Methane Leak Detection with Colby Forrester & Tommy Parker

September 5, 2024

In this episode of the Energy Pipeline Podcast, KC Yost interviews Colby Forrester and Tommy Parker from M5 Incorporated about leak and emission management in the energy industry. They discuss the background of M5 Incorporated and their focus on supplying high-performing, low-emission products to the energy industry. The conversation highlights the evolution of technology in the industry and the efforts being made to improve leak and emission management. They also discuss API 641, a specification for valves to ensure emission control, and the Delta V seal, a metal-on-metal gasket that provides a complete seal and reduces damage to flanges. The episode concludes with a discussion on the industry’s efforts to improve emissions management and the importance of being proactive in addressing regulatory requirements.

 

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Methane Leak Detection with Colby Forrester & Tommy Parker - Ep 62 - Transcript

00:00:00 Speaker 1
This episode of the Energy Pipeline is sponsored by Caterpillar Oil and Gas. Since the 1930s, Caterpillar has manufactured engines for drilling, production, well service, and gas compression. With more than 2,100 dealer locations worldwide, Caterpillar offers customers a dedicated support team to assist with their premier power solutions.

00:00:28 Speaker 2
Welcome to the Energy Pipeline Podcast with your host, KC Yost. Tune in each week to learn more about industry issues, tools, and resources to streamline and modernize the future of the industry. Whether you work in oil and gas or bring a unique perspective, this podcast is your knowledge transfer hub. Welcome to the Energy Pipeline.

00:00:53 KC Yost
Hello, everyone, and welcome to this episode of the Energy Pipeline Podcast. Today, we'll be discussing leak and emission management in the energy industry. Our guests are Colby Forrester, president, and Tommy Parker, vice president of M5 Incorporated. Welcome to the Energy Pipeline Podcast, guys.

00:01:11 Colby Forrester
Hey, KC, glad to be with you and we're really excited to be a part of it with you here today.

00:01:17 KC Yost
Super deal. You guys are up in Oklahoma somewhere, aren't you?

00:01:21 Colby Forrester
Oklahoma City. Yes, sir.

00:01:23 KC Yost
Sweet, sweet. Shout out to the Oklahoma Pipeline Association. I had them on the podcast a couple of months ago. Good group of guys. Good group of guys.

00:01:32 Colby Forrester
Our good friend, Larry Compton.

00:01:35 KC Yost
There you go. There you go. Super. Super. So, before we get started talking about how to control hydrocarbon leaks and emissions, let's take a few minutes to share your background with our listeners, if you would please. So, Colby, go ahead and start, please. Tell us about yourself.

00:01:53 Colby Forrester
Absolutely. Thank you. I'm Colby Forrester, actually born and raised in the Texas Panhandle. Been in Oklahoma for about 25 years, been in the PVF and oil field supply business for around 25 years. Spent about three or four years in construction and a year in product manufacturing. So, really specialize in piping materials, piping supplies, and service to the oil and gas industry.

00:02:23 KC Yost
Cool. Super, super. Tommy, tell us about yourself.

00:02:27 Tommy Parker
Yeah, Colby and I have known each other for quite some time. Worked together, company Red Man Pipe and Supply that we took public back in the day. And when we got that done, I went on the other side of the table and went to work for the oil companies and in a purchasing capacity and a directorship. And during that time, I got my Blaine Six Sigma Black Belt during that time. And we've been applying a lot of that strategy and trying to work towards solutions in these new emerging markets. So, my career has evolved time and time again. And when Colby and I got to put our synergies together, we were very excited to do that. We're having a blast right now doing what we're doing.

00:03:18 KC Yost
Super, super. Well, what do they say? If you're enjoying what you're doing, you're not working a day in your life.

00:03:28 Tommy Parker
That's right.

00:03:28 Colby Forrester
That's right. That's right.

00:03:28 KC Yost
There you go. I aspire to get there. No, I got to tell you, I started this podcast at 70 and I'm just finding it fascinating. What a great new career to be introduced to. So, anyway, glad you guys are having fun. You guys work for M5 Incorporated, so how about an elevator speech on M5?

00:03:55 Colby Forrester
Yeah, appreciate it. So, M5 is a representative and a wholesale distributor of critical products to the energy industry. We've taken a little different direction from their history by focusing on some key quality industry high-performing products that, actually, really right now everybody's focused on emissions. So, we supply GWC pipeline valves that are low emission. BelGas is a big part of our portfolio that does control valves, regulators, flame management materials. So, we've got a good product mix there. We have the exclusive distributorship of a zero-emission gasket for flange joints. We've been in a lot of different projects with EPA and the DOE that we've been working through to get awareness to the gasket and help producers understand the benefits there. So, M5 is really a manufacturer's rep of those core products, helping distributors have the products on the shelf they need for the end users, helping present and provide technical support to those end users on those products.

00:05:12 KC Yost
Good, good. We made it to the sixth floor in the elevator and perfect timing. Excellent. Well done, well done, well done. So, we've talked before, and Tommy, I think you and I are about the same age, started in the mid-'70s and all this kind of stuff. And as I talk about with safety, back in the day when you had a major project, you actually calculated how many deaths you were expecting on a civil engineering project based on the cost of the project. And now you see where we are with OSHA regs and recordables and all of that kind of thing. We've come light years ahead. I see the same thing happening with emissions. Back in the '70s, we were using asbestos gaskets. And sure, we'd have a blowdown, but we were more concerned about the price of the gas in the blowdown or the price of the liquid in the blowdown than we were about contaminating the environment. It was basically we need to save this natural gas because it's going to cost us $10,000 in product instead of it's blowing to the atmosphere and it's going to cause all of these kinds of problems, right?

00:06:42 Tommy Parker
Right.

00:06:43 KC Yost
So, my point is that we've come light years ahead with that as well. And there have been a lot of government pressures on leak and emission management that have actually, frankly, just as in safety, made us better at what we're doing when it comes to leaks and emission. Oh, let me throw this out. Tommy, you remember this. How do you take care of natural gas leaks at a meter station or in a meter building? How do you take care of the natural gas leaks? You put up a no smoking sign.

00:07:21 Colby Forrester
Exactly. I was fixing to say that's how you protect people, don't have an ignition source, right?

00:07:30 KC Yost
Exactly. Exactly. Everyone learns on the first day, 5% to 15% is the explosive limit. And by God, you walk into one of those buildings back in the early or mid-'70s and you smelled those mercaptans, you knew it was there.

00:07:46 Tommy Parker
You knew it. That came from Colby's hometown.

00:07:51 Colby Forrester
That's what I was going to say. Drop through border near that refinery and you're going to smell it just driving through the town.

00:07:56 KC Yost
Well, there you go. So, the idea is that then the solution was putting up a no smoking sign. Today, we're smarter. We're more intelligent. We recognize the hazards of escaping hydrocarbons. Okay. So, with all that being said, we've got all these governmental pressures on leak and emission management. Share to us some about LDAR and all of that kind of stuff. Okay?

00:08:28 Colby Forrester
If I could say something first.

00:08:30 Tommy Parker
Yeah, go ahead.

00:08:31 Colby Forrester
KC, what I'd say is Tom is going to go over what the whole industry's facing. I just wanted to share a little bit. The evolution in technology in our industry is exciting and we're seeing a lot of great things happening. One of the issues that we're significantly concerned about as is our governmental representatives that understand energy, understand the carbon production thing, understand how critical carbon production fossil fuels are to everything we do, we've been really working with them to try to get some of those pressures off. And that's been in the form of working with our senators. We've got a great set of senators and reps from both states we represent, Texas and Oklahoma. We've been up to meet with those guys, and the term that keeps getting thrown around is governmental overreach. So, while our hard working on the gas industry is working to provide energy, power, products, everything that comes from the byproducts of that, there's been a lot of demonization taking place in the last three to four years, particularly, if not longer than that. So, what we're doing, and Tommy's going to share, we're really trying to get up to speed on all the forthcoming regulatory environment and what's going to be hitting them so that we can help with products and services that, hopefully, provide these producers with a cost-effective solution that doesn't damage their plans for energy production. So, with that, I'll turn it over to Tom.

00:10:01 Tommy Parker
Yeah. And KC, the things that you brought up, Colby and I, the deeper we get into the products that we're getting into and representing, told Colby one day, I said, "Colby, I've been around long enough, this is where John Wayne meets Luke Skywalker." Okay? That's the range we're working within right now. The thing that I have noticed, and you hit it right on cord with the way it used to be, but I think the oil and gas people coming up are being very responsible with what they're trying to get done, and I don't think people understand just exactly to the extent that they're going to bring it. But the deeper dives that we do on what we're learning and the products that we're going to represent, this can be achieved, this can be done. It can be done right, and it can reach across both sides of the table of people that agree and disagree. It's the responsible thing to do. And that's the thing that I'm really enjoying about this. I've got three 15-year-old granddaughters and an eight-year-old granddaughter, and I think we're doing something responsible, wonderful and better for the whole world and everything. So, Colby and I have had a unique experience of working upstream, midstream, downstream, offshore fabrication. We have been through all the ups and downs and ins and outs of a lot of things, but one thing that remains steady is how we address emissions and how we address the pollution and everything else. And what we're finding is there's some easy fixes out there and there are some things that just need to move forward. Of course, if you want to break it down on what's going on in the industry right now, as far as emissions go, it's all about the methane emissions reductions that we're trying to get to, the VOCs, the volatile organic compounds, monitoring and reporting, and then finally the new equipment that's coming in to play. But that's where Colby and I are really developing this equipment, BelGas and we represent. There's been one standard player in that industry for years, but this is a competition to them and they're bringing products. And the thing that I have noticed is that when I was building all my tank batteries in the Bakken when I was with my last oil company, I had to ask people, "Are you a participant in my group or are you going to be part of my crew to make me win, my pit crew?" And so, we're seeing flexible companies that have been so rigid in the past, with new products coming in, they're beginning to understand what we can do in M5. And we're seeing that every day.

00:13:20 Colby Forrester
And one of the real key things that we're keeping track of is this LDAR, the leak detection and repair report that the EPA puts out. And so, in that, you're getting data, a lot of data as far as where they're calculating leaks and emissions coming from. We've identified several products, the gasket being important because they think anywhere from 25% to 33% of emissions are coming from the flange joints where flanges connect about-

00:13:50 KC Yost
Really? That much? That much?

00:13:52 Colby Forrester
And if you think about it, where the flange joints meet, it may only be that amount. Say it's at a minimum number, 25%, but when you think about the leak paths in a production facility, leak paths are huge. You get into refinery, it scales really quick. So, the flange joints are a critical place, making sure you get a good seal. They call this Pipeotech's zero-emission because of the technology. And then, from there, you start breaking down some of the equipment, vented control valves, thief hatches, which has been a contention for a long time and hard to find improvements for. So, in the programs we're working on, we're trying to identify where we can help end users fix those because... we were with a major pipeline company last week and there's regulatory requirements coming down the highway pretty fast at them, and everybody's trying to figure out how to address it and what to do to get out in front of it.

00:14:57 KC Yost
Well, I'm convinced that our industry just wants to be more responsible nowadays, whether we're talking about safety or talking about environmental and building a pipeline across someplace or worrying about emissions and that type of thing. I don't want to say that we didn't know any better back then, but we had a different set of priorities at the time that threw us off. Now, we're older and wiser and moving in that direction. So, my thought is if we can do this and do it cost effectively, why not do it? So, you introduce products that are reasonably priced, but have this benefit over here, then it makes perfect sense to the industry to go ahead and jump into that, right?

00:15:55 Tommy Parker
Totally.

00:15:55 Colby Forrester
KC, you're exactly right. And I think there's a couple of things additionally in play there that, historically, you think of a well site being 25, 30 miles outside of town or out in the middle of nowhere, right?

00:16:08 KC Yost
Sure, sure.

00:16:08 Colby Forrester
But as population growth has happened, and I think as the Barnett Shale showed us, there could be really important energy right below a major city. So, that's been part of the drive. If you go to Denver and several areas where there's a lot of production right around the city, you'll see caution being taken to build the walls around it and provide safety for the local community. And so, that's really important.

00:16:33 KC Yost
Yeah. So, I did do some pipeline work up in Fort Worth trying to get some of that gas out, so I know what you're talking about. But I've also worked in Pecos where there isn't anything around. You drive for 180 miles and you don't see another soul, but I get your points on. So, let's talk about where leaks occur primarily. Where are leaks occurring? Start at the big end of the funnel and work your way down.

00:17:09 Colby Forrester
Well, so obviously, from the well head out, you start at the production facility, which we're estimating anywhere from a couple of metric tons at some older facilities as the pressures dropped to big relative numbers that scale up based upon the head pressures and the amount of liquids and emission vapors that are available on there. So, production facility is where we're really focused right now because of the products and the technology we have. As you stem out to pipelines, we don't see it as much in buried pipelines and that kind of thing that people are tracking, particularly the EPA. But at the gas compression, gas facilities, processing plants, all those locations definitely have high pressure gas and ability to emit.

00:17:59 KC Yost
Every town border station, every delivery point.

00:18:03 Colby Forrester
That's right.

00:18:04 Tommy Parker
Exactly.

00:18:04 KC Yost
Been there, know what you're talking about.

00:18:07 Colby Forrester
Right. And then, you get into all the processing facilities like refineries, chem plants, nutrient... chemical plants, fertilizer plants. Ammonia is a huge point of concern. We're addressing everything from ammonia to methane emissions. So, anything that's harmful when gas releases or anything that could be harmful to the environment or community is really all kind of lumped, some in, not in our particular attack, but at least in our emissions statement.

00:18:41 KC Yost
So, you're not talking about just hydrocarbons, you're talking about industrial gases and that type of thing, and heavies and lights and refined products and all of that kind of thing. So-

00:18:54 Tommy Parker
Yeah. Hey, KC-

00:18:56 KC Yost
There are... Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Sorry, Tom.

00:18:59 Tommy Parker
Let me get a footnote on that. When Colby and I came over to this side of the table and put our synergies together, we were originally looking at all the new emerging hydrogen markets and all the different colors of hydrogen and how they fit into the play and how it fits into blending and everything else. And that gasket is going to have a very good start with that. Colby's been working with these people for several years now, and that gasket is... from the get-go, that gasket will be in play at most of those facilities. The technology that we're replacing, the spiral wound gaskets, that technology's from 1912, believe it or not.

00:19:53 KC Yost
Well, but we went to spiral wound in the late-'70s as a big step up from the asbestos.

00:20:00 Colby Forrester
Yeah, from the asbestos-

00:20:04 KC Yost
That was big, big technology.

00:20:08 Tommy Parker
Yeah, it touches on what you were saying. And so, that's the range we're talking about. So, it's a dramatic improvement. It really is.

00:20:19 KC Yost
Yeah. Good, good. So, let's talk about efforts to improve. What's the industry doing? So, the federal government and the state governments are going to require us to do this, that and the other and all of that kind of stuff. But at the end of the day, what's the industry doing to improve emissions management?

00:20:46 Colby Forrester
That's a great question. I think most companies are working on the cost evaluations of solutions and trying to figure out a holistic approach. We'll say this, our time's spent in what the regulatory environment's becoming. They started out trying to give incentives to companies to do the improvement to help fund some of this because this is something that I don't think anybody, budgetarily-wise, finance-wise or whatever, really considered as you're building the facilities. But they quickly took a leap from incentives to funds. So now, EPA and you've got these folks flying these thermal imaging drones that are taking shots of the emissions just like blowing through a turnpike. You get fine in the mail and you pay it and roll on. You don't have much contest there. So, I think the industry, as a whole, is putting different teams together. We've seen a lot of proactiveness from our end users trying to address and figure out how to really approach it. One thing I can say that I'm really excited about is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Department of Energy along with the EPA and the fossil carbon production teams have put together a grant we're working through right now that is focused on the smaller guys that don't have the leverage to create these solutions for themselves. And I think what that program will help do is set the stage, give good data on the products they're actually failing and creating the problems, and then be a good blueprint for the bigger guys going forward and be able to do it on a much larger scale. So, what the industry's doing, I think, is working in coordination with the regulatory committees and regulatory agencies on what they see the requirements are and the goals. And I think there's some real legitimate targets that they're trying to hit that'll be beneficial for the entire country.

00:22:56 KC Yost
Cool, cool. So, what's API 641?

00:23:01 Colby Forrester
So, that was an initial spec that came out on particularly valves to make sure that on the test, they were meeting certain requirements there, and there was some early leaders on that. There's some Oklahoma-based manufacturers that jumped out on that and really led the industry because of the quality of their designs and the quality of their sealing. Since I think there's been a catch-up of other valve types, I think realistically now that the spec has been pushed out, everyone's really following ISO on that now from what most of the valve manufacturers have told me. But it was a good starting point to give stricter or stronger restrictions on testing to make sure of emission control and leak control.

00:23:53 KC Yost
So, I've been in the industry now 48 years plus, and I find that once you put something on paper, it's much easier to edit and improve than it is to just have a white plain sheet of paper. So, hats off to the first attempt with this 641 from API. So, good for them. Good for them.

00:24:23 Colby Forrester
Yeah, I agree. I think that speaks to the quality manufacturers in our industry. When you look at these guys, technology and performance has long been an important factor and critical function in design, some of these things. And I think it's a tribute to the oil and gas industry that the innovation that takes place once you really get into it and see is pretty impressive and really exciting if you work in it.

00:24:53 KC Yost
Good, good. So, we're actually getting to the point where we're having emission standards in the industry being developed. Okay? Excellent. You guys-

00:25:05 Tommy Parker
And evolving.

00:25:06 KC Yost
And evolving. And evolving. All right. Very good, very good.

00:25:11 Colby Forrester
I think it's leading by regulation, but standards and regulations being the same thing.

00:25:17 KC Yost
Well, at some point in time you get the minimum standards like 192 and 195 are the minimum standards. And if someone wants to step up and design a little bit higher spec, 0. 5 design factor for all their pipelines, that's their prerogative. At the end of the day, it's about, what was it, someone told me years ago? I know who it was. It was my freshman engineering teacher. He said, an engineer... No serious. He said, an engineer is someone that could do something for a dollar that anyone can do for $1.50.

00:26:01 Colby Forrester
Right.

00:26:01 KC Yost
And I kind of like that. And that's what we're talking about here, economies of scale and helping out the little guy with these grants to come up with these solutions so that the industry over time develops these pretty solid standards and improves on the standards, like Tommy's talking about, and get to the point where we're in pretty good shape. So, kudos, kudos, kudos. So, you mentioned the flange a couple of times and I want to talk about this. It's called a DeltaV-Seal, right? DeltaV-Seal?

00:26:40 Colby Forrester
Right.

00:26:41 KC Yost
It's basically metal on metal.

00:26:44 Colby Forrester
That's right.

00:26:45 KC Yost
Correct? Metal on metal.

00:26:45 Colby Forrester
Yeah, it's a piece of metal with three sealing rings on it up to a certain pressure rating. Then they add more. A lot of quality benefits in it. Number one, it's a one-piece gasket. You don't have to worry about it coming unwound. Two, the industry, it's a huge saver because if you've got a stainless steel piping system, you use a stainless steel. If it's carbon, you use carbon, and it's a metal-to-metal type seal that folks have used in valve technology and that kind of thing. But the really great thing about it is that when you bolt it into place, it provides a complete seal throughout your piping system because the ridges on the gasket actually meld into the flange and bend in. Because it creates that type of seal, you don't have to send a maintenance crew out to double check because of vibration or settling that the bolts can come loose. It reduces a lot of damage in transportation. And because it's a piece of metal, a lot of these end users are tracking, they want full traceability. So, you can get a MTR with it and have full traceability of the gasket going in your system. So, a lot of really key advantages to it.

00:27:59 KC Yost
So, one of the... And again, Tommy and I are about the same age. Colby, you at 60 years old are the young guy here, or whatever age you are. But metal on metal was something that I recall avoiding because of the plastic deformation of the product and the metal that it's touching. I worked for a company where we did sleeve-overs and we plastically deformed the pipe into the sleeve where it stayed in elastic deformation, but at the end of the day... and it had metal-to-metal much like the teeth, if you will, that you have on this. But at the end of the day, we knew, the client knew that the only way to get this sucker off and out of there is to cut the pipe off and cut the flange off. So, question, as an old guy looking at this, what is the damage to the mating flanges with this? And is it easy to replace these gaskets if you need to do that? I'm sure you've had this question ask you a hundred times. So, this is my first time asking.

00:29:26 Colby Forrester
Yeah, that's a great question asked all the time. Does zero damage to the raised face or flat face, whatever, surface you're bolting it into, because what the ridges are going to do are fold in as you compress. The neat thing is, is that because of the pliability of the ridges, if there's an imperfection or impurity of that flange face, it will actually help seal any impurities within reason. But the design of it is meant to fold into the flange. We've talked about this a lot, you have to follow the standard torquing guidelines to torque it correctly. But one of the benefits is you can't overtorque this gasket. Now, we say that lightly because we don't want to see redneck games with bulldozers and everything. Put a big pipe ridge on it.

00:30:22 KC Yost
Hold my beer and watch this.

00:30:24 Colby Forrester
Watch this. But you'll break the flange and bust the valves before you'll break the ridges on the gasket.

00:30:32 KC Yost
Got you. Got you. So, basically, when you're using this, it's a softer metal, so it's a WPB, if you will, in strength.

00:30:43 Colby Forrester
That's right.

00:30:43 KC Yost
So, you need to make sure that you're using a WPHY 42 or 50 or 60, or whatever the case may be, flange to made up for it so that the flange material is harder than the gasket material.

00:31:01 Colby Forrester
That's right.

00:31:02 Tommy Parker
That's right.

00:31:02 Colby Forrester
That's right. And so-

00:31:03 KC Yost
Makes perfect sense. Makes perfect sense.

00:31:04 Colby Forrester
What's really great about it, KC, is when the engineers put this together, you got to think about an engineer in a department getting what they want through supply chain, purchasing, distribution, delivery, construction guy in the field, inspector. There's a lot of people involved with making sure the right thing goes into service. Well, now, it takes a lot of the skew counts down because you just match that material to the piping system and it's a whole lot easier, whole lot less chance for misapplication of products.

00:31:40 KC Yost
Sure. Now, you would have to make sure that it is of the right yield strength in order to withstand the pressure. So, that would be the standard hoop stress calculation, I guess, with that, right?

00:31:59 Colby Forrester
That's right.

00:32:00 KC Yost
Okay, makes perfect sense. Well, good. I'm glad we got into that because I was really interested in it. Again, I used asbestos gaskets, asbestos gaskets, and asbestos gaskets, replaced them all the time. So, it's good to see that something's come along. That's pretty cool. So, anyway, we've talked a lot. I've enjoyed the conversation. We're running out of time. Just want to check and see if there's anything you guys want to add in the next couple of minutes to wrap things up.

00:32:33 Colby Forrester
Yeah, no, we're just very appreciative of the time, KC. We're working hard to continue and get awareness out there on some products. We appreciate you guys giving us a chance to talk about a really important topic in today's marketplace, and we welcome anybody needing help. We've got some really strong engineers on our staff that's had a lot of experience building tank batteries, building pipelines, building... processing plants. So, we've got the technical support behind us to make sure we're getting things in the right application. So, any need anybody has, we sure welcome that. And we appreciate you giving us a chance to highlight what we're doing to help out there.

00:33:12 Tommy Parker
Yeah, and KC, the only thing I have is that we've been on a road show like Thelma and Louise for the last year, and we've been all over the country. And the thing that-

00:33:26 KC Yost
By the way, just for the listeners that aren't seeing the video, these guys look nothing like Thelma and Louise. Okay, go ahead. Just to be clear. All right.

00:33:35 Tommy Parker
Maybe not big man on the road, but it's amazing how the message is just now coming around and some people... they don't know where they're at in the process of getting their things addressed. But one thing that we did pull out of the Petroleum Alliance here in Oklahoma City, which is a great, great meeting group, but if I leave you with a yardstick to measure where you're at, the government is wanting to encourage people to start making these changes with pneumatics and all the gaskets and everything else. They're in encouraging mode, then they're going to go to the education mode and then they're going to go to the enforcement mode. So, encourage, educate, enforce, figure out where you're at in that process because it's coming and it's not going to go away. And both sides of the aisle agree on this one thing only and it's going to stay that way. That's the reason Colby's been in D. C. working all the issues with everybody up there, and it's amazing to hear what he's coming back with. I work with delegations as well as Colby does, Texas people. And this isn't going to go away, and it's responsible. It's a good thing. And so, I think that if you want to measure where you're at, the three E's, that's what you do.

00:35:01 KC Yost
Yeah, yeah, well said. Well said, guys. I would tell you that anytime a new product or procedure has come out in the pipeline industry, my life, it's always been like a hockey stick. Starts off real slow and then takes off. We can talk about FBE coatings, we can talk about clock spring, we can talk about a whole lot of subjects, and this is another one of those things where the federal government isn't going to say, "Yes, that's good." What they'll do is say, "Use sound engineering judgment." That's what they've said for the last 50 years. And I've learned a lot from a lot of the DOT and PHMSA guys over the years. But use sound engineering judgment to take care of a problem, and you'll see that hockey stick where it starts off really slow, but then it takes off like a rocket and becomes the industry standard overnight after years of fighting the battle. So, anyway, very good. So, thanks, guys. Thanks very much--

00:36:17 Colby Forrester
Appreciate it. Thanks.

00:36:18 KC Yost
...for doing this podcast. Really appreciate it.

00:36:20 Colby Forrester
Absolutely.

00:36:22 KC Yost
Yeah. So, if anyone would like to find out more information about M5 Incorporated, you can find them on the web at m5incorporated.com. That's the letter M, the number five incorporated. com. Thanks to all of you for tuning into this episode of the Energy Pipeline Podcast, sponsored by our good friends at Caterpillar Oil and Gas. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas for podcast topics, feel free to email me at kc.yost@oggn.com. I also want to thank my producer, Anastasia Willison-Duff, and everyone at the Oil and Gas Global Network for making this podcast possible. Find out more about OGGN Podcast at oggn.com. This is KC Yost saying goodbye for now. Have a great week. Keep that energy flowing through the pipeline.

00:37:12 Speaker 6
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KC Yost

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KC Yost, Jr is a third generation pipeliner with 48 years of experience in the energy industry.  Since receiving his BS in Civil Engineering from West Virginia University, KC earned his MBA from the University of Houston in 1983 and became a Licensed Professional Engineer in 27 states. He has served on the Board of Directors and on various Associate Member committees for the Southern Gas Association; is a past president and director of the Houston Pipeliners Association; and was named the Pipeliners Association of Houston “Pipeliner of the Year” in 2002. KC is an expert regarding pipeline and facility design, construction, and inspection; has spoken before federal, state, and local boards and numerous industry forums around the world; and has published articles on these same subjects.