Evergreen Natural Resources Selects Locus Technologies for Environmental Software

Locus will provide environmental field and analytical data management software for Evergreen Natural Resources.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 17 March 2020 — Locus Technologies, industry leader in environmental software, today announced that Evergreen Natural Resources, a privately-held energy company based in Denver, Colorado, has chosen Locus environmental software for their data collection and management.

Evergreen Natural Resources has selected Locus’ environmental software, EIM, after proof of concept and usability testing. They will seek to utilize Locus EIM as a laboratory database management system, and for regulatory report generation, while also taking advantage of Locus’ premium GIS tool, GIS+, as well as Locus Mobile.

“With over 2,600 unique locations that require routine sampling, Locus’ environmental and GIS software allows us to collect, manage, visualize, and analyze data. Locus EIM aligns with our strategy to increase availability and reduce our internal application infrastructure footprint,” said Cesar Zayas, IT Director of Evergreen.

“Evergreen Natural Resources is a rapidly emerging company in the energy sector, and their decision to utilize Locus’ powerful environmental software shows their objective to manage their data quality at the highest level. Our scalable software will match their continued growth,” said Wes Hawthorne, President of Locus.

Locus Technologies obtains accreditation as verification body for Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS)

Locus staff continue to prove expertise in this emerging compliance area with accredited staff throughout California and the Midwest. 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 27 January 2020
Locus Technologies, (Locus), industry leader in water quality, EHS, sustainability, and compliance management software, is pleased to announce they are among the first accredited verification bodies for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program administered by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Locus verifiers were accredited for fuel pathway applications, alternative fuel transactions, and petroleum-based fuel reports.

Originally adopted in 2009, the goal of the LCFS program is to reduce the carbon intensity (CI) of the transportation fuel pool. The LCFS is one of the key AB 32 measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California, while reducing petroleum dependency and achieving improved air quality. The program has grown in scope, and certified third-party verifiers can now review both applications and routine reporting.

Locus Technologies has been a certified third-party reviewer of GHG verifications for CARB since 2010 under the Mandatory Reporting Rule and maintains an unmatched track record. Not one of over 500 GHG verifications by Locus has been overturned, a standard the company intends to match with LCFS reporting.

Locus has staff and expertise to review Tier 1 fuel pathway applications and annual reports under LCFS as well as other LCFS projects, with verifiers located in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and in the Midwest. Locus also offers software products designed to assist reporters in complying with the LCFS program.

Simple and reliable tank emissions calculation tool for accurate reports

EPA announced that it will no longer support its TANKS 4.09D emission calculation tool. Have you been researching various software options in the market? Look no further, Locus has a reliable, easy to use, scalable replacement Tanks Emission application for you!

Infographic | Locus Platform Tank Emissions application

 

 

Oil companies agree to reduce methane emissions

A coalition of the world’s oil companies agreed to reduce methane emissions from natural gas extraction—part of an effort to shore up the climate credentials of the hydrocarbon.

The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative said it would target reducing methane emissions to less than 0.25% of the total natural gas the group of 13 member companies produces by 2025.

Methane is the main component of natural gas. During extraction, transport, and processing, it often leaks into the environment. Methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. In the short term, it traps more heat although it stays shorter in the atmosphere. According to the International Energy Agency, one ton of methane is equivalent to as much as 87 tons of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame.

Natural gas production is growing. Many big oil companies are increasing production of natural gas to offset higher emissions from other hydrocarbon and coal sources. The switch makes the oil-and-gas industry look better when demonstrating emission reduction to limit climate change.

For that reason, some oil companies, Shell, in particular, has tilted its production mix toward more gas output.

According to 2018 report by the Environmental Defense Fund, a nonprofit environmental advocacy group, as much as $34 billion of global gas supply is lost each year through leaks and venting. That is another valid reason to limit those methane escapes and park the proceeds to the bottom line. That in itself could fund part of the effort to stop or reduce the leaks.

From the foundations of Rome to global carbon emissions reduction

Does the solution for over 5% of world CO2 emissions lie in the 2000-year-old concrete-making technology from ancient Rome?

Concrete is the second most consumed substance on Earth after water.  Overall, humanity produces more than 10 billion tons (about 4 billion cubic meters) of concrete and cement per year.  That’s about 1.3 tons for every person on the planet— more than any other material, including oil and coal.  The consumption of concrete exceeds that of all other construction materials combined. The process of making modern cement and concrete has a heavy environmental penalty, being responsible for roughly 5% of global emissions of CO2.

Scientists explain ancient Rome’s long-lasting concrete

So could the greater understanding of the ancient Roman concrete mixture lead to greener building materials? That is what scientists may have discovered and published in a 2017 study, led by Marie Jackson of the University of Utah.  Their study uncovered the Roman secrets for formulating some of the most long-lasting concrete yet discovered.  Our ability to unlock the secrets of ancient concrete formulas is dependent upon interdisciplinary analytical approaches utilized by the Jackson heat group and could lead to further discoveries that would reduce cement-based carbon emissions.

Unlike the modern concrete mixture which erodes over time, the Roman concrete-like substance seemed to gain strength, particularly from exposure to sea water.  And most importantly, the process generates fewer CO2 emissions and uses less energy and water than “modern”, Portland cement-based concrete.

Read the full article here.

Stanford Board of Trustees issues a statement on climate change

In a statement, the Board of Trustees underlines Stanford’s commitment to battling climate change, highlights university initiatives to address it and responds to Fossil Free Stanford’s request to divest from the fossil fuel industry.

The trustees have concluded that Stanford’s endowment will not divest, based on a review of criteria in the university’s Statement on Investment Responsibility and input from the Advisory Panel on Investment Responsibility and Licensing. The trustees also announce a new climate task force that will solicit new ideas from across the Stanford community for addressing climate change.

Find out more about Stanford University’s new climate change policy.

Why visibility on environmental health & safety compliance is still so important (yet another example)

Just this week, a subsidiary of Talus LLC was hit with a $4 million fine, $200,000 in community service payments and three years of probation for EHS violations and violations of the Clean Water Act.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Talos Energy Offshore, LLC, will be required to comply with a Safety and Environmental Compliance Plan.  One of the more surprising findings was the violation of the Clean Water Act.  The company reportedly tampered with the method of collecting the monthly overboard produced water discharge samples to be tested for oil and grease based on its NPDES permit.  They were also fined for other various EHS violations related to offshore operations.

Although good environmental data management and a comprehensive Safety and Environmental Compliance Plan can’t entirely prevent humans from making errors, it can provide the structure and tools to ensure that companies are following environmental requirements.  It also provides visible mechanisms to track compliance and identify corrective actions. The fact that the findings from the U.S. Attorney’s office required the company to follow a Safety and Environmental Compliance Plan strongly suggests they did not have one in place at all.

Cases like this are a good reminder that companies can’t expect to stay in compliance with the myriad of regulations and requirements without a solid environmental plan, and the right tools to make that plan work.

If your organization is ready for a better compliance management system, here is a good place to start:

  • Step 1:  Know and document what rules and regulations you must follow— this is the hard part.
  • Step 2:  Get requirements into a shareable environmental compliance software system. And when you’re offshore, the best solution is in arguably a cloud software system, so that employees and stakeholders in any location can monitor and track real-time performance. And don’t forget to make sure the solution you choose can provide updates and alerts when relevant regulations change.
  • Step 3:  Trust, but verify— have the checks and audits set up and performed regularly, to find issues before the regulatory agencies find them.
  • Step 4:  Log in and view your status, issues, audits, findings and key metrics.

Once you put a well-thought-out plan in action, you will be amazed at how much easier it is to manage your environmental compliance— on or offshore.

Locus Technologies’ Relationship with Chevron Environmental Management Company (CEMC) Renewed

Locus EIM SaaS Named as Preferred Solution for Environmental Data Management

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., 10 February 2015 — Locus Technologies, a leader in environmental and EH&S compliance enterprise and sustainability software, today announced that Chevron Environmental Management Company (CEMC), a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies, has extended its relationship with the company to include contract renewal as well as distinguishing Locus’ award-winning Environmental Information Management (EIM) solution as the system of record for managing environmental-based analytical lab and field data.

Chevron selected Locus EIM system as its preferred solution after a year-long competitive bidding process that included rigorous proof of concept testing, vendor capability analysis, and usability testing. Locus EIM will provide a scalable SaaS system for sustainable management of environmental analytical lab and field data. Locus EIM will support Chevron’s EMC’s standardized processes to improve environmental data quality, accessibility, and reporting.

“Locus has supported Chevron with our flagship EIM software since 2003,” said Neno Duplan, CEO and president of Locus Technologies. “Corporations today want to invest into one environmental and sustainability solution that offers scalability, system flexibility, and user friendliness, while at the same time, achieve operational cost reductions and improve their environmental stewardship. Many Fortune 500 companies who need a comprehensive solution designed for sustainability, compliance and reporting rely upon our Locus EIM SaaS solution. We are pleased that Chevron selected EIM as a system of record for their environmental data and information management.”

 

ABOUT LOCUS EIM
The Locus EIM SaaS offers enterprise environmental information management for analytical data for water quality, chemicals, radionuclides, geology and hydrogeology. EIM provides the whole solution and supports workflow from sample planning, collection, analysis, data validation, visualization and reporting. Locus Mobile is fully integrated with EIM and provides for real time field data collection and synchronization with EIM.

 Natural Gas Usage Up with Leaky Consequences

Environment challenge: Use a cleaner resource without environmental impact.  The reality, even good environmental intentions produce by-products and/or have risk than need to be monitored. Check out this insightful article about natural gas.

Fact: Natural gas now produces 27 percent of the electricity generated in the United States, and the percentage is rising. Natural gas is cleaner than coal and at a lower price point.  But as with all energy producing resources, there is an enemy and in this case, the arch enemy is methane. What is worse, it is leaky. The New Times Editor, John Schwartz, digs in deep of the issues, long term implications, political policies, and environmental impact of natural gas.

Hydrofracking Wastewater Treatment Market to Triple

Hydrofracking wastewater treatment market to triple

The U.S. market for treating produced water and flowback water generated during the process of hydrologic fracturing, or “fracking,” in oil and gas production will increase substantially from $138 million in 2014 to $357 million in 2020, according to a recent report by Bluefield Research (Boston, MA).

The report finds that, overall, the U.S. oil and gas industry will spend $6.38 billion in 2014 on water management, including water supply, transport, storage, treatment, and disposal. The transport and disposal components will account for 66% of the total costs, while treatment will only constitute 2% of that expenditure this year, but treatment will gain as the industry requires more reuse of its wastewater. The “fracking” industry has been a kind of “wild west” for the U.S. water industry, according to Bluefield analyst Reese Tisdale, because of the explosive build-out of fracking wells, the lack of clear regulation of water management in key markets, and the absence to date of a consistent method for treating the wastewater.