Talk with SCS Engineers experts about your solid waste management needs at BOOTH 203 at SOAR 2024, SWANA’s premier technical conference that brings together industry professionals from all disciplines of the resource management community.
This year’s conference, “Technical Solutions for Resource Management” will take place April 15-18 at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Several SCS Engineers solid waste experts are presenting at this year’s conference, including:
“We’re Running Out of Space! Now What?” featuring Central Business Unit Director Anastasia Welch
“Regulatory Changes,” featuring Senior Project Advisor Alex Stege
“Regional Approach to Food Recovery,” with Senior Vice President Michelle Leonard
“Innovations in Waste-to-Value Approaches,” featuring Vice President Stacey Demers
“Quantifying the Impact of Recycling Contamination on Desired Materials,”SOAR brings together professionals and experts and offers technical education, networking events, and peer-to-peer learning. You’ll leave SOAR with actionable, fact-based solutions for all aspects of resource management to implement in your facilities. SOAR delivers practical solutions to solid waste’s most difficult challenges.
This technical conference connects experts and problem-solvers in industry-changing conversations about your most complex challenges.
Click for more conference details and registration information
We hope to see you there!
The Groundwater Protection Council is hosting is 2024 Underground Injection Control (UIC) Conference at the Sheraton Downtown Oklahoma City, February 26-28.
The sessions will explore the latest regulations, technologies, and best practices in underground injection control. The conference also offers in-depth technical workshops and many networking opportunities.
Click for more GPC 2024 UIC Conference details and registration information
Description: Class I UIC wells may be utilized to dispose fluid wastes within deep geologic units, such as depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs or saline aquifers. Class I UIC wells may be located in the vicinity of other injection wells associated with disposal and/or hydrocarbon production. Injecting fluids leads to mixing with, and displacement of, native fluids within the reservoir. Because water is relatively incompressible, the mixing and displacement of fluids leads to a buildup of pressure within the reservoir. The magnitude of this pressure buildup is dependent on several factors, including the porosity and permeability of the reservoir, the density and viscosity of both the previous and present day injectate and native fluids, and the thickness and lateral extent of the reservoir. Elevated reservoir pressures resulting from injection can allow fluids to migrate upwards through open or improperly plugged artificial penetrations and/or fractures of the reservoir or confining zones, either of which would endanger overlying aquifers. As a result, agencies require Class I UIC permit applications to include calculations or modeling to assess what pressure thresholds would lead to aquifer endangerment. Many of these calculations do not allow realistic predictions of pressure buildup or plume extent in situations where co-mingling of waste plumes may occur. In this presentation, we assess the utility of computational flow modeling for complex injection scenarios where co-mingling of waste plumes from neighboring operations might influence pressure buildup and overall plume extent.
Description: Class VI projects (involving underground injection control (UIC) wells for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide) can have a surprisingly large footprint in terms of lateral extent of pore space occupied by supercritical carbon dioxide as well as pressure increases in the injection zone. A limited amount of subsurface pore space is available in certain economically important sedimentary basins and there can be difficulties in finding unutilized pore space. Interactions among neighboring UIC projects can be an important consideration in the scoping and design of Class VI projects. Class VI project design has largely focused on examining the extent of the subsurface supercritical carbon dioxide plume and ensuring access to, and control over, the pore space physically occupied by the plume. Subsurface pore space is also influenced by the pressure buildup during injection. The existence of pressure buildup from neighboring injection projects can be an important limitation in efficiently utilizing pore space resources across multiple projects. In this study, we examine the factors that affect the injectability of a supercritical carbon dioxide stream in the vicinity of a preexisting Class I (liquid waste) UIC well. We consider the factors that influence the pressure distribution in the injection zone, such as the compressibility of water and supercritical carbon dioxide, the properties of the aquifer materials, and the geometry of the injection zone and injection wells. We conclude by summarizing the general factors that should be considered in project scoping and Area of Review delineation. Additional authors: Kacey Garber, SCS Engineers, and Lindsey Hawksworth, SCS Engineers.
We hope to see you there!
The Community Change Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), administered through the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR), has several unique characteristics to advance environmental and climate justice, many of which are responsive to feedback and input the agency has heard from communities. The NOFO will be open for a year, closing on November 21, 2024, and the EPA will review applications on a rolling basis. This allows applicants to utilize technical assistance and possibly resubmit a new application if not initially selected. EPA encourages applicants to apply as early as possible.
OEJECR will also host multiple informational webinars while the NOFO is open, with the first being held on December 7, 2023. These webinars will address questions, and some may facilitate the formation of partnerships and information sharing. More information on upcoming webinars can be found on EPA’s Inflation Reduction Act Community Change Grants Program webpage.
Community Change Grants will deliver 100 percent of the benefits of this program to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. This program also dedicates $200 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding to provide technical assistance to applicants and grant recipients, which will enhance the ability of disadvantaged communities to access resources for environmental and climate justice activities. The activities to be performed under the grants are expected to fall under the following categories:
Environmental engineers, consultants, and scientists at SCS devise and implement solutions for pollution, energy consumption and emissions reductions, land remediation, water/wastewater treatment, and waste management. For assistance with Community Change Grants, contact or visit SCS’s Brownfields and Voluntary Remediation site.
A Brief Regulatory History in California
On June 22, 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards for Crude Oil and Natural Gas Facilities (Oil and Gas Methane Regulation). On November 2, 2023, CARB proposed additional modifications for public review. The public comment period ends November 17, 2023.
The Oil and Gas Methane Regulation was originally adopted in 2017 to reduce emissions by requiring:
Then in 2018, this regulation was included in California’s State Implementation Plan (SIP) to address VOC control requirements from the US EPA’s 2016 Control Techniques Guidelines (CTG) for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. In 2022, the US EPA reviewed the SIP submittal and developed a list of deficiencies. Therefore, the Oil and Gas Methane Regulation was amended to address deficiencies and avoid sanctions under the Clean Air Act.
The Oil and Gas Methane Regulation was also amended so that CARB can use remote monitoring data from approved technologies to detect methane emission plumes and then mandate correction actions.
For example, it is anticipated that CARB will start receiving satellite data in late 2023. Once notified by CARB of a remotely detected methane plume, a facility will need to conduct inspections and repairs as well as submit reports as required by the amended regulation.
Finally, additional amendments were made to clarify the regulatory language based upon CARB’s experience with implementing the regulation over the past five years. Based on this summary in California, there is more movement in other states and not just for oil & gas facilities, but many more.
What to Expect in 2024 – Nationwide
The use of satellites and Carbon Mapper are game changers. Carbon Mapper is a nonprofit entity that started flying key mission sectors and not just landfills or waste management sites. They target energy production facilities, agriculture, particularly livestock coal, mining operations, and oil and gas facilities.
The purpose is to track strong methane emissions, obviously. But the kicker is that the data is free and open to the public in the form of a methane plume overlaid on a map. The imagery usually has estimated emissions rates. Many facility owners, managers, and businesses are not aware of these monitoring events, let alone the accessibility and transparency via the Internet to the public.
Our clients reach out to us knowing that SCS has a robust drone and monitoring program – we can fly the sites and locate leak sources in hours. By using drones, our clients could respond quickly and we could identify current limitations of satellite technology for them. The resolution at a satellites high altitude does not detect and localize leak sources, but remote monitoring and control does.
Many of our clients take a proactive approach now of reoccurring drone methane inspections. We can identify areas of concern before the site is flown by manned aircraft or capture by satellites, and mitigate any potential issues ahead of making headline news. The benefit for implementing long-term operational enhancements and efficiencies prevents odors, complaints, nuisance suits, and negative headlines.
There are complementary technologies that work together, satellites, planes, drones, robot-dogs, automated wellheads, and the traditional boots on the ground. The key is combining the ones that work together to provide a more holistic view of of what’s going on at your facility. That’s where the ROI is and provides a single source to combine all data elements – so no need to move back and forth between software systems.
Questions? Contact our professionals at for immediate assistance.
Additional GHG Emissions Resources
Carbon management often takes a holistic approach, combining one or more environmental solutions. The CO2 experts at SCS Engineers recommend looking at Graphyte’s hybrid technology approach for carbon casting, a new approach to carbon removal that leverages readily available biomass. The solution is backed and incubated by Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Here’s how it works…
Learn more about sustainable carbon management, carbon casting, carbon sequestration, and carbon reduction verification.
Visit SCS Engineers and speak with our expert, Jared Omernik, at our Booth at the MEUW/WECA Electric Operations Conference & Expo, January 10-12, in Wisconsin Dells.
Every year Municipal Electric Utilities of Wisconsin (MEUW) and Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) partner to hold the Electric Operations Conference & Expo. In collaboration with the Wisconsin Utility Suppliers Association (WUSA), the event features a large trade show with exhibitors showcasing the latest in utility-related products and services.
For more details, conference agenda, and registration information, click here
This informative day will include keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking, a catered lunch, and exhibitors. Attendees will benefit from a variety of themed breakout sessions providing education on composting related to the basics, home, farm, municipal, schools, and medium to large scale operations. The event will highlight how composting can benefit local communities, businesses, the environment, and improve climate resiliency.
SCS experts plan to attend – come find us and talk about your composting needs!
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SCS Engineers is participating in the University of Wisconsin at Madison’s Engineering Career Fair on February 13, 2024.
This event is a great opportunity for students to speak with a diverse array of employers, from corporations to nonprofits, about engineering and STEM careers.
SCS is an employee-owned, award-winning environmental engineering, consulting, and construction firm with offices nationwide. We are seeking a wide variety of dedicated, hard-working professionals with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) backgrounds.
SCS Engineers is participating in FAMU-FSU College of Engineering STEM Career and Internship Fair on January 23, 2024.
This event is a great opportunity for students to speak with SCS Engineers about a STEM career or internship.
SCS is an employee-owned, award-winning environmental engineering, consulting, and construction firm with offices nationwide. We are seeking a wide variety of dedicated, hard-working professionals with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) backgrounds.
SCS Engineers is participating in San Diego State University’s STEM Career and Internship Fair on February 22, 2024.
This event is a great opportunity for all students and alumni to connect with a diverse array of employers, from corporations to nonprofits, for internships, part-time, and full-time positions.
SCS is an employee-owned, award-winning environmental engineering, consulting, and construction firm with offices nationwide. We are seeking a wide variety of dedicated, hard-working professionals with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) backgrounds.
Students can register on Handshake.com
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