Energy Tomorrow Blog
Opportunity to Grow Safety and Sustainability in the Nation's Shale Regions
api standards program natural gas production infrastructure safety standards
Debra Phillips
Posted June 30, 2020
Good technical standards and industry practices are important to safe, sustainable energy infrastructure that is critical to unleashing the benefits of domestic energy – including clean, affordable natural gas.
Major energy players have pointed to new midstream infrastructure investments in the massive Permian region that will allow them to produce more while also improving environmental performance. In addition, this infrastructure will benefit consumers globally through the export of U.S. natural gas – produced right here at home under stringent regulations, many of which point to API’s world-class safety standards that improve environmental performance and sustainability.
API Standards Support LNG Exports, Future Economic Recovery
api standards program lng exports economic growth
Debra Phillips
Posted June 15, 2020
During this moment of public health and economic uncertainty, the natural gas and oil industry has taken steps to ensure the integrity of our products and develop new standards that add value for our customers, while bolstering efficiency and sustainability throughout the supply chain.
API has focused squarely on the thriving U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) market through our voluntary standards program, and we believe that our best practices and engineering standards are essential to the future of the U.S. LNG export market.
Industry-Led Efforts Improve Pipeline Safety Performance
pipeline safety infrastructure industry standards
Sam Winstel
Posted May 18, 2020
America’s extensive network of pipelines and energy infrastructure safely connects our abundant natural gas and oil resources with refineries, businesses and consumers. The U.S. liquids pipeline system, which stretches more than 218,000 miles, delivered 21.8 billion barrels of crude oil and refined products in 2018 – the essential link between domestic energy and Americans’ daily lives.
The industry’s commitment to safety and sustainability, through industry-led reporting, standards-setting and performance initiatives, has contributed to ongoing improvements in pipeline operations. This month, API and our partner associations released two new reports that show declining pipeline-related incidents and continuous improvement in environmental performance – both enhanced by growing use of safety management systems.
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.
EPA's Particulate Matter Proposal Makes Sense
epa national ambient air quality standards
Mark Green
Posted April 14, 2020
Some points and data that help frame EPA’s proposed rule on National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM), which would retain all six of the current standards:Annual concentrations of PM2.5 have dropped 39% since 2000, and the U.S. has reduced emissions that can contribute to PM – including an 84% drop in sulfur dioxide (SO2), and a 54% decrease in nitrogen oxide (NOx) – since 2000. Fuel switching to clean natural gas in the power sector played an important role in those reductions. This progress can be helped by continued implementation of existing regulations.
Also: Retaining the current PM NAAQS is supported by the absence of compelling new evidence to lower the existing standards. Another NAAQS review was completed in 2015, and at that time an economic analysis indicated there could be a significant impact on the income of families and potential job losses if a lower NAAQS option was selected.
And: EPA’s proposal is consistent with the recommendation of the agency’s independent Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, which voted 5-1 to keep the current standards.
API Releases New Sustainability Reporting Guidance with International Community to Promote Environmental Progress
Aaron Padilla
Posted March 30, 2020
Industry-led efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are a key contribution to global climate solutions, and when companies transparently report their performance, it reflects their commitment to ongoing advances in sustainability. The natural gas and oil industry pioneered industry-wide guidance for sustainability reporting 15 years ago, and for decades now, has delivered detailed performance information for stakeholders, including regulators, investors and the general public.
Today, three leading global natural gas and oil industry associations – API, IPIECA and IOGP – released the fourth edition of the “Sustainability Reporting Guidance for the Oil and Gas industry,” which provides a consensus framework for company reporting on sustainability topics in governance and business ethics; climate change; environment; safety, health and security; and social impacts.
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.
Safety and Environmental Protection are at API’s Core
api standards program environmental review safety standards
Debra Phillips
Posted January 28, 2020
A major part of API’s core mission is the development of industry standards that enhance safety and environmental protection at oil and natural gas facilities both in the U.S. and around the world.
API CEO Mike Sommers underscored this important point in releasing the State of American Energy 2020 report earlier this month. "Today, U.S. energy development is safer than it’s ever been, in part, thanks to API’s world-class standards," Sommers said. "From foundational offshore safety to pipeline leak detection, API standards drive safety, environmental protection, and sustainability. Not only here in the United States, but across the world.”
API has published over 700 standards and best-in-class operational practices since it was founded 100 years ago. In 2019 alone, API introduced 90 safety standards, underscoring our commitment to a safer workplace for workers and their communities, and environmental protection.