A MOMENT WITH...
majority of our software is to help support offshore safety and environmental compliance, but we also have the leak detection and repair software that can be used onshore as well. We also offer consulting services for air quality, compliance assessments, and environmental management.”
Wood elaborated that some of the consulting she conducts is for air quality compliance for upstream oil and gas companies and new technologies.
Current Emission Regulation Challenges
Regulatory changes in 2023 and 2024, combined with the new U. S. administration, may lead to further shifts on emission regulations and compliance. As a result, companies and the industry can potentially face increased pressure.
“ The challenges are on the environmental side, and we help companies weigh what they are continuing to implement and what they should hold off on,” says Wood.“ There’ s also concern about investing, only for regulations and compliance to change again. We help them navigate the options and advise what is worth doing and what can protect them from current regulations, future regulations, and enforcement.”
Regardless of the nature of the U. S. administrations and ensuing compli-
“ COMPANIES SHOULD MOVE TO PREVENTION AND ELIMINATING PROBLEMS WITH ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS AS IT TRULY ADDRESSES THE ISSUES VERSUS JUST A TEMPORARY FIX.
“ ance, Wood explained the states can- and often- supersede Federal rules. New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and Ohio all typically set more stringent rules than EPA. In turn, companies need to comply with both U. S. State and Federal rulings.
“ What I recommend to my clients is getting ahead of the rules as much as possible,” says Wood.“ I often suggest implementing programs to eliminate leaks or other emission concerns from an engineering and preventative maintenance perspective rather than the typical find-and-fix-it programs.”
Dana Wood.
Shared Knowledge and Best Practices
Wood shared her consulting and environmental knowledge in oil and gas during her keynote presentation. Her presentation Changing Environmental Risk Management: Moving from“ Find and Fix” to“ Prevent and Eliminate” addressed ways to altogether eliminate fugitive emissions and readily meet ongoing compliance.
Speaking before industry leaders, energy professionals, and regulators, Wood covered several topics. These included how companies can prevent emissions-related failures( and from recurring); practise-improved preventative maintenance; facility redesigns( to reduce environmental incidents such as tank leaks, unlit flares, and spills); utilize root cause analysis; and capture and leverage essential data to eliminate the problem altogether.
Find Root Causes for Proper Elimination
Addressing the industry during the Fugitive Emissions Summit Americas 2025 earlier this year.
“ Finding and fixing” are the first critical steps of this model, but equally important is utilizing root cause analysis to identify the sources of fugitive emissions. A lengthy, complex analysis is not necessary, but Wood emphasized,“ Data without context is pretext.” In other words, data has no value unless it is properly understood and applied.
16 FUGITIVE EMISSIONS JOURNAL • JUNE 2025