Pipeliners Podcast

Hosted by Russel Treat

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Episodes

458

Latest episode

Aug 2026

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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.

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60 recent

August 18, 2026Episode 45440 min

Episode 454: Real-Time Data Management with Geoff Daily and Aaron Knabb

On this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russell Treat talks with Geoff Daily and Aaron Knabb of Bifrost, the MetaSCADA division of Techneaux, about moving SCADA data reliably across the enterprise. The conversation covers why a simple pull from the historian often isn't enough, how Bifrost's naming and namespace tools address the "what do you actually have" problem across disparate systems, and what a pipeline operator should look for when evaluating a data integration partner. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

August 11, 2026Episode 45329 min

Episode 453: 811 Day with the Common Ground Alliance with Sarah Magruder Lyle

On 811 Day, Sarah Magruder Lyle, president and CEO of the Common Ground Alliance and executive director of the Damage Prevention Action Center, returns to the Pipeliners Podcast to discuss the state of underground damage prevention. She and host Russell Treat cover the newly released DIRT Report, the Damage Prevention Institute's accreditation results, a new decal partnership with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers, and plans for 811's 20th anniversary in 2027. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

August 4, 2026Episode 45230 min

Episode 452: New API RP 1193 addressing Pressure Cycling Management with Aaron Dinovitzer and Robert MacKenzie

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russel Treat is joined by Aaron Dinovitzer, an independent integrity management consultant, and Rob McKenzie, an engineering supervisor at Enbridge, to discuss the new API Recommended Practice on pressure cycling management. The conversation covers why the standard was developed, how operations and integrity management teams can use it to speak a common language, and practical strategies operators can apply to reduce fatigue damage on liquid and gas pipelines. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

July 28, 2026Episode 45138 min

Episode 451: Leak Detection is Not Just One Problem with Jerad Stack

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russell Treat talks with Jerad Stack, co-founder and CEO of Flowstate, about why "leak detection" means different things to different people in the pipeline industry. The conversation covers how Flowstate models pipeline behavior with physics-informed neural networks instead of traditional real-time transient or purely statistical models, and how that approach handles gathering systems, slack line, and the ongoing trade-off between sensitivity and reliability. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

July 21, 2026Episode 45029 min

Episode 450: How the Texas 811 Guardian Program is Improving Damage Prevention with Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing with Kyle VanLandingham

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, host Russel Treat talks with Kyle VanLandingham, Director of Business Development at Texas811, about the Guardian program. They discuss how distributed fiber optic sensing is being layered onto existing 811 infrastructure to catch excavation activity that happens without a call to 811, why that "no-ticket" digging drives a disproportionate share of underground damage, and what it takes to deploy and scale the technology across Texas. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

July 14, 2026Episode 44932 min

Episode 449: Updated API RP 1168 - Pipeline Control Room Management with Vickie Cain

Russel Treat talks with Vickie Cain, who chaired the American Petroleum Institute committee that led the update to API RP 1168, the recommended practice for pipeline control room management. Vickie, who spent about thirty years as a pipeline operator before moving into consulting, walks through what changed in the new edition, including point-to-point verification, control room applicability, director/supersede procedures, backup control room testing, and shift turnover, and explains why each change matters to operators. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

July 7, 2026Episode 44820 min

Episode 448: State of the Industry with Mark LaCour

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Mark LaCour, Director of ModalPoint and editor-in-chief of the Oil and Gas Global Network (OGGN), recorded live at the API Pipeline, Control Room and Cybernetics Conference. Mark, who delivered one of the event's keynotes, discusses shifting public perception of the oil and gas industry among Generation Alpha, the origins and growth of OGGN, and the long-term case for keeping the industry central to humanity's energy and space exploration future. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

June 30, 2026Episode 4479 min

Episode 447: Normalizing Excellence with Walter Nusbaum

In this episode of the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Walter Nusbaum, keynote speaker at the 2026 API Pipeline Conference, about his framework for pursuing excellence as a way of life. The conversation explores how unaddressed hazards and violations can gradually normalize failure, using real world examples ranging from the 1999 Texas A&M Bonfire collapse to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster to illustrate concepts like latent error and enabling conditions. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

June 23, 2026Episode 44630 min

Episode 446: In-situ Mechanical Testing with Mona Haggag

This week on the Pipeliners Podcast, Russel Treat talks with Mona Haggag about in-situ mechanical testing, a nondestructive technique used to determine the mechanical properties of pipe still in the ground. Mona, whose father pioneered the technology, walks through how the ball indentation method works, what it can and cannot tell an operator, and how the tool is being adapted for field use in high-stress and high-security environments. The conversation covers the history of the technology, practical field application, data security considerations, and where the technology is headed. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions to insider terms.

June 16, 2026Episode 44537 min

Episode 445: Anniversary of the Bellingham Incident with Larry Shelton

This episode of the Pipeliners Podcast commemorates the 27th anniversary of the tragic Olympic Pipeline rupture in Bellingham, Washington, which resulted in a catastrophic explosion and the loss of three young lives. Larry Shelton shares his insights from the incident and the conversation serves as a reminder of the responsibilities of those in the pipeline industry. On the 20-year anniversary of the Bellingham Incident in Bellingham, Washington, Pipeliners Podcast host Russel Treat welcomed retired pipeline professional Larry Shelton to share his first-hand recollections and reflect on the importance of pipeline integrity management. Visit PipelinePodcastNetwork.com for a full episode transcript and detailed show notes with relevant links and definitions for insider terms.