Energy Tomorrow Blog
Q&A: New Center for Offshore Safety Director Talks Responsibilities, Goals
center for offshore safety safe operations offshore oil production
John D. Siciliano
Posted May 20, 2020
Capt. Russell Holmes is the Center for Offshore Safety’s (COS) new director after serving for nearly three decades with the U.S. Coast Guard.
Holmes, who retired from the Coast Guard in 2020, takes over for Charlie Williams, who had led the center since 2012 after a long industry career. Holmes will be taking the center’s mission of offshore safety and environmental protection into its second decade of existence.
The center was created soon after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, the COS has enhanced the safety culture in offshore operations, while supporting federal regulations that mandate Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) at all operations on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Just prior to joining the center, Holmes served as the Coast Guard’s senior point of contact for offshore safety in the Gulf, overseeing marine inspection and investigation programs that ultimately support SEMS. As he explains in the Q&A below, Holmes says the industry’s professionalism and safety commitment matched his while he was serving as one of industry’s lead regulators.
Creativity, Innovation and Expertise Help Address Storage Challenge
crude oil tankers storage tanks standards spr
John D. Siciliano
Posted April 30, 2020
Meeting short-term crude oil storage challenges has our industry looking at a number of measures to safely route and handle the surplus resulting from the demand decline tied to global efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.
API President and CEO Mike Sommers told CNBC that the industry is thinking outside the box to find “creative solutions” to ship and store an historic amount of oil beyond its usual means.
To be sure, there also are separate infrastructure challenges in getting crude oil to where there is storage. Many pipelines in the nation’s transportation network are full up or contracted – partly reflecting the country’s infrastructure needs that pre-date COVID-19. That’s a subject for a separate post. The fact remains industry is focused on finding storage as markets rebalance between supply and demand.
New API Engine Oil Standards Good for Consumers, Environment
api standards program motor oil efficiency
John D. Siciliano
Posted April 27, 2020
Enhancing engine protection and performance with the co-benefit of improving fuel economy in cars, trucks, and SUVs is what the public can expect when API’s new engine oil standards go into effect on May 1.
The 18th edition of the API 1509 engine oil standard – Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System (EOLCS) – is a product of industry’s continuous process of updating motor oil specifications to meet the demands of the marketplace and consumers.
For example, the new standard includes a conservation specification to improve fuel economy – in addition to keeping a vehicle’s emissions control systems in check – while also being able to account for the introduction of more renewable fuels into the gasoline supply. This means that oil bearing the API licensing mark can both boost the number of miles driven on a gallon of gasoline, while improving the overall performance of the engine, which is good for consumers and the environment alike.
Q&A: Industry Leadership, Partnerships Make Offshore Safer Than Ever
offshore safety bsee api standards program deepwater horizon
John D. Siciliano
Posted April 20, 2020
Today is the 10th anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. A decade later, offshore energy development has never been safer, largely because of industry leadership in developing new technologies and creating a proactive safety management culture. This is critically important because the offshore accounts for 15% of U.S. oil production. Innovations in infrastructure and deep-sea equipment, plus rigorous safety training, safety protocols and the management tools to ensure those protocols are effective, reflect industry’s commitment to prevent such an incident, in which lives were lost, from happening again. In the Q&A that follows, Debra Phillips, API senior vice president for Global Industry Services, talks about what has been learned and industry’s responses – including hundreds of safety standards – to maximize offshore safety.
Industry is Committed to Innovating Climate Solutions
ccs technology carbon storage climate
John D. Siciliano
Posted February 19, 2020
It will take new breakthroughs and technological know-how to build a cleaner energy future, and no one is better positioned to lead the way through innovation than our industry. …
Through new alliances and partnerships, our companies are investing in carbon capture, utilization and storage, or CCUS, to remove greenhouse gases from power-plant smokestacks, refineries and even directly out of the air itself.
Best-in-Class Standards Improve Global Safety and Environmental Protection
api standards program mexico safety standards
John D. Siciliano
Posted January 29, 2020
The U.S. natural gas and oil industry’s commitment to safety and environmental protection standards is attracting respect and recognition worldwide, with many countries aiming to make API standards a key part of their future energy plans.
This week API, the International Association of Gas & Oil Producers (IOGP) and Mexico’s Asociación Mexicana de Empresas de Hidrocarburos (AMEXHI) signed a memorandum of understanding for enhanced coordination, joint forums on specific issues, the sharing of best practices and technical workshops.
Family Budgets, Home Heating and the Environmental Benefit of Natural Gas
natural gas heat consumers renewable energy
John D. Siciliano
Posted January 16, 2020
Natural gas can’t be beat when it comes to its superior performance in heating a home, especially when compared to heat pumps and other appliances that rely solely on electricity.
Natural gas-powered appliances are both more cost-effective and environmentally friendly for homeowners when compared to their all-electric counterparts, according to consumer studies and government reports.
So, why are some groups campaigning to ban homeowners from using natural gas in favor of these more expensive alternatives?
Natural Gas is Integral to Climate Solutions in 2020 and Beyond
climate emission reductions natural gas fracking
John D. Siciliano
Posted December 18, 2019
At the recent U.N. climate talks in Madrid, former Secretary of State John Kerry kicked off a new bipartisan climate campaign that includes natural gas as part of the answer in an interesting marriage between political campaign and real-world energy solutions.
The campaign, referred to as World War Zero, will fan out to key battleground states next year to educate voters on climate change policies in the run-up to the November presidential election.
Kerry, a longtime senator and America’s top diplomat under the Obama administration, told the New York Times ahead of the Madrid talks that the campaign wouldn’t endorse one policy over another, and that members are free to support any number of climate solutions, including natural gas.
Industry, Auto Sector Join Forces on State-of-the-Art Engine Oil – But is There a Movie Deal In It?
api standards program motor oil consumers efficiency
John D. Siciliano
Posted December 9, 2019
The recent box office success of 20th Century Fox’s “Ford vs Ferrari” helped moviegoers understand just what it took for the Ford Motor Company to build a world-class supercar and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the 1960s.
But the movie also made me recall the oil industry’s ties to these champions. And the link between Ford and the energy sector when it comes to upping a car’s engine performance and making cars more environmentally sustainable.
Natural Gas Power Plants in a Transitioning Energy Market
natural gas plant emission reductions electricity infrastructure
John D. Siciliano
Posted November 26, 2019
The transition to cleaner natural gas-fueled electricity generation is creating new momentum for building out the nation’s energy infrastructure – specifically, new pipeline capacity needed to accelerate the changeover from coal and other older resources.
Not doing so has proven to be detrimental to consumers and clean energy goals alike.
For example, the state of New York, which is blocking pipeline development, is experiencing higher energy bills and supply problems as it struggles to design an energy system without fossil fuels.