Pipeliners Podcast

Hosted by Russel Treat

Business EducationInterviews guests

Website RSS feed LinkedIn

Episodes

470

Latest episode

Nov 2026

Language

About the show

The Pipeliners Podcast is the source of industry information for pipeline professionals. This is a weekly podcast with new episodes released every Tuesday. Each week, host Russel Treat welcomes industry-leading experts and insightful guests to share their knowledge about specific pipeline topics in an informative, conversational setting. Each episode covers topics that include alarm management, compliance, control room management, cybersecurity, HMI and SCADA, inspection, integrity, leak detection, measurement, pipeline history, pipeline technology, regulatory issues, and more.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

November 10, 2026Episode 46641 min

Episode 466: SGA Natural Gas Association Emergency Management and Meritorious Service Honorees

Recorded at the 2026 SGA Operations Conference in Austin, this episode features four finalists for the SGA Chair's Rising Leader Award: Allison Satterfield of BHE GT&S, Jammal Davenport of TECO Peoples Gas, Ben Carlisle of Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, and Alex Sammet of Spire. Each shares how they found their way into the natural gas industry and the work behind their nomination, from supporting the SGA chair through a rebrand to lone worker safety, methane reduction, mentoring, and rebuilding landowner trust on an interstate pipeline project. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

November 3, 2026Episode 46534 min

Episode 465: SGA Natural Gas Association ESG Award Finalists

Russel Treat sits down at the 2026 SGA Operations Conference with finalists for the SGA Natural Gas Association's Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Award. Ron Dove of Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Halli Baumann of Williams and Matt Frackelton of Arcadis, and Chip Arnould of Delta Utilities explain how a legacy gas plant, an eroding creek crossing, and a first renewable natural gas interconnection each became projects that serve operations and the environment at the same time. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

October 27, 2026Episode 46438 min

Episode 464: PHMSA Regulatory Update and GPAC/LPAC Process with Brianne Kurdock and Lee Banse

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Brianne Kurdock and Lee Banse of Babst Calland provide a fall 2026 pipeline safety regulatory update. They explain how PHMSA rulemaking works, including the role of the Gas and Liquid Pipeline Advisory Committees, and review the 13 proposed rules considered at the July 30 joint committee meeting. The conversation also covers the pending repair criteria, LNG, and breakout tank rulemakings and how operators can monitor and participate in the process. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

October 20, 2026Episode 46328 min

Episode 463: PHMSA Incident Investigations with Tiffany Ziemer

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Tiffany Ziemer about how PHMSA approaches pipeline incident investigations. Tiffany is Director of Pipeline Safety and Regulatory Excellence at the SGA Natural Gas Association and a former PHMSA chief investigator. The conversation covers how PHMSA and the NTSB work alongside each other, why investigation reports take time, and how the industry might better learn from past incidents and standardize what it measures. Tiffany also shares her path from military police to federal service and what she plans to build for SGA members. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

October 13, 2026Episode 46236 min

Episode 462: NYSEARCH Pipeline R&D with Mark Gunsalus

In this episode, Russel Treat speaks with Mark Gunsalus of NYSEARCH about how a member-driven research consortium moves gas industry technology from raw idea to field deployment. The conversation covers how projects are born, funded, and shared across utilities, highlights several active projects in robotics, plastic pipe inspection, pipe location, and paving, and looks at where AI may realistically fit in utility operations. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

October 6, 2026Episode 46134 min

Episode 461: API 1192 - Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline with Mike Cloward

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat welcomes Mike Cloward of ExxonMobil, co-chair of the committee behind API RP 1192, the new recommended practice for the transportation of carbon dioxide by pipeline. The conversation covers why the industry developed the standard, what makes CO2 unique as a pipeline fluid, and how the recommended practice addresses integrity, fracture control, and emergency response. Mike also shares where the standard may go from here and advice for operators new to CO2 service. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

September 29, 2026Episode 46036 min

Episode 460: Leak Detection in Compressible Fluids with Jerad Stack

Jerad Stack of Flowstate returns to the Pipeliners Podcast to discuss what changes when computational leak detection moves from liquids to compressible fluids such as natural gas, CO2, and ethylene. Russel Treat and Jerad talk through why changes in line inventory make these systems harder to monitor, how physics and machine learning work together in the models, and what an operator should consider before piloting leak detection on a compressible system. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

September 22, 2026Episode 45937 min

Episode 459: Underground Methane Leak Detection with Kathleen Smits

In this episode, Russel Treat talks with Kathleen Smits of Southern Methodist University about how natural gas moves underground after a pipeline leak begins and why that matters for detection, quantification, and repair. The conversation covers how soil moisture, surface conditions, pressure, and gas composition shape what operators measure at the surface. Kathleen also discusses her research on evidence-based guidance for leak management and where that work is headed. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

September 15, 2026Episode 45836 min

Episode 458: Why Leak Detection is Now an Integration & Cybersecurity Challenge with Nick Dresang

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russell Treat talks with Nick Dresang, Director of Cybersecurity at Flow State, about how leak detection systems get their data and what that means for pipeline cybersecurity. They cover OT/IT integration across the Purdue Model, cloud deployment options, and the security tradeoffs operators face as more pipeline data moves off premises. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

September 8, 2026Episode 45738 min

Episode 457: The Impact of Electric Reconductoring on Pipeline Corrosion with Ashlin Bollacker and Frank Onesto

This week's episode of the Pipeliners Podcast looks at electric transmission reconductoring, the practice of upgrading power lines with higher-capacity conductors, and its growing impact on pipeline corrosion. Host Russel Treat is joined by Ashlin Bollacker, Director of Pipeline Safety at INGAA, and returning guest Frank Onesto, Pipeline Corrosion Engineer at Burns & McDonnell, to discuss how rising AC interference from grid upgrades threatens pipeline integrity and what operators can do to get ahead of it. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.