2020 APGA Operations Conference: Oct 19 - Nov 6

APGA’s primary focus is on the health and safety of our members and the communities they serve especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, the 2020 APGA Operations Conference, which was scheduled for October 27-29 in Louisville, KY, will become a virtual event.

The 2019 APGA Operations Conference attracted over 250 natural gas distribution industry professionals from more than 70 public gas systems to learn about topics such as integrity management, regulatory compliance, research and development, and new technology. The 2020 APGA Operations Conference should be even bigger!

The conference will kick off on Monday, October 19, with a 90-minute morning session and a 90-minute afternoon session with a break in between. Then sessions will be two-hour blocks spread out over three weeks on Tuesdays (Operations & Engineering Track), Wednesdays (Transmission Pipeline Track), and Thursdays (Safety & Compliance), with one-hour bonus sessions on Fridays. The APGA Operations Conference provides a total of 24.5 professional development hours (PDH), which are required by many states to maintain professional engineering licensure.

Join Live Sessions! Now that the conference has started, registered attendees can access the sessions by logging into https://apga-operations.secure-platform.com with the same APGA username and password that you used to register for the conference.

View our session schedule below or go here to browse sessions online.

Learn more about...

Agenda & Sessions
Registration
Schedule-At-A-Glance
Professional Development Hours
Online Session Schedule
Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsor Directory

Who Should Attend

Any natural gas utility operations and engineering professionals, gas utility procurement personnel, organizations providing products and/or services used in natural gas distribution, state and federal pipeline safety regulators.

Attendee Registration & Pricing

The conference is one-third over! Because of that, the registration fee has been reduced for those still wishing to register after 10/23/2020 who did not get the opportunity to participate live in the first week's sessions

Attendees can choose to attend all the sessions via the VIP All-Access Pass or choose to attend the sessions within a single track (Operations & Engineering, Transmission Pipeline, or Safety & Compliance). The classic registration option will also grant you access to the Opening Session and the Friday one-hour bonus sessions.

You can register multiple people from your company at once by choosing the GROUP REGISTRATION option. You can click on CHANGE RATE to choose which registration option (All Access, Operations & Engineering, Transmission Pipelines, or Compliance & Safety) each person should have.

Classic Conference Pass

$195 $145

12.5 Hours of Content & Professional Development Hours (PDH)
Access to a 4.5-hour Opening Session featuring presentations on 2020 PHMSA Priorities, Workplace Safety, and A Case Study: Safety Skills Gap - Frontline Leadership & Next Generation Capability
Your choice of the Operations & Engineering, Transmission Pipeline, or Safety & Compliance topics tracks (six sessions) and recordings post-event
Access to Friday one-hour bonus sessions on topics such as Virtual Reality (VR) Training Benefits and Capabilities

Classic Conference Pass Registration Fees:
Classic Registration $195 $145 (APGA Members)
Classic Registration $295 $245 (non-APGA Members)

VIP All-Access Conference Pass

$395 $295

24.5 Hours of Content & Professional Development Hours (PDH)
Enjoy all the sessions included with the Classic Conference Pass
Access to ALL 18 sessions on Operations & Engineering, Transmission Pipeline, or Safety & Compliance topics and recordings post-event

VIP All-Access Conference Pass Registration Fees:
VIP All-Access Registration $395 $295 (APGA Members)
VIP All-Access Registration $595 $495 (non-APGA Members)

How does the 2020 Virtual Operations Conference compare to the past Operations Conferences?

2020 Operations Conference

Classic Conference Pass = 12.5 Hours of Content for $195 or VIP Conference Pass = 24.5 Hours of Content for $395
plus access to all session recordings post-event

VS

2019 Operations Conference

Classic Conference Pass = 13.5 Hours of Content for $475
plus Travel & Lodging Costs

Agenda & Session Schedule

APGA Operations Conference Has Started! Join Live Sessions

Registered attendees can access the sessions by logging into https://apga-operations.secure-platform.com with the same APGA username and password that you used to register for the conference. If you do not remember your APGA username and password, please email info@apga.org.

Then click on SCHEDULE in the navigation to find the day's session. Then click on the title of that session to view the session's description and speaker information. When you click on the session title, you will see a new page with presentation & speaker information, and there will be a button called JOIN MEETING on the right. Click on that button to join the session! Each session will allow attendees to start joining thirty minutes before the presentation will start. You will be placed in the lobby until the event goes live.

Read more about the technical details here and email info@apga.org with any questions.

Go to APGA Operations Conference Event Website

Program Information

The APGA Operations Conference is will have speakers and panels of experts on topics such as integrity management, regulatory compliance, research and development, and new technology. The conference will also include sponsor showcases of the latest in products and services for natural gas distribution operations. Attendees will get to hear and participate in:

Six sessions each focused on Operations & Engineering, Transmission Pipelines, and Safety & Compliance topic tracks
Using Augmented & Virtual Reality for Training
Best Practices from your publicly-owned utility peers
Safety & Skills for Next-Gen Workforce
MAOP Verification Methods
Updates on safety regulations

You can now view our 2020 Operations Conference session agenda below, as well as view our past agendas.

View 2020 Session Schedule At A Glance (PDF)

View All Past Agendas

Professional Development Hours

The APGA Operations Conference provides 24.5 professional development hours (PDH) for the entire conference and 12.5 PDH per track (Opening Session, six track-specific sessions, bonus sessions). PDHs are required by many states to maintain professional engineering licensure.

Schedule At A Glance

All times noted are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Download a PDF of the Schedule at a Glance.

Monday, October 19 - Opening Session

10:30 am - 10:45 am Welcome & Opening Remarks - Carl Smith, APGA Operations & Safety Committee Chairman, and Dave Schryver, APGA President & CEO. The morning Opening Session is sponsored by Industrial Training Services Inc.

10:45 am - 11:45 am PHMSA Update – 2020 in Review & Looking ahead to 2021 - Alan Mayberry, Associate Administrator for Pipeline Safety, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) . The morning Opening Session is sponsored by Industrial Training Services Inc.

11:45 am - 12:45 pm Workplace Safety Beyond the Pandemic - Mark Baker, Vice President of Workplace Practice Area, National Safety Council. The morning Opening Session is sponsored by Industrial Training Services Inc.

12:45 pm - 1:30 pm Break

1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Workforce Diversity & Inclusion - Paula R. Glover, President & CEO, American Association of Blacks in Energy. The afternoon Opening Session is sponsored by Energy Worldnet.

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm A Case Study: Safety Skills Gap - Frontline Leadership & Next Generation Capability - ET Daryl Brister, President, Shea Capability & Compliance Solutions. The afternoon Opening Session is sponsored by Energy Worldnet.

Operations & Engineering

Tuesdays
1:00 – 3:00 PM ET

October 20

1-3 PM ET

Over and Under Pressure Safety Devices Presented by Andrew Marra, Product Manager & Sarah Keller, Regional Sales Manager for BelGas. This session is sponsored by MarieCo.

Enhanced Meter Data Management Presented by Cody Stallings, Gas Engineer, Wilson Energy & Andy Kleintank, PMC Technical Sales Consultant, Honeywell | Process Measurement and Control. This session is sponsored by Honeywell.

October 27

1-3 PM ET

A Systematic Approach to Gas Operations Presented by Laura Mooney, Gas Engineering Manager, and Stephen Mayfield, AGM-Gas Operations, for City of Tallahassee - This session is sponsored by Equipment Controls Company, Inc.

Increasing Reliability Through System Upgrades Presented by Stephen Harris, Vice President of Operations, Powell Clinch Utility District (PCUD). This session is sponsored by Enetics.

November 3

1-3 PM ET

Portable and Mobile Natural Gas Leak Detection Technologies to Satisfy DOT 192 Regulations Presented by Paul Wehnert, Heath Consultants Incorporated. Session sponsored by Southern Cross

Managing DOT Relocation Projects Presented by Chris McKinley and Cory Truitt, Southern Cathodic Protection Company. This session is sponsored by WL Plastics.

Transmission Pipelines

Wednesdays
1:00 – 3:00 PM ET

October 21

1-3 PM ET

The Road to the Mega-Rule: The Impact of the San Bruno Incident on the Nation's Pipeline Safety Agenda Presented by Keith Coyle, Shareholder, Babst Calland. Session is sponsored by Control Southern/Emerson.

Identifying Moderate Consequence Areas on Gas Transmission Pipelines Presented by Bryan Daniel, GIS Project Manager, and Rob Getman, Engineering Technical Lead, Magnolia River. Session sponsored by Locusview.

October 28

1-3 PM ET

Changes in Operator Qualification Tasks Due to the New Gas Transmission Rule Presented by Wallace (Wally) McGaughey, Director of Regulatory Compliance, G2 Integrated Solutions. Session sponsored by G2 Integrated Solutions.

Gas Transmission Pipeline MAOP Reconfirmation Options Presented by Michael Berg, Director of Integrity Programs, RCP. This session is sponsored by RCP.

November 4

1-3 PM ET

Preparing for the New Valve Rule Presented by Mike LaMont, Director, Integrity Services, TRC. Session sponsored by Ed Young Sales Co. (EYSCO)

Pipeline Permitting: Recent Developments Impacting the Natural Gas Industry Presented by Christine Wyman, Senior Principal, Bracewell. Session is sponsored by MEA Energy Association.

Compliance & Safety

Thursdays
1:00 – 3:00 PM ET

October 22

1-3 PM ET

PSMS Key Takeaways: Implementation Approaches and Lessons Learned Presented by Binh Chau, Operations Manager, Paris-Henry Public County Utility District and Steven Allen, Executive Director of Pipeline Safety, Energy Worldnet. Session is sponsored by Precision Pipeline Solutions.

Best Practices / Taking the Next Step Presented by Clint Shevat, Process & Compliance Manager, and Darryl Singleton, Gas Operations Superintendent, of Pensacola Energy. This session is sponsored by Sensit Technologies.

October 29

1-3 PM ET

The 'Heart' of Public Awareness Presented by Dr. Christie Murray, Director of Stakeholder Engagement, ROSEN Group. Sponsored by USDI.

Local Permitting: A Municipal LDC Advantage in Damage Prevention Presented by Jonathan Mason, Assistant Gas Superintendent, Chambersburg Gas Department

November 5

1-3 PM ET

Drug & Alcohol Testing: Teaching Not-So-Old Dogs New Tricks

Presented by Leslie Prince, President, Compliance Systems. Session sponsored by Compliance Systems.

Training Your Workforce 2020 Presented by Dahlia Rochell, Director of Human Resources, and Terrill Booker, Administrator of Regulatory & Safety Compliance, Lake Apopka Natural Gas District. Session sponsored by Energy Vision.

Bonus
Sessions

Fridays
1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

October 23

1-2 PM ET

Virtual Reality (VR) Training Benefits and Capabilities Presented by Ray Deatherage, Senior Program Manage, Gas Technology Institute - This session is sponsored by the APGA Research Foundation.

October 30

1-2 PM ET

TSA’s Work to Advance Infrastructure Resilience through Improved Pipeline Security by Sonya Proctor, Assistant Administrator for Surface Operations/Security Operations, Transportation Security Administration

November 6

1-2 PM ET

APGA & SIF - Update on Tools & Programs Presented by Erin Kurilla, Vice President of Operations & Pipeline Safety, APGA. This session is sponsored by APGA Security & Integrity Foundation.

Sponsorship Opportunities

APGA Operations Conference offers companies the opportunity to build brand recognition and support the natural gas utility community. Join us as a sponsor for the 2020 Operations Conference! Increase your brand visibility across the natural gas utility community and promote your services and products. Build new relationships with the key leadership at many of America's municipal natural gas utilities..

View Sponsorship Page

Click here to view the sponsor prospectus (PDF)

Platinum Sponsors