technology is already beneficial on Earth in the fight against air pollution.

Working as a contributor on a habitat for NASA's Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) program, Lunar Outpost Inc. developed an air-quality sensor system to detect and measure the amount of lunar soil in the air that also detects pollutants on Earth.

Originally based in Denver, the Golden, Colorado-based company developed an air-quality sensor called the Space Canary and offered the sensor to Lockheed Martin Space for its NextSTEP lunar orbit habitat prototype. After the device was integrated into the habitat's environmental control system, it provided distinct advantages over traditional equipment.

Rebranded as Canary-S (Solar), the sensor is now meeting a need for low-cost, wireless air-quality and meteorological monitoring on Earth. The self-contained unit, powered by solar energy and a battery, transmits data using cellular technology.

It can measure a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, among others. The device sends a message up to a secure cloud every minute, where it's routed to either Lunar Outpost's web-based dashboard or a customer's database for viewing and analysis.

The oil and gas industry uses the Canary-S sensors to provide continuous, real-time monitoring of fugitive gas emissions, and the U.S. Forest Service uses them to monitor forest-fire emissions.

"Firefighters have been exhibiting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning for decades. They thought it was just part of the job," explained Julian Cyrus, chief operating officer of Lunar Outpost. "But the sensors revealed where and when carbon monoxide levels were sky high, making it possible to issue warnings for firefighters to take precautions."

The Canary-S sensors exemplify the life-saving technologies that can come from the collaboration of NASA and industry innovations.

IMAGE: While astronaut Gene Cernan was on the lunar surface during the Apollo 17 mission, his spacesuit collected loads of lunar dust. The gray, powdery substance stuck to the fabric and entered the capsule causing eye, nose, and throat irritation dubbed "lunar hay fever." Credit: NASA

[sunaleisocial]

Measuring Moon Dust to Fight Air Pollution - NASA

New Post has been published on https://sunalei.org/news/measuring-moon-dust-to-fight-air-pollution-nasa/

Measuring Moon Dust to Fight Air Pollution - NASA

Moon dust, or regolith, isn’t like the particles on Earth that collect on bookshelves or tabletops – it’s abrasive and it clings to everything. Throughout NASA’s Apollo missions to the Moon, regolith posed a challenge to astronauts and valuable space hardware.

During the Apollo 17 mission, astronaut Harrison Schmitt described his reaction to breathing in the dust as “lunar hay fever,” experiencing sneezing, watery eyes, and a sore throat. The symptoms went away, but concern for human health is a driving force behind NASA’s extensive research into all forms of lunar soil.

The need to manage the dust to protect astronaut health and critical technology is already beneficial on Earth in the fight against air pollution.

Working as a contributor on a habitat for NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) program, Lunar Outpost Inc. developed an air-quality sensor system to detect and measure the amount of lunar soil in the air that also detects pollutants on Earth. 

Originally based in Denver, the Golden, Colorado-based company developed an air-quality sensor called the Space Canary and offered the sensor to Lockheed Martin Space for its NextSTEP lunar orbit habitat prototype. After the device was integrated into the habitat’s environmental control system, it provided distinct advantages over traditional equipment.

Rebranded as Canary-S (Solar), the sensor is now meeting a need for low-cost, wireless air-quality and meteorological monitoring on Earth. The self-contained unit, powered by solar energy and a battery, transmits data using cellular technology. It can measure a variety of pollutants, including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide, and volatile organic compounds, among others. The device sends a message up to a secure cloud every minute, where it’s routed to either Lunar Outpost’s web-based dashboard or a customer’s database for viewing and analysis.

The oil and gas industry uses the Canary-S sensors to provide continuous, real-time monitoring of fugitive gas emissions, and the U.S. Forest Service uses them to monitor forest-fire emissions.

“Firefighters have been exhibiting symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning for decades. They thought it was just part of the job,” explained Julian Cyrus, chief operating officer of Lunar Outpost. “But the sensors revealed where and when carbon monoxide levels were sky high, making it possible to issue warnings for firefighters to take precautions.”

The Canary-S sensors exemplify the life-saving technologies that can come from the collaboration of NASA and industry innovations. 

[globalwarmingupdates]

Global warming | climate change | green house gases

Gals and ladies are within the frontlines on the climate crisis and uniquely positioned to drive action. Learn why it’s time to invest in Women of all ages.

The good AOD pattern about the ocean in the southern hemisphere in MODIS is likewise not reproduced by the types, but various satellite goods are inconsistent for this region13.

In massive urban spots, for instance, streets and structures take up warmth through the Solar, increasing the common temperature of town higher than typical temperatures of additional open up places close by. This is known as the “city warmth island outcome.”

They will finest know the popular structure. If you access out to them, you will want the page title, URL, plus the date you accessed the source.

Two matters make this extra complicated: the gases have unique ‘strengths’ of warming; and gases persist for different quantities of time within the ambiance.

Undoubtedly the most significant way we incorporate nitrous oxide for the environment is by growing crops with nitrogen-based fertilizers.

As mentioned in former sections, greenhouse gases vary within their relative contributions to global warming; i.e. one particular tonne of methane doesn’t have exactly the same impact on warming as 1 tonne of carbon dioxide.

Coral reefs are household to 30% of maritime lifestyle, and hubs of vital biodiversity. Their decline could have big outcomes for that overall health with the Ocean. (Resource)

Exactly what is carbon seize and storage (CCS)? It’s capturing CO2 that normally could be introduced in the environment, and injecting it into geologic formations deep underground for Secure, protected and long-lasting storage.

“The ECtHR’s ruling sends a robust message to policymakers in European international locations that states will have to intensify their attempts to fight climate change.

Fossil gasoline production: methane is usually introduced through oil and gasoline extraction — a category usually termed ‘fugitive emissions’.

Every one of the software program and code that we compose is open up source and produced available through GitHub underneath the permissive MIT license. All other content, including information produced by 3rd events and designed available by Our Environment in Facts, is matter to the license conditions from the original 3rd-celebration authors.

To achieve this, we must always prevent maritime Climate Change air pollution by escalating conservation initiatives and coastal zone management.

The final word action-packed science and technological know-how magazine bursting with remarkable information and facts about the universe

[mygastrack]

Ways to Diminish Fugitive Emissions along Your Pipeline

Lessening fugitive emissions, peculiarly methane, is a major priority when it comes to the serious battle against climate alteration. It has been estimated that 45% of total methane emissions arises from the production segment of the oil and natural gas industry. Regular well site surveys also play a chief role in its reduction.

Let’s throw light on some of the major ways that can help in the reduction of fugitive emissions along your pipeline.

A major attention is paid on valves when it comes to the fugitive emissions reduction efforts because valve leakage is responsible for more than half of total fugitive emissions. Though, the main issue is generally old valves that weren’t designed by utilizing the newest materials and technologies. By examining and testing your valves to recognize which ones are causing the highest levels of fugitive emissions, one can decide where to invest their resources to have the most impact. For this, one can also take an assistance of Fugitive Emission Management Program.

It is necessary to make sure your valves are installed appropriately. Generally, technicians are called out to job sites to detect valve leakage issues. Every so often, they find that the problem is that valves are not installed correctly. For example, they were fitted horizontally or the discharge piping is exerting weight on the valve.

If new valves are constructed by using the latest technologies and are installed correctly but are still leaking, it’s perhaps because they haven’t been properly preserved. Follow a preventative maintenance program to keep the problems at bay.

[ezatluba]

Holstein cows feeding at a dairy farm in Merced, California. 

How Eating Seaweed Can Help Cows to Belch Less Methane

Emissions from the world’s nearly 1.5 billion cattle are a major source of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Now, researchers in California and elsewhere are experimenting with seaweed as a dietary additive for cows that can dramatically cut their methane production.

BY JUDITH LEWIS MERNIT 

JULY 2, 2018

The spring morning temperature in landlocked northern California warns of an incipient scorcher, but the small herd of piebald dairy cows that live here are too curious to care. Upon the approach of an unfamiliar human, they canter out of their barn into the already punishing sun, nosing each other aside to angle their heads over the fence. Some are black-and-white, others brown; all sport a pair of numbered yellow ear tags. Some are more assertive than others. One manages to stretch her long neck out far enough to lick the entire length of my forearm.

“That’s Ginger,” explains their keeper, 27-year-old Breanna Roque. A graduate student in animal science at the University of California, Davis, Roque monitors everything from the animals’ food rations to the somatic cells in their milk — indicators of inflammation or stress. “The interns named her. She’s our superstar.”

Ginger is one of 12 Holstein cows participating in an experiment being conducted by Roque’s animal science professor, Ermias Kebreab, into reducing methane emissions from livestock by supplementing their diets with a specific type of seaweed. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with roughly 30 times more short-term, heat-trapping power than carbon dioxide. In California alone, 1.8 million dairy cows, together with a smaller number of beef cattle, emit 11.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent every year — as much as 2.5 million cars.

In the U.S., domestic livestock contribute 36 percent of the methane humans cause to be put into the atmosphere.

The enormity of those numbers, in part, motivated California lawmakers to pass a law to reduce methane emissions and other short-lived “climate pollutants” by 40 percent below 2013 levels by 2030. The California Air Resources Board subsequently ordered a majority of the reductions in the new law to come from the dairy industry. Other cuts will come from diverting organic waste from landfills and eliminating fugitive emissions associated with oil and gas operations.

The UC Davis study will contribute to a global store of knowledge on how to limit the methane produced by “enteric fermentation” — the digestive process in a ruminant’s upper stomach chamber, or rumen, where microbes predigest fiber and starch, releasing gases when they belch and exhale. It’s “one of a handful of options in various stages of development that seem to have the potential to reduce [enteric] methane by 30 percent or more,” says Ryan McCarthy, science advisor to the Air Resources Board.

Kebreab’s experiments with seaweed additives to cattle feed have now surpassed that 30-percent figure, with one type of seaweed slashing enteric methane by more than 50 percent. In the fight to slow climate change, such reductions are no small matter: In the United States alone, domestic livestock — including cattle, sheep, goats, and buffalo — contribute 36 percent of the methane humans cause to be put into the atmosphere, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Scientist Ermias Kebreab has studied how to reduce cow methane emissions for more than a decade.

Researchers worldwide are working on the livestock methane problem. In the past, scientists have tried mixing microbes from the low-methane-producing kangaroo forestomach into bovine gut microbes, selectively breeding less gassy cows. Researchers have also tried vaccinating to suppress “methanogens” — the bacteria that turn carbon and hydrogen into methane in the rumen. (That last idea was a little like trying to develop a flu vaccine that would work every year, in every corner of the world. “There were too many different methanogens,” Kebreab says. “We couldn’t calibrate it for all of them.” )

Feed additives have shown more promise. Three years ago, Alexander Hristov, a researcher at Penn State University, achieved a 30 percent reduction in enteric methane by salting ruminant feed with a substance called 3-nitrooxypropanol, or 3NOP (the substance is currently awaiting FDA approval). Kebreab believes seaweed might prove to be an even better solution. A native of Eritrea who came to the U.S. after working in the United Kingdom and Canada, the 45-year-old researcher has been working on the problem for 15 years. “It’s taken up pretty much my whole career,” he says.

In the research barn at UC Davis, Roque opens a large foil bag to reveal fistfuls of dried algae the color of old bricks: Asparagopsis, still off-gassing the ocean — fish and sulfur with bright notes of iodine. Interns have ground up the clumps and poured them into orange buckets. Roque puts on latex gloves to blend the dried seaweed with molasses to produce a shiny, viscous slop that the cows evidently find delicious. Palatability is key: One study in the UK that added curry to feed in a simulated cow rumen looked promising until the real-life cows refused to eat the curry.

“They’re pretty picky eaters,” Roque says. Foraging animals have to sort nourishment from potential poisons in the pasture. “If they run across something unfamiliar, they’ll avoid it.”

Farmers in ancient Greece and 18th-century Iceland deliberately grazed their cows on beaches.

Four of the cows eat a mixture of alfalfa and hay, heavily spiked with the seaweed-molasses mixture. Four more will eat the same feed, with less seaweed added in. The rest are the control group — they’ll eat plain feed, without any additives at all. Roque spent nearly two weeks training the cows in how to access their own specific feeding berths, affixing each one with a transponder that allows the cow to open an electronic door to her individual trough. Not all the cows are down with the program. One, large, black-masked Holstein repeatedly shoves her smaller, more compliant neighbor aside from the open door of her berth. The smaller cow obliges every time. Roque raps the bolder cow on the nose, and it withdraws, but not for long.

“They’re eating the exact same thing,” Roque says, a bit exasperated. In the paddock as in the pasture, “the grass really is always greener.”

When they finish eating, they’re enticed by the drop of a “cow cookie” to visit a compartment where an instrument, much like a breathalyzer, analyzes their emissions. “They hear it drop and come over,” Roque says. “We try to get each of them there three times a day.” Each cow wears a ring on its ear that transmits an identification code along with its breath analysis to a database. Roque and Kebreab can view the results on their computers and smartphones.

The results have exceeded everyone’s expectations, including Kebreab’s. His three-month study of Ginger and her cohort found that spiking cows’ ordinary rations with one kind of marine macroalgae in particular, Asparagopsis, reduces enteric methane by 58 percent. More than other seaweeds, Asparagopsis contains compounds that inhibit the production of methane, or CH4, and interrupt the process by which carbon and hydrogen bind together.

“We did not expect these numbers in the doses we used,” Kebreab says. Milk production held steady or increased. A panel of tasters detected no differences among the different cows’ milk.

There’s nothing novel about cows eating seaweed, notes Joan Salwen, an environmental science fellow at Stanford University who introduced UC Davis scientists to the seaweed solution, and formed a nonprofit, Elm Innovations, to help focus and fund research.  “Cows eat what’s available,” she says. In California, they eat almond hulls; in Georgia, they eat cottonseeds. Documented evidence attests to farmers in ancient Greece and 18th-century Iceland deliberately grazing their cows on beaches.

It was, in fact, an ordinary farmer who hit upon the idea of supplementing cows’ feed with seaweed — not for the climate, but simply for his animals’ overall health. On the shores of Prince Edward Island in Canada, Joe Dorgan observed that his beach-paddocked cows got pregnant faster and produced more milk than his inland pastured cows. When he retired from dairy farming in 2011, he launched a new business, North Atlantic Organics, to make “stormtoss shoreweed” from Prince Edward Island available to inland farmers who graze their cows during seasons of scanty forage.

Because it appears to promote milk production, the seaweed cure might catch on in other dairy states.

When Dorgan wanted data to market his product, he approached an environmental scientist named Rob Kinley, who was then at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. In 2014, Kinley and his colleague Alan Fredeen analyzed different varieties of seaweed that washed up on beaches, mixed in vitro with rumen microbiota, for their nutritional value and health impacts on ruminants. But being environmental scientists, Kinley says, “‘what if?’ possibilities are always in our peripheral vision.” With an interest in how all livestock feeds affect enteric methane, they measured their samples for methane production as well.

Kinley discovered in his laboratory tests that seaweeds could reduce methane production by as much as 16 percent. “That was the spark to deepen the search for more potent seaweeds,” he says.

By this time, Kinley had moved to Australia, where he went to work at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). In partnership with James Cook University and Meat and Livestock Australia, Kinley began screening different seaweeds for their impact on methane emissions from ruminant livestock. That process revealed Asparagopsis as the anti-methanogenic seaweed of choice. But Kinley is quick to warn that it does not grow in abundance all over the planet. If it breaks out as a global solution to enteric methane, it will need to be farmed.

Which is not, Kinley argues, a bad thing. Seaweed cultivation takes up excess nitrogen and dissolved carbon dioxide from ocean waters; cultivating it could create new economies in impoverished regions. Researchers still need to figure out how that would work. “There is no depth of knowledge in cultivation of Asparagopsis using any method,” says Kinley.

Ground-up Asparagopsis, a type of seaweed, which can reduce cow methane emissions up to 50 percent when added to feed.  

“As far as we know,” says Salwen, “this supplement, if it proves out in all animal testing, could be offered in all livestock production systems that we know about.” Pasture-raised cows that eat primarily grass could have the supplement added to their water or to their salt licks.

Even though the California dairy industry at large fought hard against what farmers initially considered onerous regulation, at least some dairy farmers are tentatively enthusiastic about seaweed additives. “Methane is an indication of an inefficiency in the animal’s digestion,” says Jonathan Reinbold, sustainability program manager for Organic Valley, a cooperative of more than 1,800 dairy farmers, including 35 in California. “If you can increase the digestion efficiency of a cow by 5 percent you could remove 5 percent of the land you use for production for cows. It can go back to fallow or be used to grow other kinds of food.”

And because it also appears to promote milk production, the seaweed cure might catch on in other dairy states without many climate regulations. The California Air Resources Board’s McCarthy sees a future for seaweed boosting dairy production in developing countries. Reinbold imagines it spreading across his company’s U.S. cooperative.

“If the benefits are real and make sense financially, why wouldn’t we have the entire cooperative of 1,800 dairy farmers using it?” Reinbold says. “We certainly hope that’s the case.”

[bigyack-com]

What the U.K. Election Result Means for Global Business

Just out: The Daily has a special episode on Senator Elizabeth Warren in which Andrew helps tell the story of her emergence as a political force after the financial crisis. Take a listen. (Want this by email? Sign up here.)

Tories’ landslide win clears the course for Brexit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party won a commanding majority in Britain’s Parliament yesterday, a victory that paves the way for Britain’s exit from the European Union next year, write the NYT’s Mark Landler and Stephen Castle. It was the party’s largest win since Margaret Thatcher captured a third term in 1987. Mr. Johnson said the vote gave him “a powerful new mandate to get Brexit done,” a position that signals a profound change in the global trading system, reports the NYT’s Peter Goodman. “For more than seven decades, the global powers that be operated on the assumption that greater economic integration amounts to historical progress,” Mr. Goodman writes. “But that era is over.” The prime minister must now decide how to pull Britain out of the E.U. If the country wants access to the bloc’s single market, it will have to give up control in some areas, but hard-liners are likely to push for a clean break, Bloomberg reports.

Trump approves initial trade deal with China

The U.S. has settled on final terms of a partial trade deal with China, which could ease tensions days before new tariffs are set to take effect, write the NYT’s Ana Swanson, Alan Rappeport and Keith Bradsher. President Trump agreed to reduce the tariffs he has placed on $360 billion of Chinese goods in return for a commitment from Beijing to buy American agricultural products, the reporters write, citing unnamed sources. “The president is expected to announce that he will delay or cancel tariffs on $160 billion of consumer products from China that are scheduled to go into effect on Sunday,” they write. The deal is likely to bring relief, but it also raises questions for farmers and agriculture traders, who are eager for more details, Bloomberg reports: “The more than yearlong tariff spat between the two nations weighed on commodity prices and upended global crop shipments, benefiting Brazil as an alternative supplier.” The partial resolution to the trade war raises a question: Was it worth it? “There is nothing in this tentative deal that wouldn’t have existed in the absence of the past two years of wrangling,” David Fickling writes for Bloomberg Opinion. More trade news: The White House is reaching out to Republicans who may rebel against the new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

U.S. weighs blocking Facebook from merging its apps

The Federal Trade Commission is considering seeking a preliminary injunction against Facebook to prevent the social media platform from integrating several of its messaging services. The action could rest on the grounds that Facebook’s policies directing that integration are anticompetitive, the WSJ writes, citing unnamed sources. Federal officials worry that knitting together Facebook services like WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger would prevent any future breakup of the company in an antitrust case. Facebook bought Instagram and WhatsApp as part of a series of “defensive acquisitions” to protect its position in the social media market, leading antitrust academics have said. Yet seeking an injunction of this kind would be unusual for a federal antitrust agency, because regulators rarely try to unwind mergers that have been completed, Cecilia Kang and Mike Isaac of the NYT write.

Methane emissions in West Texas, as seen by camera

Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is loosely regulated, difficult to detect and rising sharply. If a plan by the Trump administration succeeds, oil companies could be freed from requirements that they install technology to detect and fix methane leaks from oil and gas facilities, report Jonah M. Kessel and Hiroko Tabuchi of the NYT. A gas processing plant in West Texas is experiencing major releases of methane, aerial and on-the-ground research shows. The plant is run buy DCP Pegasus, which is partly owned by Phillips 66. The gas is invisible to the naked eye, so the reporters used a highly specialized infrared camera to photograph the releases — and gathered images of workers walking through the clouds unprotected. The methane is escaping from equipment that is intended to burn it off. Levels of the gas have soared since 2007, for reasons that are mostly not understood, but natural gas fracking is a major suspect. Fossil fuel companies made contact with the Trump administration in 2017 to argue for a rollback of methane emissions rules, and have held repeated meetings with federal officials. The industry also wants looser rules on these unintended or “fugitive” emissions. • A DCP spokeswoman said she had many questions regarding the accuracy of the assessment and assumptions, but did not comment further. Phillips 66 declined to comment.

Woman who accused JD.com founder of rape is targeted online

When Liu Jingyao was a student at the University of Minnesota in 2018, she said, the billionaire founder of one of China’s largest companies, JD.com, followed her to her apartment and raped her. She has filed suit against the businessman, Richard Liu (the two are not related), in Minnesota civil court, seeking damages of $50,000. Prosecutors declined to pursue a case against Mr. Liu, who has denied the accusations; they did not meet with Ms. Liu. But hers is not a typical #MeToo story, writes the NYT’s Li Yuan in Ms. Liu’s first interview with an English-language publication. Since then, Ms. Liu has become the target of a level of vitriol on the Chinese internet, 800 million strong, that may be difficult for Westernersto grasp. The case is attracting outsize attention because Ms. Liu is accusing one of the country’s most powerful men of behavior that has long been ignored. “Sexual harassment and assault are widespread in China, and elites face little scrutiny. Self-made tech tycoons are widely admired celebrities,” Ms. Yuan writes. Online accusations of sexual misconduct were one of the most heavily censored topics in 2018 on WeChat, China’s biggest social-media platform, according to WeChatscope, a research project at the University of Hong Kong. Some WeChat accounts that voiced support for Ms. Liu were deleted. WeChat is owned by Tencent, which is also the biggest shareholder of JD.com.

Revolving door

Andy Dunn, the founder of Bonobos, is leaving Walmart, roughly two years after the retail giant acquired the online apparel retailer.

The speed read

Deals • The German company Delivery Hero will acquire an 87 percent stake in Woowa, the operator of South Korea’s biggest food-delivery app, in a deal that values Woowa at $4 billion. (Bloomberg) • An affiliate of John Malone’s Liberty Media is reportedly seeking permission from the Justice Department to buy a larger piece of iHeartMedia. (WSJ) • In a setback for SoftBank, OneConnect, the financial technology arm of China’s biggest insurance company, cut its expected valuation by about half before a planned U.S. market debut. (FT) • Citigroup and Credit Suisse have dropped out of the American I.P.O. of the Chinese shared work space provider Ucommune. (Reuters) • The private equity firm Advent International keeps betting on Lululemon and keeps winning. (Bloomberg) Politics and policy • A union in Nevada, the third state to vote in the Democratic primary, told presidential candidates that health care, specifically keeping union health care, is what’s on the minds of its members. (NYT) • Elizabeth Warren’s wealth tax would raise $2.7 trillion over a decade, $1.1 trillion short of her campaign’s estimates, according to a new analysis. The campaign has said tighter enforcement would make up the difference. (WSJ) • A government report found that health insurance companies offering Advantage plans had combed through patient charts to obtain billions of dollars of additional payments from the Medicare program. (NYT) • A closer look at Deval Patrick’s time at Bain Capital. (Politico) • The Senate confirmed Dr. Stephen Hahn as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. (NYT) • Some rules in the Community Reinvestment Act, which requires banks to do some of their business in less-wealthy areas, could be relaxed, but the Fed isn’t on board. (NYT) Trump impeachment inquiry • The House Judiciary Committee postponed the expected party-line approval of two articles of impeachment, a decision now set for today that will send the charges to the full House for a vote. (NYT) • In a polarized era, will impeachment become the new normal? (NYT) • An inside look at behind-the-scenes moments in the impeachment case. (NYT) Tech • WeWork has been trying to reduce the number of buildings it leases even faster than is widely understood. (The Information) • AT&T, Cox, Comcast and other broadband companies persuade the F.C.C. to omit unflattering data on speed tests, among other tactics, to improve their scores. (WSJ) • Lyft said it was bringing out a car rental service within its main app; shares of Hertz and Avis shares dropped on the news. (CNBC) Best of the rest • David Solomon, the Goldman Sachs C.E.O., and his management team are moving to an open floor plan to make the company’s work more transparent. (Business Insider) • Refinitiv, which until last year was owned by Reuters’ parent company, Thomson Reuters, has blocked a growing number of Reuters articles in mainland China under government pressure. (Reuters) • The family behind Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Panera Bread and Pret A Manger is donating $5.5 million to a fund for Holocaust survivors after learning that their business once supported the Nazis. (NYT) • Worries that the U.S. economy will tip into recession have receded, but risks remain. Here are key indicators to watch. (NYT) • Can consumer spending overcome corporate gloom? (FT) • The National Labor Relations Board ordered a judge to approve a settlement that doesn’t consider McDonald’s liable for labor law violations by its franchisees. (NYT) Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter, using information from CNBC, misstated the day of Blue Origin’s third launch and landing of the New Shepard rocket this year. The launch happened on Wednesday, not yesterday. Thanks for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow. We’d love your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to business@nytimes.com. Read the full article

[lost-carcosa]

President Trump has repeatedly argued that he’s done more than any other recent president. That’s not true, as measured by the amount of legislation he’s been able to sign. It is true, though, that Trump has undone a lot of things that were put into place by his predecessors.

Since Jan. 20, Trump’s administration has enthusiastically and systematically undone or uprooted rules, policies and tools that predated his time in office. Below, a list of those changes, roughly organized by subject area.

The economy

Withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The trade deal would have established a trade partnership between the United States and countries on the Pacific Rim.

Revoked a rule that expanded the number of people who could earn overtime pay.

Reversal of a rule that would mandate that oil and gas companies report payments to foreign governments. The Securities and Exchange Commission will no longer receive this information.

Stopped a rule that would require large companies to report worker incomes by race and gender. The rule was aimed at reducing pay disparity.

Reversed an interpretation of the Civil Rights Act that provided protection to transgender workers.

Ended limits on the ability of states to drug test those seeking unemployment benefits.

Reversed a policy allowing states to develop their own work requirements for welfare recipients.

Revoked an executive order that mandated compliance by contractors with laws protecting women in the workplace. Before the 2014 order, a report found that companies with federal contracts worth millions of dollars had scores of violations of labor and civil rights laws.

Repeal of a rule allowing states to create retirement savings plansfor private-sector workers.

Canceled a rule mandating that financial advisers act in the best interests of their clients.

Potentially broke an agreement with the E.U. to maintain European privacy protections for customers doing business with U.S. tech companies.

Repeal of a bill that mandated that employers maintain records of workplace injuries.

Removed information about worker injuries from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration website.

Killed a rule mandating that government contractors disclose past violations of labor law.

The justice system

Rescinded a President Obama effort to reduce mandatory sentences. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered that prosecutors seek the most stringent penalties possible in criminal cases.

Canceled a phaseout of the use of private prisons.

Reversed restrictions on providing surplus military gear to police departments. Those restrictions were implemented by the Obama administration after the unrest in Ferguson, Mo.

Reversed a ban on civil forfeiture. Law enforcement officials are now once again able to seize assets from suspects who haven’t been convicted of any crime.

Reversed the government’s position on a voter ID law in Texas.Under the Obama administration, the Justice Department argued that the law had discriminatory intent. Under Sessions, Justice withdrew that complaint. On Wednesday, a federal court threw out the law.

Reviewed Justice Department efforts to address problematic police departments. An effort to address concerns in the Baltimore Police Department was delayed.

The environment

In August, Politico reported that some representatives of oil and gas companies are worried that Trump’s moving too quickly to reverse regulations on their industry. “[Y]ou don’t need to roll things back so far that it opens an opportunity for outsiders to criticize, or something bad happens,” one analyst said.

Withdrew from the Paris climate agreement.

Blocked the Clean Power Plan. The plan implemented under Obama focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. In October, The Post reported that the administration would seek to repeal it entirely.

Ended a study on the health effects of mountaintop-removal mining. The process involves blasting away the tops of hills and mountains to get at coal seams under the surface.

Rescinded a rule mandating that rising sea levels be considered when building public infrastructure in flood-prone areas.

Reversed an Obama ban on drilling for oil in the Arctic.

Reviewed the status of national monuments for possible reversal or reduction. In April, Trump signed an executive order ordering a review of monuments added in the past 20 years, opening up the possibility that some areas previously set aside would have that status revoked. In August, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke made formal recommendations to the president.

Withdrew a rule regulating fracking on public land.

Announced plans to reconsider controversial protections for the sage grouse in western states. The bird’s habitat has been reduced as sagebrush has been removed in places that are being developed, often for oil and grass drilling. While not officially endangered, conservation groups worry about the sage grouse’s fate.

Postponed an EPA rule that would have had chemical plants better evaluate and inform the public about possible safety issues. This decision, made in June, drew new attention after Hurricane Harvey floodingled to an explosion at a facility near Houston.

Rejected a proposed ban on the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The month after this decision, a group of farmworkers were sickened by exposure to the chemical.

Reversed a ban on plastic bottles at national parks.

Repealed a ban on lead bullets. The bullets were banned under Obama because the lead can poison wildlife.

Rescinded a limit on the number of sea animals that can be trapped or killed in fishing nets.

Delayed and potentially rolled back automotive fuel efficiency standards.

Repealed the Waters of the United States rule. This rule expanded the definition of water bodies that were protected by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ended a rule banning dumping waste from mining into streams.

Reversed a rule banning hunting bears and wolves. The ban applied to federal refuges in Alaska and prohibited hunting predators using certain methods.

Repealed a rule that would have overhauled the federal land management process.

Removed a bike-sharing station at the White House.

Foreign policy and immigration

Intends to decertify the landmark agreement with Iran aimed at limiting that nation’s ability to develop nuclear weapons. Such a declaration would force Congress to decide whether sanctions should again be imposed on Iran.

Plans to phase out a policy under which people who immigrated to the U.S. illegally as children could work legally and avoid deportation. The program, begun under Obama, is called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA.

Cut the number of migrants and refugees allowed from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

Repealed a rule allowing transgender individuals to serve in the military.

Rolled back of Obama’s outreach to the Cuban government.

Ended the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program. DAPA extended protections for some immigrant parents whose children were citizens of or residents in the United States.

Education

Reversed a policy instituted by the Obama administration to expand punishments for campus sexual assaults.

Rolled back school lunch standards championed by Michelle Obama.

Withdrew federal protections for transgender students in schools.Under the rule approved by Obama, transgender students could use school bathrooms that corresponded to their gender identities.

Canceled a partnership with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aimed at policing student loan fraud.

Reversed a rule that mandated how achievement is measured in schools.

Repealed a rule mandating certain requirements for teacher-preparation programs.

Guns

Reversed a rule that would ban gun sales to those deemed “mentally defective” by the government.

Reconsidered a ban on carrying firearms on Army Corps of Engineers land.

Narrowed the definition of “fugitive” to reduce the number of people allowed to own guns.

Other areas

Halted or canceled hundreds of other minor regulatory actions.

Revoked a ban on denying funding for Planned Parenthood at the state level.

Determined that claims of violations of religious freedom wouldtrump protections for gay and transgender people. This is the cake-for-a-gay-wedding issue; the Trump Justice Department takes the position that the religious beliefs of a business owner can take precedence over the civil rights of employees or customers.

Began the process of undoing the Johnson Amendment. The law bars religious institutions from taking positions on political candidates.

Repealed a rule mandating that Internet service providers seek permission before selling personal information.

Cut outreach aimed at bolstering enrollment in Obamacare.

Limited the Obamacare mandate that birth control be covered in health-care plans. The administration will give employers and insurers the right to exempt such coverage on religious or moral grounds.

Slow or nonexistent staffing at the Senate-confirmed and management level across administration agencies.

Repealed a rule mandating consolidation of transit planning authorities.

Ended the declaration of June as Pride Month and the practice of recognizing the end of Ramadan with an iftar dinner.

Canceled public reporting on visitors to the White House and other online data.

[stepengineering-blog]

Compliance Tips For 2018 and Beyond

STEP Engineering provides regulatory support for oil and gas infrastructure compliance. Thus, we deliver practical and cost-optimized solutions to ensure regulatory compliance and reduce the risk for the clients. Our services are geared up to help clients quantify their emissions whether they are planned or unplanned.OUR SERVICESRegulatory submission for facilities, wells, and pipelinesAB, BC, SASK Permit Approvals /Applications (AER, OGC, ECON)Well & Pipeline Abandonment (Lease Reclamation & Remediation)Audits and Reviews of Existing FacilitiesLicensee Liability Rating Reporting (LLR)Fugitive Emissions ManagementDehydrator Engineering & Operations Sheets (DEOS)/ Annual ReportingABSA Submission (including Closing Weld Procedures)BuildingAny company that has been in business for more than a few months can attest to the fact that compliance is not only a large part of being in business, it is a mobile goal that almost changes with the seasons. And the last half of 2017 put the focus on full speed compliance with the various scandals and demands that arose throughout the landscape.

In light of these events, Entrepreneur magazine recently published an article with four points that leaders should think about in 2018 and in the future, which we present below.

A unified compliance strategy

Compliance does not work well as a separate department, however, that is the amount, if not most, of the companies operating their compliance programs. It's like an internal affairs department that works behind the scenes and suddenly appears when things are not right. The best option is to integrate compliance throughout the company in each department.

 Compliance with rescue platforms

This is, of course, a dear point to our heart. Legacy software and programs are too cumbersome to manage modern compliance requirements, and even most modern software is too inflexible to keep track of everything. According to the article, most companies use multiple different technology providers for compliance management. That is why we create Compliance Checkpoint to be a single comprehensive, flexible and scalable solution.

 Think about the future to avoid potential risks

Despite the constant demands, scandals and general problems related to compliance, most of them are completely avoidable. The key is not only to be aware of your current compliance situation, but also to consider what could change in the future, including possible regulatory movements, as well as how and where your company could expand and what that could imply.

Make your values ​​known

Frankly, this should already be part of your corporate strategy, but if not, add it to your to-do list. Incorporating and promoting your values ​​as part of your business culture contributes greatly to strengthening the actions you want to encourage and discourage.

STEP Engineering provides regulatory support for oil and gas infrastructure compliance. Thus, we deliver practical and cost-optimized solutions to ensure regulatory compliance and reduce the risk for the clients. Our services are geared up to help clients quantify their emissions whether they are planned or unplanned.

OUR SERVICES

Regulatory submission for facilities, wells, and pipelines

AB, BC, SASK Permit Approvals /Applications (AER, OGC, ECON)

Well & Pipeline Abandonment (Lease Reclamation & Remediation)

Audits and Reviews of Existing Facilities

Licensee Liability Rating Reporting (LLR)

Fugitive Emissions Management

Dehydrator Engineering & Operations Sheets (DEOS)/ Annual Reporting

ABSA Submission (including Closing Weld Procedures)

Building

[nuadox]

New technologies are gearing up to find fugitive methane leaks

- By Thomas Fox , The Conversation -

A suite of new technologies may soon be patrolling for fugitive — invisible but harmful — natural gas leaks from the oil and gas sector. Our recent study suggests that drones, aircraft, trucks, fixed sensors and even satellites may be poised to help find gas leaks quickly, preventing damage to the environment and human health.

To date, hunting for leaks has been restricted to using a few handheld sensors. These methods are slow and expensive. Now, regulators in Canada and the United States want to let companies decide which technologies to use.

An invisible threat

Leaking natural gas is invisible to the human eye and is a serious environmental concern. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a greenhouse gas 86 times more potent than CO2 over 20 years. Fugitive emissions also pose a safety concern: natural gas mixed with air can be explosive. To top it off, hazardous and carcinogenic substances are often emitted alongside methane.

Production of natural gas is booming in North America, due largely to developments like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling. Advocates of natural gas, which burns cleaner than coal, often describe it as a transition fuel that can help mitigate climate change.

This view may be optimistic. To be an improvement, natural gas must be combusted. If emitted to the atmosphere during production or distribution, climate benefits over coal can be reduced or even reversed.

For natural gas to live up to its reputation as a gentler alternative to other fossil fuels, leaks must be found and repaired.

Not all leaks are equal

Locating methane leaks is a serious challenge. There are over two million oil and gas wells across North America, and leaks are common. Fortunately, most leaks are tiny. Overall emissions are often dominated by a small number of large leaks: about five per cent of sources account for half of all emissions.

These sources, sometimes called super-emitters, are the low-hanging fruit of emission reduction efforts. Currently approved leak detection methods are slow and expensive, restricting how often leaks can be sought, found and repaired. New screening technologies, such as aircraft, drones and trucks, are usually less sensitive than traditional methods, but may offer a solution for finding big leaks fast.

An optical gas imaging camera records the infamous Aliso Canyon gas leak in 2015. This super-emitter released over 97 million kilograms of methane and led to the relocation of over 11,000 local residents. Most super-emitters are nowhere near this large.

The new tech on the block

Recent laws in Canada are among the first to recognize the use of new technologies in leak management programs. Specifically, oil and gas companies may develop custom alternative programs if they are at least as effective as traditional methods.

These laws will take effect in January 2020, and a growing number of start-up companies are lining up to find leaks. Taken together, these solution providers offer an impressive variety of leak management services. However, very little is known about the performance of these new methods — are they really as good as the established methods?

These unknowns pose a challenge to producers, who must decide what technologies to use, and to regulators, who must decide what technologies to approve. Our recently published open-access article addresses some of the biggest questions preventing adoption of these new leak detection technologies.

In our research, we found that most technologies can detect leaks, but that they differ significantly in their strengths and limitations. Aircraft, for example, can survey dozens of facilities in a day, compared to just a few for conventional handheld methods. However, aircraft are much less sensitive and are unable to detect small and medium-sized leaks.

Drones, which continue to excite innovators and lure investors, can find leaks but are labour-intensive because most systems require pilot oversight.

Satellites have not yet been shown to reliably detect leaks. However, new satellites are being developed and launched, and they may soon play a role in leak management. The Environmental Defense Fund is launching its own satellite, designed to monitor oil and gas facilities and make the results public to keep oil and gas companies accountable for their emissions.

The promise of screening technologies lies in survey frequency. If super-emitter leaks are found quickly, we can prevent them from leaking for months or years before being found. But what if screening technologies aren’t actually finding the biggest leaks?

A fixed-wing UAV screening system being launched from a catapult.

What we don’t know can hurt us

In the past, if leaks were missed during a routine inspection, no one would know. A missed leak could continue in silence, while regulators and industry would believe nothing was wrong.

In the future, it will be harder for companies to hide these leaks from the public. Many new technologies do not require site access and can be operated by anyone, including government compliance officers and nonprofit organisations.

There is a need to carefully evaluate the performance of prospective technologies. Our study only scratches the surface of learning about what role new technologies will play. More targeted research is needed, with efforts already underway.

All technologies miss leaks, but how big are the ones we miss, and when are we most likely to miss them? These are the questions that will guide the selection of new leak management systems.

Thomas Fox, PhD Candidate in Geography, University of Calgary

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read Also

Autonomous drones can help search and rescue after disasters

[filtration-products]

Business News Round Up – April 5

Editor’s Note: Each week, Water & Wastes Digest will post an aggregate of business news briefs and networking news items to keep you informed on facility openings, business mergers and purchases, changes in personnel and award notifications, among others in the water and wastewater treatment industries. If you have business news briefs you would like included in this weekly round up, please email the press release, photo and a link to the post on your website to [email protected] with the subject line “Business News Round Up.” One news item per company per week will be posted.

  De Nora Acquires Neptune Enterprises, LLC, forming De Nora Neptune, LLC

De Nora has announced the acquisition of a majority interest in Neptune Enterprises, LLC, forming De Nora Neptune, LLC. A Texas-based water service company, De Nora Neptune has specialized in “on-the-fly” frac water treatment and cost-effective produced water recycling in oil and gas industry since 2012.

As the service arm of De Nora, De Nora Neptune brings to De Nora an unrivalled service capability to directly serve the industry and provide on-the-ground support to their existing technology customers within the Permian Basin and beyond.

  MARS Company Named One of the 2018 “Top 25 Utilities Tech Solutions Providers”

MARS Company  was recently recognized as one of the top 25 Utilities Tech Solutions Providers for 2018. This is a CIO Applications magazine annual listing of companies providing Utilities technology solutions helping clients build a competitive advantage and transform their businesses.

MARS Company is an industry leader focused on providing water meter test bench systems, M3 Enterprise Software solutions, MARS Calibration Certification (MCC) and on-site training programs. These innovative solutions are used to build a stronger network within the waterworks industry while boosting digital applications as the norm for municipalities and utility companies. With patented, award-winning, state-of-the-art technologies, the goal of the company is to lead utility management companies in recovering revenue lost due to reporting inaccuracies, real and estimated water losses via sustainable and environmentally sound avenues.

  Anue Water Technologies Selected Exclusive Distributor for Pi2 Geo-Membrane Systems

Anue Water Technologies has been awarded exclusive distribution for Pi2 Technologies Geo-Membrane products for the entire USA, Canada and the Caribbean region.  Anue is a manufacturer of high-efficiency Ozone and Oxygen generation and related systems for the elimination of odor, corrosion and FOG (fat, oil, grease) in municipal and industrial wastewater.

This technology consists of high strength Geo-Membranes fitted with pockets that contain replaceable filter media, custom engineered to fit each application and ensure exceptional broad-spectrum odor control. It can be used in practically any application, such as headworks, tanks, sludge pits, open channels, vessels, manhole covers, truck bays, vertical vents, and fugitive emissions from vent covers. The technology was commercialized in 2011 and is already proven with use in 11 countries by major companies and municipalities. This includes use in industrial, municipal, and food and beverage applications, with case histories from each segment.

  Duperon Corporation President Mark Turpin Joins Berg Business Board

Duperon Corporation has announced that Duperon President Mark Turpin has joined the Berg Business Board. The Berg Business Board is a group of area businessmen and women who lend their expertise, advice, and support to Heidelberg University students. By providing resources, evaluating programs, and offering internship positions, the board offers valuable industry experience and makes connections between classes and real jobs.

“It’s an honor to serve the Berg Business Board and a pleasure to bring together two of my passions – the water industry and the next generation of water leaders,” Turpin said. “Not only do I get to work with the students at Heidelberg University, my alma mater, but serving on Berg Business Board will also bring me closer to the National Center for Water Quality Research (NCWQR). Strengthening the connections between Heidelberg University students and the water industry while also partnering with the NCWQR to improve Heidelberg’s water science curriculum is a wonderful personal opportunity to support and nurture the future leaders of the water industry.”

  OVO Energy Appoints Aclara to Supply Smart Dual-Energy Solution to UK Market

Aclara will provide a dual-fuel smart metering solution that includes SMETS2 gas and electricity meters as part of a new contract with OVO Energy, the UK’s largest independent energy technology company and supplier.

Implementation of the new SMETS2 (smart metering equipment technical specifications: second version) meters is mandated to comply with the UK’s smart meter rollout program.

  Emerson Acquires KNet Software

Emerson has announced it has acquired KnowledgeNet (KNet) software from Tunisia-based Integration Objects. KNet’s analytics application software accelerates digital transformation initiatives for process and hybrid industries.

KNet is used to extract, clean, transform and analyze operational and manufacturing data. Using libraries of advanced statistical and machine-learning algorithms, the software consumes large quantities of diverse information technology and operational technology data into actionable knowledge that drives real-time decisions to improve process and asset performance.

  Aerzen Canada Open House Event 2019

Aerzen Canada is in a growth and expansion mode. The company celebrated the opening of a brand new, 26,000 sq ft building with office space and a production facility. The event was held on March 1t and was attended by employees, customers, vendors and members of the national sales teams.

“Aerzen Canada was founded in 1987 with three employees. Since then we have grown steadily to the point where we have outgrown our facility. This new building provides our customers with more capacity, higher quality and even better support with new processes, tools, and technology,” said Paul Birdi, Aerzen Canada’s Company President.

  SFPUC Receives First Payment for Sale of Biofertilizer

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission received its first payment for sale of its biosolids-based fertilizer. Lystek International (Lystek) has partnered with the SFPUC to convert biosolids, the nutrient-rich soil-like product from wastewater treatment, into a marketable, renewable fertilizer, which is now being sold to local farms.

“We are excited to be working with Lystek to produce a valuable and renewable fertilizer for our Bay Area agricultural communities,” said Harlan L. Kelly, Jr., SFPUC General Manager. “This project is an example of how public-private partnerships can advance innovation and environmental stewardship while solving global challenges.”

Harlan Kelly Jr. of SFPUC & James Dunbar of Lystek International.

  DuPont Announces Name Change for Dow Microbial Control

Dow Microbial Control officially changes its name to DuPont Microbial Control, marking the alignment with the DuPont brand and the successful separation of the Dow company from DowDuPont. DuPont Microbial Control represents the combined power of Dow’s pioneering history of developing products that control the growth of harmful microorganisms, now enhanced by DuPont’s world-leading position in the biotechnology space.

Customers can continue to rely on the trusted chemistries, industry-leading talent, services and product benefits of Dow Microbial Control with an even stronger global presence.

  Networking News

Summary of the website: Filtration-Products.com webpage reports on the fresh headlines, communications and separation equipment straight from the filtrations venues. Filtration-Products keeps you versed on purification and all the related professional research including spun filters, pleated cartridges, melt blown depth cartridges, bag filters, reverse osmosis filtration, from brands such as Parker utilized in air filtration, and anything else the separation vocation has to announce.

from Filtration Products http://bit.ly/2OQDNmX

[mygastrack]

The Whole Processes to Understand About Fugitive Emission Management Program

A Fugitive Emissions Management Program should be created to lower escapee emissions and be efficient to reveal any changes to functions.

Fugitive emissions management is mainly based on the regular recognition and repair of leaks, broken equipment, and surface covering emit flows. Efficient detection depends on day-by-day researches or tracking of sites for fugitive emissions.

The Fugitive Emissions Management Program should have the following components:

Get in touch with information of the person responsible for the FEMP.

Preventative maintenance ways to decrease or stop fugitive emissions. Contain any practices under growth, and if data from prior  Pipeline surveys Alberta have been applied to notify preventative maintenance processes.

The methods and plans that will be used to come     across the necessary frequency of fugitive emission surveys and screenings     and to do such repairs. Point out any digression from the approved     frequency and offer validation.

Methods and equipment implemented for fugitive emissions surveys and screenings.

Calibration techniques and equipment maintenance exercises     for equipment carried out for fugitive emissions surveys.

Training programs and documentation done by individuals carrying out fugitive emission surveys or screenings.

Depiction of how individuals will be skilled and how often they will be retrained.

Practices are used to assess training success.

Internal processes to monitor, manage, and confirm the status of repairs.

Data management procedures and systems to make sure     that assessment and screening results set off necessary repairs and that     the repairs are taken for yearly reporting.

Get more details at www.gastrack.ca and call us at 780-228-1080.

[falconridgegrp-blog]

Canadian Construction Association's 2017 awards showcase members' accomplishments

BANFF, Wednesday March 14, 2018 - The Canadian Construction Association (CCA) presented its annual awards in conjunction with CCA's 100th conference, held at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel. These awards recognize the important contributions of individuals, companies and associations that promote and enhance the Canadian construction industry.

The 2017 Canadian Construction Association award recipients are:

Awards of Excellence

2017 CCA Person of the Year Award – Terry Brown, STBR Consulting

2017 CCA Excellence in Innovation Award – Pomerleau

2017 CCA Environmental Achievement Award – Bird Construction and Maple Reinders

2017 CCA International Business Award – Lystek International, a Division of the Tomlinson Group of Companies

2017 CCA National Safety Award – Groupe C. Laganière inc.

2017 CCA Partner Association Award – Grand Valley Construction Association

2017 CCA Community Leader Award – Paul Seibel, ACL Steel

2017 CCA Gold Seal Association Award – Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association

Awards of Recognition

2017 CCA General Contractor Award – Brendan Nobes, rcs construction

2017 CCA Trade Contractor Award – Ross McLean, Houle Electric

2017 CCA Civil Infrastructure Award – Gilbert Brulotte, EllisDon

2017 CCA Manufacturers, Suppliers and Services Award – Glen Ackerley, WeirFoulds

“I'd like to invite everyone to visit the CCA awards website to learn more about this year's winners and to watch the videos that were played at the awards ceremony,” said Chris McNally, CCA's chair. “This year's winners highlight the diverse membership – companies small and large, from different parts of the country, working in general contracting, trades and civil – that CCA represents. My congratulations to the winners – you are a source of inspiration for everyone in the industry!”

More information, including videos from the awards ceremony and a list of past recipients, is available at awards.cca-acc.com.

 About the winners

Person of the Year Award – Terry Brown, STBR Consulting

CCA is pleased to present Terry Brown with the 2017 CCA Person of the Year Award for serving as a mentor to his colleagues as well as for contributing countless hours to association business regionally, provincially and nationally. Terry's contributions include the revision of BC Hydro's contract documents and drafting and promoting the Capital Asset Management Framework used to inform public owners on procurement policy. Terry also worked with a group of industry professionals to write the British Columbia Construction Association (BCCA) white paper called “Fair and Transparent”. He is a recipient of the BCCA Outstanding Service Award and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal.

Excellence in Innovation Award – Pomerleau

CCA is pleased to present Pomerleau with the 2017 CCA Excellence in Innovation Award for creating a strong, innovative culture. The company recently became the first general contracting construction company in Canada to be certified with Level-1 building information modelling (BIM) proficiency in Canada, companywide. Pomerleau has internally developed BIM add-ons that are used to improve interoperability, to accelerate data extraction, and to generate useful information for various construction processes. For example, Pomerleau developed a plug-in in Revit allowing for a semi-automatic excavation surface generation based on the 3D model of the foundations and the conditions (or rules) for Place Bell, a multipurpose sport and cultural centre in Laval. Another example of innovation includes developing a technology to transfer a design model into a video game software that enables virtual reality, a technology that is excellent for design comprehension, saves considerable costs from late design changes, and allows for a “virtual reception” of the project long before its completion.

Environmental Achievement Award – Bird Construction and Maple Reinders

CCA is pleased to present Bird Construction and Maple Reinders with the 2017 CCA Environmental Achievement Award for their success in implementing environmentally-sound practices into their Green Cart composting facility project with the City of Calgary, the first Canadian P3 compost project that is also on target to be the first LEED® Gold V4 facility in Alberta.

One unique and defining feature of the facility is that all processing activities are enclosed within a building. Furthermore, all the curing operations are housed in a separate enclosed building which greatly mitigates the potential for fugitive odour emissions. The enclosed and odour-controlled environment also allows the operations group to optimize the duration of the phases of the composting process. By doing so, the actual throughput and overall capacity of the plant is increased with little or no capital cost.

The project team designed a force main system that takes rainwater from a pond for use in the compost process. This achieved a 50.44% reduction in potable water use and no storm water will be discharged to the municipal sanitary system.

International Business Award – Lystek International, a Division of the Tomlinson Group of Companies

CCA is pleased to present Lystek International, a Division of the Tomlinson Group of Companies, with the 2017 CCA International Business Award. Lystek's patented thermal hydrolysis biosolids (THP) technology was founded at the University of Waterloo. Following commercialization, a demonstration-scale plant was constructed and proof of concept at the plant facilitated the first commercial-scale facility. Lystek strategically targeted California due to its unique legislation surrounding landfilling of organic materials by leveraging the company's success with seven design-build-transfer projects in Canada and a Canadian Technology Company of the Year award.

Since its opening just over one year ago, the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District's (FSSD) Organic Material Recovery Center (OMRC) project has secured numerous additional volume commitments from a variety of other Bay Area agencies. Lystek is now engaging in market development activities in the Northeast U.S., China and Argentina.

National Safety Award – Groupe C. Laganière inc.

CCA is pleased to present Groupe C. Laganière (GCL) with the 2017 CCA National Safety Award. GCL is a family business specializing in the identification and elimination of environmental risks. It is one of the 100 largest construction companies in Quebec and it recently celebrated 14 years – over 2 million hours worked – without any recordable incidents.

To reach GCL's goal of “nobody gets hurt”, the company has implemented a strategy built on three pillars: qualify, equip and plan. Some of the metrics for GCL's strategy include providing 500 hours of health and safety training, registering 250 new employees' evaluations within the mentoring program as well as workers, supervisors, subcontractors and prevention agents reading and signing approximatively 4,000 job safety analyses in 2016. Instilling a «thinking before acting» corporate culture at GCL includes dedicating over 13,625 hours to building awareness in the form of daily tailgate safety meetings as well as 30-minute safety breaks every week for all workers.

Partner Association Award – Grand Valley Construction Association

CCA is pleased to present the Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA) with the 2017 CCA Partner Association Award for its work in addressing the individual members' needs in industry enhancement, education and membership services. Recently, GVCA upgraded its online communications technology to have a 360-degree view of its members' activities and interactions as well as to learn what benefits and values they most appreciate. Using this information, GVCA develops custom educational sessions. In 2017, GVCA focused on technology, environmental law, crime and industry ethics. The GVCA is also recognized for fostering good relationships between opposing sides e.g. through the creation of PACE (Problem-solving, Accountability, Collaboration and Execution), an event that has brought over 100 participants from all parts of the industry work together to identify and address common concerns.

Community Leader Award – Paul Seibel, ACL Steel

CCA is pleased to present Paul Siebel with the 2017 CCA Community Leader Award for his dedication to ethics and his community work. A long-time GVCA member (including former chair), Paul has contributed thousands of hours of his time and financial resources to make the industry more ethical. He was the first member to sign up for the Construction Industry Ethics program and has continued to champion ethics courses to all his employees and fellow GVCA members. Paul's company has also been actively involved with the Co-Operative Education Program with the Waterloo Region District School Board since 2007 and has trained nine students in the last six years. He has served on the Conestoga College Architecture, Construction, Engineering and Technology Program Advisory Committee for 17 years and supports numerous community causes, including HopeSpring, an organization committed to empowering those whose lives are impacted by cancer, Terry Fox Run and the Walk for Cure.

Gold Seal Association Award – Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association

CCA is pleased to present Newfoundland and Labrador Construction Association (NLCA) with the 2017 CCA Gold Seal Association Award for its carefully-constructed approach to promoting Gold Seal and for its ongoing support of the program. The Gold Seal Certification program supports the development of skilled construction & heavy civil management professionals across Canada and the award recognizes an association that has gone above and beyond in bringing this program to its members. The NLCA made a conscious effort to ensure that 2017 was the year of Gold Seal. It began with a human and financial resources plan dedicated to the program, and focused on marketing, education and training. NLCA's 2017 conference presented the program in detail with the result that one of Newfoundland and Labrador's largest projects, Memorial University of Newfoundland Core Science Facility, was designated as a Gold Seal Project. The NLCA also launched a new website including a targeted Education and Training section last year. Most courses offered at NLCA's Centre of Excellence are Gold Seal accredited, and through Canada Job Grants the NLCA is able to subsidize 21 courses and 2/3 of its members' Gold Seal applications costs.

General Contractor Award – Brendan Nobes, rcs construction

CCA is pleased to present Brendan Nobes with the 2017 CCA General Contractors Award. Working at all levels in construction has given Brendan, a Gold Seal Certified project manager and estimator, experience in design review, design document preparation, scheduling, budgeting, cost forecasting and tender package preparation. His sound, fair decisions and thoughtful insights have been particularly useful for topics like standard documents and prompt payment that the General Contractors Council has discussed. At the Construction Association of Nova Scotia, Brendan started the Developing Executives Group and helped start the Education Program where he later served as an instructor.

Trade Contractor Award – Ross McLean, Houle Electric

CCA is pleased to present Ross McLean with 2017 CCA Trade Contractors Award. A partner and regional manager for Houle Electric, Ross has served as chair for the Vancouver Island, Prince George and British Columbia Construction Associations (BCCA). He is a past recipient of BCCA's Distinguished Service Award and served as industry co-chair on the deputy minister's Industry Infrastructure Forum and was the founding director of the Construction Foundation of BC, which launched Project Shop Class to upgrade high school shop classes.

Civil Infrastructure Award – Gilbert Brulotte, EllisDon

CCA is pleased to present Gilbert Brulotte with the 2017 CCA Civil Infrastructure Award. Gilbert's service on the CCA Civil Infrastructure Council (CIC) was marked with a disciplined approach to address the topics raised at the CIC and bring them to conclusion with a sense of purpose. Under his leadership, the council funded several key reports supporting the need for ongoing investment by the federal government in infrastructure modernization as a means of maintaining Canada's global economic competitiveness. Having served many years as a board member of the Alberta Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association with two terms as chair, he joined the CCA board in 2005, the executive in 2011 and was the 2016 CCA chair.

Manufacturers, Suppliers and Services Award – Glenn Ackerley, WeirFoulds

CCA is pleased to present Glenn Ackerley with the 2017 CCA Manufacturers, Suppliers & Services Award. In his job, Glenn provides ongoing advice from the start through to completion of a project. He represents clients from across the construction industry in a variety of construction-related matters. He currently sits on the CCA board and is a past chair of the Toronto Construction Association, as well as a past executive of the Construction Section of the Ontario Bar. Most recently, Glen has been a member of the Expert Panel's Advisory Group on changes to Ontario's Construction Lien Act.

About CCA

Canadian Construction Association (CCA) is the national voice for the construction industry in Canada representing over 20,000 member firms in an integrated structure of some 63 local and provincial construction associations. Construction employs close to 1.4 million people and generates about $120B to the economy annually. http://constructionlinks.ca/news/canadian-construction-associations-2017-awards-showcase-members-accomplishments/ Established in 2003, Construction Links Network is the number one “go-to” website for Canada's construction, building and design community. Our peer-to-peer network sharing platform provides the tools necessary to source the latest news, events and innovative products / services the industry has to offer. This helps our customers plan, design and build great projects right across Canada and throughout the world. #construction | #building | #architecture | #safety | #engineer

[inhandnetworks-blog]

Methane Pollution Addressed With First-Ever EPA Rules

www.inhandnetworks.com

This story was originally published by Mother Jones and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday released the final version of new federal rules intended to curb emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas.

Methane, which is the main component of natural gas, had previously been unregulated. There's a mounting pile of evidence suggesting that as the United States relies increasingly on gas via fracking to produce electricity, methane emissions are much higher than most people expected them to be.

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That's a problem for the fight against climate change. Methane emissions are far lower than carbon dioxide emissions, and methane survives in the atmosphere for a relatively short period of time. But methane is far more effective at trapping heat than CO2 is, which makes it a significant near-term warming threat. As I reported in a deep dive on methane:

When unburned methane leaks into the atmosphere, it can help cause dramatic warming in a relatively short period of time. Methane emissions have long been a missing piece in the country's patchwork climate policy.... The natural gas system produces methane emissions at nearly every step of the process, from the well itself to the pipe that carries gas into your home. Around two-thirds of those emissions are "intentional," meaning they occur during normal use of equipment. For example, some pneumatic gauges use the pressure of natural gas to flip on or off and emit tiny puffs of methane when they do so. The other one-third comes from so-called "fugitive" emissions, aka leaks, that happen when a piece of equipment cracks or otherwise fails.

The lack of regulations on methane was one reason why President Barack Obama's climate strategy, which hinges on swapping the country's coal consumption for natural gas, has been frowned upon by some environmentalists. Even today's regulations are only a partial solution, since they apply only to new and modified natural gas infrastructure, not systems that already exist. And by some analysts' reckoning, more than 70 percent of gas-sector methane emissions from now until 2025 will come from sources that already exist.

Still, the regulation announced today achieves one of the final remaining big items on Obama's climate checklist. It aims to reduce gas-sector methane emissions 40 to 45 percent below 2012 levels by 2025 by tightening the allowed emissions from pumps, compressors, wells and other infrastructure; requiring more frequent surveys for leaks; and implementing a data-gathering survey that will give officials and companies a better understanding of just how much methane leakage there really is. The EPA expects the regulations to cost $530 million by 2025 but to produce $690 million in environmental benefits.

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[albertthomasniit]

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[albertthomasniit]

For exceptional Fugitive Emissions Management Program, approach leading company that is Gas Track Engineering. All the engineers of the company are highly qualified and working in this field for many years. Call.  

[albertthomasniit]

Fugitive emissions management is a program based on the systematic detection and repair of leaks, malfunctioning equipment, and surface casing vent flows. And that systematic detection relies on regular Fugitive emission surveys. So, a fugitive emissions management program should be designed to reduce fugitive emissions and be updated to reflect any changes to operations.