CCST Project
Critical Path Analysis of California's S&T Education System
COMPLETED: April 2002
COMPLETED: April 2002
Dec 20, 2017
Nov 1, 2017
Aug 29, 2016
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: January 2015
Nov 12, 2021
Apr 28, 2021
Jan 23, 2020
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: November 1999
MENU
Jan 7, 2022
Nov 12, 2021
Apr 28, 2021
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: June 2005
Nov 12, 2021
Apr 28, 2021
Jan 23, 2020
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: June 2005
The PIER IRP completed two reports, a preliminary report in March 2000 and a final report in March 2001. The evaluation included a review of the public value of the PIER program, including monetary and non-monetary benefits to public health and the environment of its programs in providing funds for technology development that would otherwise not be adequately funded. The preliminary and final PIER Independent Review Panel reports including recommendations provided guidance.
In 2002, Senate Bill 1038 required that the CEC convene a new independent review and critique of the PIER program. A collaborative effort between the CEC, PIER management and CCST created a new review team comprised of some members of the first review together with new members. The second PIER IRP examined PIER program planning and management practices, the context of California's state energy policies, administrative and organizational issues, research review processes and advisory committee functions. The final report was released in March 2005 and submitted to the Legislature and Governor. Included in the final report were recommendations for strengthening the PIER program and fulfilling its potential for being California's world class RD&D organization.
Carl J. Wienberg, Chair
Linda R. Cohen, Vice-Chair
Robert P. (Chris) Caren
T. Kenneth Fowler
Harold M. (Hub) Hubbard
Alan C. Lloyd
Johnetta MacCalla
William J. McLean
Peter M. Miller
Maxine L. Savitz
Jananne Sharpless
Esteban Soriano
Arnold M. Sowell, Jr.
James L. Sweeney
Irwin L. (Jack) White
Sandia National Laboratories
Miriam John is currently vice president of Sandia’s California Division. Prior to her current position, John served as the director of the Center for Exploratory Systems and Development and in a number of managerial and technical roles for the laboratory, including nuclear weapons development, systems analysis, and thermal analysis/fluid mechanics R&D. John received a B.S. in chemistry from Rice University, an M.S. in chemical engineering from Tulane University, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Princeton University. Concurrent with her Sandia assignments, John has been recruited for a number of defense community efforts. She is a member of the Department of Defense’s Threat Reduction Advisory Committee (for which she chairs the Nuclear Deterrent Transformation Panel), the National Research Council’s Naval Studies Board and Board on Army Science and Technology. She is a recent past member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board and DOE’s National Commission on Science and Security. She is a National Associate of the National Academies of Science and Engineering.
Electric Power Research Institute
Richard E. Balzhiser retired as president and chief executive officer of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) in August 1996. He remains active in a president emeritus role at EPRI in addition to serving on the boards of Reliant Energy, Aerospace, Electrosource, and Nexant. Balzhiser joined EPRI in 1973 at the time of its founding as director of the Fossil Fuel and Advanced Systems Division. He became vice president of Research and Development in 1979 and executive vice president in 1987 before assuming the presidency in 1988. Prior to joining EPRI, he served in the White House Office of Science and Technology as assistant director for Energy, Environment and National Resources, 1971-1973. He was professor of Chemical Engineering from 1960-70, except for 1967-68 when he served as a White House Fellow in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He was twice elected to serve on the Ann Arbor City Council. Balzhiser received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in chemical engineering and his M.S. in nuclear engineering from the University of Michigan and was an Academic All American on Michigan’s 1953 football team.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Michael R. Anastasio is the ninth director to lead Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) since it was founded in 1952. Anastasio received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. His career at Lawrence Livermore began in 1980 as a physicist in B- Division, one of the two nuclear weapons design physics divisions. Most recently, as deputy director for Strategic Operations, Anastasio played a key role in relationships with the University of California and the National Nuclear Security Administration. He is the recipient of the 1990 DOE Weapons Recognition of Excellence Award for technical leadership in nuclear design.
University of California, Davis
Lawrence B. Coleman is the University of California vice provost for Research and professor of Physics at the University of California, Davis. He served as chair of the University-wide Academic Senate in the 1999-2000 academic year following a year as vice chair of the University of California Senate. Arriving at Davis in 1976, he was promoted to associate professor in 1982. While at the University of California, Davis he has held the positions of chair, Davis Division of the Academic Senate, 1995-1997; director, The Internship and Career Center, 1988-1994; acting vice provost, Academic Programs and dean, Undergraduate Studies, 1991-1992; and acting associate vice chancellor, Academic Programs, 1990-1991. Lawrence Coleman received a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1975 in experimental condensed matter physics. He received a B.A. in physics from The Johns Hopkins University in 1970.
California Council on Science and Technology
Susan Hackwood is currently professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of California, Riverside and executive director of the California Council on Science and Technology. Hackwood received a Ph.D. in solid state ionics in 1979 from DeMontfort University, UK. Before joining academia, she was department head of Device Robotics Technology Research at AT&T Bell Labs. In 1984, she joined the University of California, Santa Barbara as professor of electrical and computer engineering and was founder and director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Robotic Systems in Microelectronics. In 1990, Hackwood became the founding dean of the Bourns College of Engineering at the University of California, Riverside.
NASA Ames Research Center
Scott Hubbard serves as director of the NASA’s Ames Research Center in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley. Prior to his appointment, Hubbard was the deputy director for Research at Ames. In March of 2000, Hubbard was called to NASA Headquarters, where he served as the first Mars program director and successfully restructured the entire Mars program in the wake of mission failures. Some of Hubbard’s previous key roles include Ames associate director for Astrobiology and Space Programs; first director of NASA’s Astrobiology Institute, and manager of the Lunar Prospector Mission. He is also credited with creating the Mars Pathfinder Mission. Prior to coming to Ames in 1987, Hubbard was vice president and general manager of Canberra Semiconductor and a staff scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Hubbard received a B.A. in physics and astronomy from Vanderbilt University and his graduate education in solid state and semiconductor physics at the University of California, Berkeley. He was awarded NASA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal, for his contributions to the Columbia accident investigation.
University of California, Santa Barbara
John P. McTague is currently professor of Materials for the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the past vice president, Laboratory Management at the University of California, Office of the President. A physical chemist, McTague received his undergraduate degree with honors in chemistry from Georgetown University in 1960 and his Ph.D. from Brown University in 1965. Brown also bestowed on him an honorary Sc.D. in 1997. McTague was founding co-chair of the Department of Energy National Laboratory Operations Board and a member of the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board from its inception in 1990 through 2000. In January 1999, he retired from Ford Motor Company, where he served more than 12 years, first as vice president of Research and then as vice president of Technical Affairs. Prior to 1986 McTague served as deputy director and acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and was acting science advisor to President Reagan. During the Bush administration he was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and U.S. Chair of the U.S.-Japan High Level Advisory Panel on Science and Technology.
Owens Valley Radio Observatory & Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy
Anneila Sargent is professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), director of Caltech’s Owens Valley Radio Observatory, and director of the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA). She received her B.Sc. with honors in physics from the University of Edinburgh, and her Ph.D. in astronomy from Caltech. Her career has been spent at Caltech where, following her Ph.D., she moved through the research faculty ranks to become a senior research associate in astronomy in 1990. She was named associate director of Owens Valley Radio Observatory in 1992 and director in 1996. She has been a professor of astronomy since 1998 and is now the first director of CARMA.
Professor Sargent was the California Institute of Technology’s 1988 “Woman of the Year.” She was awarded the NASA Public Service Medal in 1998 and named an associate of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2001. In 2002, she was University of Edinburgh Alumna of the Year, and was awarded the George Darwin Lectureship of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2003.
Sargent has served on a wide variety of national advisory committees, including the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on Astronomy & Astrophysics and the NSF’s Mathematical and Physical Sciences Advisory Committee.
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: June 2018
Nov 12, 2021
Jan 23, 2020
Oct 10, 2018
Aug 7, 2018
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: June 2018
CCST studies follow a process modeled after the National Academies study process with checks and balances at each stage. The report is a collaborative effort by a large number of experts serving in various capacities.
Defining the Study
Study Authors and Steering Committee (SC) Selection and Approval
Author and Steering Committee Meetings, Information Gathering, Deliberations, and Drafting the Study
Report Review
The report is a collaborative effort by a large number of experts serving in various capacities.
Professor Adam Brandt, the report's lead author, and Gregory Von Wald at Stanford University primarily researched and wrote the body of the report. In addition, professor Deepak Rajagopal and Austin Stanion at UCLA assisted in writing the economics sections of the report.
Adam Brandt, Stanford University - Lead Author
Gregory Von Wald, Stanford University
Deepak Rajagopal, UCLA
Austin Stanion, UCLA
The following institutions are subcontractors and are not responsible for the final content of the report, which rests with CCST and the Steering Committee:
Stanford University
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Click below to see a complete list of the authors who contributed to this project.
The steering committee oversees the report authors, reaches conclusions based on the findings of the authors and writes an executive summary.
Selection of appropriate committee members, individually and collectively, is essential for the success of a study. All committee members serve as individual experts, not as representatives of organizations or interest groups. Each member is expected to contribute to the project on the basis of his or her own expertise and good judgment. A committee is not finally approved until a thorough balance and conflict-of-interest discussion is held, and any issues raised in that discussion are investigated and addressed. Members of a committee are anonymous until this process is completed.
Careful steps are taken to convene committees that meet the following criteria:
Expertise
The committee must include experts with the specific expertise and experience needed to address the study's statement of task. A major strength of CCST is the ability to bring together recognized experts from diverse disciplines and backgrounds who might not otherwise collaborate. These diverse groups are encouraged to conceive new ways of thinking about a problem.
Perspectives
Having the right expertise is not sufficient for success. It is also essential to evaluate the overall composition of the committee in terms of different experiences and perspectives. The goal is to ensure that the relevant points of view are, in CCST's judgment, reasonably balanced so that the committee can carry out its charge objectively and credibly.
Screening
All provisional committee members are screened in writing and in a confidential group discussion about possible conflicts of interest. For this purpose, a "conflict of interest" means any financial or other interest which conflicts with the service of the individual because it could significantly impair the individual's objectivity or could create an unfair competitive advantage for any person or organization. The term "conflict of interest" means something more than individual bias. There must be an interest, ordinarily financial, that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. Except for those rare situations in which CCST determines that a conflict of interest is unavoidable and promptly and publicly discloses the conflict of interest, no individual can be appointed to serve (or continue to serve) on a committee used in the development of reports if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed.
Point of View
A point of view or bias is not necessarily a conflict of interest. Committee members are expected to have points of view, and CCST attempts to balance these points of view in a way deemed appropriate for the task. Committee members are asked to consider respectfully the viewpoints of other members, to reflect their own views rather than be a representative of any organization, and to base their scientific findings and conclusions on the evidence. Each committee member has the right to issue a dissenting opinion to the report if he or she disagrees with the consensus of the other members.
Considerations
Membership in CCST and previous involvement in CCST studies are taken into account in committee selection. The inclusion of women, minorities, and young professionals are additional considerations.
Specific steps in the committee selection and approval process are as follows:
Staff solicit an extensive number of suggestions for potential committee members from a wide range of sources, then recommend a slate of nominees. Nominees are reviewed and approved at several levels within CCST.
A provisional slate is then approved by CCST's Board. The provisional committee members complete background information and conflict-of-interest disclosure forms. The committee balance and conflict-of-interest discussion is held at the first committee meeting. Any conflicts of interest or issues of committee balance and expertise are investigated; changes to the committee are proposed and finalized.
CCST's Board formally approves the committee. Committee members continue to be screened for conflict of interest throughout the life of the committee.
Precourt Energy Efficiency Center
Dr. Sweeney is the CCST Council Chair, the director and founder of Stanford's Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, and professor of Management Science and Engineering. He is a senior fellow of the U.S. Association for Energy Economics, CCST, Hoover Institution, Precourt Institute for Energy, and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. At Stanford he has served as Director of the Energy Modeling Forum, Chairman of the Institute for Energy Studies, and Director of the Center for Economic Policy Research (now Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research). He is a member of the external Council Chair advisory council of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and of the California Energy Commission's Petroleum Market Advisory Committee. He was a founding member of the International Association for Energy Economics and has been a member of numerous National Research Council committees. Dr. Sweeney earned his bachelor's degree from MIT in electrical engineering and his Ph.D. from Stanford in engineering-economic systems.
Precourt Institute for Energy
Dr. Brandt holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley. He is interested in reducing the environmental impacts of energy systems and, more specifically, in understanding, measuring, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil energy sources. His research uses the tools of life cycle assessment (LCA) and process optimization to measure and estimate impacts from technologies at broad scales (LCA) and to help reduce these impacts (optimization). More specifically, his research focuses on the environmental impacts of oil shale and other substitutes for conventional petroleum; mathematical modeling of petroleum depletion and the transition to oil substitutes; and capture and storage systems. He serves on the Science Advisory Panel, Methane Reconciliation Project, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and was a technical steering committee member for an Independent Review of Well Stimulation by the California Council on Science and Technology. Dr. Brandt earned a B.S. in environmental studies with an emphasis on physics from UC Santa Barbara.
Dr. Brandt is an Ex Officio Steering Committee member due to his role as the lead author for the report. Serving as an ex officio member ensures regular interaction with the rest of the Steering Committee and improves the quality of the final report.
etaPartners LLC
Charles Benson is the Managing Partner of etaPartners LLC. He has 35 years of experience in the development, design, and optimization of energy systems. His work has focused on applications in the industrial, power generation, commercial, and residential sectors. These include industrial furnaces, boilers, gas turbines, and appliances. Of note is his work on low- NO x burner technologies and on the utilization of new fuels. He has worked with natural gas producers, pipeline companies, and local distribution companies to address interchangeability issues associated with the distribution of shale gas, coal bed methane, liquefied natural gas, propane-air peak shaving gas, and bio-derived gas. Prior positions that he has held include engineering roles at Pratt & Whitney and Exxon Research & Engineering Co., Vice President at Arthur D. Little Inc., Energy & Transportation Technology Sector Leader at TIAX LLC, and Principal at ENVIRON International Corp. Mr. Benson is an officer of the American Flame Research Committee. He also serves on the Executive Committee and Council of the International Flame Research Foundation.
Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California
Professor Egolfopoulos is the founder of the Combustion and Fuels Research Laboratory at the University of Southern California. He has been actively involved in research for more than 25 years on the fundamentals that control a variety of phenomena encountered in high- temperature, high-activation energy reacting flows. Examples of such phenomena include physical and chemical processes in flames, high-speed air-breathing propulsion, turbulent combustion, plasma-assisted combustion, conventional and alternative fuels, and mechanisms of combustion-generated oxides of nitrogen, to name a few. Dr. Egolfopoulos is the Editor in Chief of Combustion and Flame since 2009 and a member of the Editorial Board of Progress in Energy and Combustion Science. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Fellow, an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), and an elected member of to the Board of Directors of the Combustion Institute. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Davis, his master's degree in mechanical engineering from San Jose State University, and his Diploma degree in mechanical engineering from National Technical University of Athens, Greece.
Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and the Precourt Institute for Energy
Dr. Kolstad is an energy and environmental economist with a research focus on regulation. Much of his applied work is in the area of climate change and energy markets. He has been a Convening Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize), is a founding Co-Editor of the Oxford University Press journal Review of Environmental Economics & Policy and has served on many advisory boards. He is currently a Council Member for the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and a former president of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE). At Stanford, in addition to his affiliation with the Department of Economics, Dr. Kolstad holds senior fellow appointments in the Precourt Institute for Energy (PIE), the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and the Woods Institute for the Environment. Prior to joining Stanford in 2012, Dr. Kolstad was on the faculty of the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a Bren Distinguished Professor of Environmental Economics, Chair of the Department of Economics and co-director of the system-wide University of California Center for Energy and Environmental Economics (UCE3). Dr. Kolstad holds a Ph.D. in engineering-economic systems and economics from Stanford University, a M.A. in mathematics from the University of Rochester, and a B.S. in mathematics from Bates College in Maine.
REEthink
Diane Saber, Ph.D., is a nationally recognized expert in the area of production and characterization of biomethane, having conducted the largest collaborative research projects in this area to date. In 2008, the industry-funded (22 natural gas companies world-wide) report, Pipeline Quality Biomethane: North American Guidance Document for Dairy Waste Conversion was produced; this served as a template for the further study funded by DOT/PHMSA, Pipeline Quality Biogas: Guidance Document for Dairy Waste, Wastewater Treatment Sludge and Landfill Conversion (2009). Dr. Saber also served as contributor and sole non-utility author of the Canadian Gas Association's Report, Biomethane Guidelines for the Introduction of Biomethane into Existing Natural Gas Distribution & Transmission Systems (2011). These reports serve as seminal works in the development of pipeline quality biomethane in North America, with particular insights into trace constituents in biogas/biomethane and natural gas, including biologicals. She was also responsible for the creation and management of a wide variety of projects associated with biomethane, including analytical techniques, database construction and company-specific specifications. She was previously a Director at the Gas Technology Institute in Des Plaines, IL, responsible for a multi-million dollar portfolio of projects and research specific to the Natural Gas industry in the areas of renewable natural gas, environmental science and forensic chemistry. Dr. Saber holds a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Minnesota.
Sandia National Laboratories
Dr. Westbrook is a Principal Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories. She is a Council Member for the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and was a CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellow, placed as a consultant on the State Assembly Natural Resources Committee. While working for the Committee, she published numerous Senate and Assembly bill analyses relating to advanced energy storage, California Air Resources Board member qualifications, electricity, air pollution, and the economic impacts of climate change, to name a few. Dr. Westbrook earned a Ph.D. from the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University and received her B.S. in plant biology from the University of California, Davis.
Peer review is the process of the evaluation of the scientific and technical merit (and likelihood of success) of the proposed research project/program by a panel of reviewers with direct expertise in the area of research to be evaluated who have no personal stake or interest in the outcome of the evaluation process. The salient features of the peer review process are the evaluation of the research program by "peer" experts in relevant fields who are deemed qualified to evaluate the product based solely on the scientific and technical merit of the content. It is standard practice to keep the identity of peer reviewers confidential as well as all of the comments and deliberations.
All CCST reports are peer reviewed using guidelines and processes established by CCST to assure the highest scientific and technical standards. Guidelines are similar to those of the National Academy of Science, adapted to be appropriate for California. It is standard practice to keep the identity of peer reviewers confidential as well as all of the comments and deliberations.
Expert Briefing — California Biomethane Specifications
This briefing was held by the authors of the newly released CCST report, "Biomethane in California Common Carrier Pipelines: Assessing Heating Value and Maximum Siloxane Specifications," commissioned by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) pursuant to SB 840 (2016). Panelists discussed the findings and recommendations from their independent assessment of California's standards for pipeline injection of biomethane.
CPUC Public Workshop — CCST Biomethane Report
Location: CPUC Headquarters, San Francisco, Golden Gate Room
This workshop covered each chapter of the CCST report, "Biomethane in California Common Carrier Pipelines: Assessing Heating Value and Maximum Siloxane Specifications," in technical detail. The authors and chair of the Steering Committee discussed the data, analysis, and conclusions underlying the recommendations from their independent assessment. Contact: Jamie Ormond, [email protected], 415-703-1193.
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: June 2018
Adam Brandt, Ph.D., Lead Author — Assistant Professor of Energy Resources Engineering and Center Fellow, by courtesy, at the Precourt Institute for Energy
Dr. Brandt holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley. He is interested in reducing the environmental impacts of energy systems and, more specifically, in understanding, measuring, and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil energy sources. His research uses the tools of life cycle assessment (LCA) and process optimization to measure and estimate impacts from technologies at broad scales (LCA) and to help reduce these impacts (optimization). More specifically, his research focuses on the environmental impacts of oil shale and other substitutes for conventional petroleum; mathematical modeling of petroleum depletion and the transition to oil substitutes; and capture and storage systems. He serves on the Science Advisory Panel, Methane Reconciliation Project, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and was a technical steering committee member for an Independent Review of Well Stimulation by the California Council on Science and Technology. Dr. Brandt earned a B.S. in environmental studies with an emphasis on physics from UC Santa Barbara.
Gregory Von Wald — Graduate Research Assistant, Environmental Assessment and Optimization Group, Stanford University
Mr. Von Wald holds a B.S. in Integrated Science and Technology from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. He is currently working toward his M.S. in Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University, expected June 2018. Toward that effort, he is on a Graduate Research Assistantship with the Environmental Assessment and Optimization Group at Stanford University, where he is working as an author on this study. He has spent time studying abroad at the University of Malta, where he worked with the University to conduct a feasibility analysis of electromobility in Malta and has previously held internships with Accenture Federal Services in Arlington, Virginia and the Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Washington, D.C. Upon graduation in June 2018, he will begin pursuing his Ph.D. in Energy Resources Engineering at Stanford University, planning to continue research in the natural gas and electric power sectors.
Deepak Rajagopal, Ph.D. — Assistant Professor, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and Dept. of Urban Planning, University of California, Los Angeles
Dr. Rajagopal's research focuses on the areas of lifecycle assessment, energy economics and policy, agricultural economics and policy, and climate policy - areas in which he has numerous peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Rajagopal earned his Ph.D. in energy and resources from the University of California, Berkeley, his M.S. in agricultural and resource economics from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Technology in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Austin Jude Stanion — Urban and Regional Planning, UCLA
Austin Jude Stanion is a master's student in Urban and Regional Planning at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs where he studies Transportation Policy and Planning. Austin is interested in how emerging technologies can shape public transportation and reduce environmental impact. Austin earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Amber Mace, Ph.D., Project Director — CCST Deputy Director
Amber Mace, Ph.D. is the Deputy Director of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and is a Policy Fellow with the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy. Mace devotes her time to building new and revitalizing existing programs and organizations that are dedicated to increasing the impact and value of science-informed decision-making.Prior to this, Mace served as the Associate Director of the UC Davis Policy Institute for Energy, Environment and the Economy. She also served as the Executive Director of the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) and Assistant Secretary for Coastal Matters at the California Natural Resources Agency. In this role she applied her background in ocean policy and marine ecology and collaborative leadership skills to guide the state in developing policies that promote the sustainable use of California's ocean ecosystem. Prior to that, she served in the dual roles of science advisor to the OPC and executive director of the California Ocean Science Trust, a non-profit whose mission is to provide objective, high-quality science to decision makers.
She learned firsthand about the challenges of public policy-making at the federal level as a Knauss Fellow in the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and at the state level as a California Sea Grant state fellow at the California Natural Resources Agency. Amber was recognized as a Coastal Hero by Sunset magazine in 2011 and her California coastal research experience includes piloting a submersible with the Sustainable Seas Expedition. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in geography from UC Berkeley and a doctorate in ecology from UC Davis and the Bodega Marine Laboratory.
Sarah Brady, Ph.D., Project Manager — CCST Director of Policy Engagementt
Sarah Brady, Ph.D. is the Director of Policy Engagement for CCST and the Co-Chair of the CCST Science Fellows Alumni Network. Sarah most recently served as Legislative Director in Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla's office where she was hired after her placement as a CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellow in 2014. Sarah initiated policy work to retain women in STEM careers by preventing pregnancy discrimination in graduate programs. The law requires all California colleges to establish a family leave policy for their graduate students. Sarah also spearheaded legislation to increase the use of biomethane, reduce the cost of college textbooks, and improve access to computer science education. In addition, she conducted bill analysis and provided vote recommendations to Assemblywoman Bonilla on all bills related to utilities and commerce, energy, water, natural resources, and environmental toxicity. Prior to the Fellowship, Sarah earned bachelor's degrees in chemistry and French from North Central College and a doctorate in chemistry at the University of Oregon researching the degradation of plastics. She was also a GK-12 Fellow and an NSF-IGERT Fellow where she worked at the Hong Kong Baptist University.
Puneet Bhullar, Project Assistant — CCST Program Assistant
Puneet Bhullar is the Program Assistant for the CCST team. She provides high-level administrative support on various CCST projects. Prior to joining CCST, Puneet worked in numerous non-profit offices where she provided support for our states most disenfranchised communities. During this time, she worked with homeless veterans across the Central Valley and displaced refugees in Sacramento. Puneet graduated with a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Davis.
Mikel Shybut, Ph.D., Project Assistant — CCST Program Associate
Mikel Shybut, Ph.D. is a Program Associate for CCST. Most recently, Mikel was placed as a CCST Science and Technology Policy Fellow on the California State Senate Transportation and Housing Committee. On the Committee, Mikel published publicly available analyses of Senate and Assembly bills on a range of topics, including autonomous vehicles, bus seat belt requirements, broken parking meters, drug use in vehicles, and balcony safety requirements, to name a few. He also staffed legislation for the Committee and co-staffed a bill for the Chair relating to a major effort to address congestion in the Bay Area. Mikel received a doctorate in plant biology from the University of California, Berkeley and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in biological chemistry and Russian from Grinnell College in Iowa.
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: July 2016
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Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: July 2016
CCST studies follow a process modeled after the National Academies study process with checks and balances at each stage.
Defining the Study
Study Authors and Steering Committee (SC) Selection and Approval
Author and Steering Committee Meetings, Information Gathering, Deliberations, and Drafting the Study
Report Review
The report is a collaborative effort by a large number of experts serving in various capacities.
Staff of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Pacific Institute, and California Council on Science and Technology researched and wrote the body of the report.
Heather Cooley, M.S., B.S.
Patrick F. Dobson, Ph.D.
Kristina Donnelly, M.S., B.S.
Laura C. Feinstein, Ph.D.
Marc L. Fischer, Ph.D.
Bill Foxall, Ph.D.
Matthew G. Heberger, M.S., B.S.
James E. Houseworth, Ph.D.
Preston D. Jordan, M.S., B.A.
Nathaniel J. Lindsey, M.Sc., B.S.
Dev E. Millstein, Ph.D.
Matthew T. Reagan, Ph.D.
Ruth M. Tinnacher, Ph.D.
William T. Stringfellow, Ph.D.
Charuleka Varadharajan, Ph.D.
Specific steps in the committee selection and approval process are as follows:
The steering committee oversaw the report authors, reached conclusions based on the findings of the authors, and wrote the executive summary.
Peer review is the process of the evaluation of the scientific and technical merit (and likelihood of success) of the proposed research project/program by a panel of reviewers with direct expertise in the area of research to be evaluated who have no personal stake or interest in the outcome of the evaluation process. The salient features of the peer review process are the evaluation of the research program by "peer" experts in relevant fields who are deemed qualified to evaluate the product based solely on the scientific and technical merit of the content. It is standard practice to keep the identity of peer reviewers confidential as well as all of the comments and deliberations.
All CCST reports are peer reviewed using guidelines and processes established by CCST to assure the highest scientific and technical standards. Guidelines are similar to those of the National Academy of Science, adapted to be appropriate for California. Peer reviewers for this report included:
The review monitors verify that the authors and steering committee respond adequately to peer review comments.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Dr. Long recently retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she was the Principal Associate Director at Large, Fellow in the LLNL Center for Global Strategic Research and the Associate Director for Energy and Environment. She is currently a senior contributing scientist for the Environmental Defense Fund, Visiting Researcher at UC Berkeley, Co-chair of the Task Force on Geoengineering for the Bipartisan Policy Center and chairman of the California Council on Science and Technology's California's Energy Future committee. Her current work involves strategies for dealing with climate change including reinvention of the energy system, geoengineering and adaptation. Dr. Long was the Dean of the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno and Department Chair for the Energy Resources Technology and the Environmental Research Departments at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. She holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from Brown University and Masters and PhD from U. C. Berkeley. Dr. Long is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and was named Alum of the Year in 2012 by the Brown University School of Engineering. Dr. Long is an Associate of the National Academies of Science (NAS) and a Senior Fellow and council member of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and the Breakthrough Institute. She serves on the board of directors for the Clean Air Task Force and the Center for Sustainable Shale Development.
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Dr. Birkholzer joined Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1994 as a post-doctoral fellow and has since been promoted to the second-highest scientist rank at this research facility. He currently serves as the deputy director of the Earth Sciences Division and as the program lead for the nuclear waste program, and also leads a research group working on environmental impacts related to geologic carbon sequestration and other subsurface activities. His area of expertise is subsurface hydrology with emphasis on understanding and modeling coupled fluid, gas, solute and heat transport in complex subsurface systems, such as heterogeneous sediments or fractured rock. His recent research was mostly in the context of risk/performance assessment, e.g., for geologic disposal of radioactive wastes and for geologic CO2 storage. Dr. Birkholzer has authored about 90 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, and has over 230 conference publications and abstracts.
Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University
Dr. Brandt is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University. His research focuses on reducing the greenhouse gas impacts of energy production and consumption, with a focus on fossil energy systems. Research interests include life cycle assessment of transportation fuels, and the energy efficiency of energy extraction and refining systems. A particular interest is in unconventional fossil fuel resources such as oil shale, oil sands, and tight oil. He also leads research into computational optimization techniques as applied to the design and operation of CO2 capture and storage systems for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil energy consumption. Dr. Brandt received his PhD and MS degrees from the Energy and Resources Group, UC Berkeley.
DonGautier L.L.C.
With a career spanning almost four decades, Dr. Donald L. Gautier is an internationally recognized leader and author in the theory and practice of petroleum resource analysis. As a principal architect of modern USGS assessment methodology, Gautier's accomplishments include leadership of the first comprehensive evaluation of undiscovered oil and gas resources north of the Arctic Circle, the first national assessment of United States petroleum resources to be fully documented in a digital environment, and the first development of performance-based methodology for assessment of unconventional petroleum resources such as shale gas or light, tight oil. He was lead scientist for the San Joaquin Basin and Los Angeles Basin Resource Assessment projects. His recent work has focused on the analysis of growth of reserves in existing fields and on the development of probabilistic resource/cost functions. Gautier is the author of more than 200 technical publications, most of which concern the evaluation of undiscovered and undeveloped petroleum resources. He holds a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Colorado.
Pacific Institute
Dr. Peter H. Gleick is an internationally recognized environmental scientist and co-founder of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California. His research addresses the critical connections between water and human health, the hydrologic impacts of climate change, sustainable water use, privatization and globalization, and international security and conflicts over water resources. Dr. Gleick was named a MacArthur "genius" Fellow in October 2003 for his work on water, climate, and security. In 2006 Dr. Gleick was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C. Dr. Gleick's work has redefined water from the realm of engineers to the world of social justice, sustainability, human rights, and integrated thinking. His influence on the field of water has been long and deep: he developed one of the earliest assessments of the impacts of climate change on water resources, defined and explored the links between water and international security and local conflict, and developed a comprehensive argument in favor of basic human needs for water and the human right to water - work that has been used by the UN and in human rights court cases. He pioneered the concept of the "soft path for water," developed the idea of "peak water," and has written about the need for a "local water movement." Dr. Gleick received a B.S. in Engineering and Applied Science from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the Energy and Resources Group of the University of California, Berkeley. He serves on the boards of numerous journals and organizations, and is the author of many scientific papers and ten books, including Bottled & Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water and the biennial water report, The World's Water, published by Island Press (Washington, D.C.).
Environmental Defense Fund
Robert Harriss is a Lead Senior Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, with a primary focus on characterizing and mitigating fugitive methane leakage from the United States natural gas system. He is also a Distinguished Fellow at the Houston Advanced Research Center and holds adjunct professorships at Texas A&M–Galveston and the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Houston. Other career positions have included Senior/Project Scientist at NASA Langley Research Center, Director of Earth Sciences at NASA Headquarters, Senior Scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), and senior faculty positions at Florida State University, University of New Hampshire, and Texas A&M. Dr. Harriss currently serves on a variety of volunteer scientific activities including the current NASA Science Definition Team for the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment, CCST Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information on Advanced Well Stimulation Technologies in California, and as a Contributing Editor of Environment Magazine.
Texas A&M University
Dr. A. D. Hill is Professor, holder of the Noble Endowed Chair, and Department Head of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M University. Previously, he taught for 22 years at The University of Texas at Austin after spending five years in industry. He holds a B. S. degree from Texas A&M University and M. S. and Ph. D. degrees from The University of Texas at Austin, all in chemical engineering. He is the author of the Society of Petroleum Engineering (SPE) monograph, Production Logging: Theoretical and Interpretive Elements, co-author of the textbook, Petroleum Production Systems (1st and 2nd editions), co-author of an SPE book, Multilateral Wells, and author of over 170 technical papers and five patents. He has been a Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Distinguished Lecturer, has served on numerous SPE committees and was founding chairman of the Austin SPE Section. He was named a Distinguished Member of SPE in 1999 and received the SPE Production and Operations Award in 2008. In 2012, he was one of the two inaugural winners of the SPE Pipeline Award, which recognizes faculty, who have fostered petroleum engineering Ph.Ds. to enter academia. He currently serves on the SPE Editorial Review Committee, the SPE Global Training Committee, and the SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference Program Committee. Professor Hill is an expert in the areas of production engineering, well completions, well stimulation, production logging, and complex well performance (horizontal and multilateral wells), and has presented lectures and courses and consulted on these topics throughout the world.
In accordance with the practice of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), CCST makes best efforts to ensure that no individual appointed to serve on a committee has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the functions to be performed, unless such conflict is promptly and publicly disclosed and CCST determines that the conflict is unavoidable. A conflict of interest refers to an interest, ordinarily financial, of an individual that could be directly affected by the work of the committee. An objective determination is made for each provisionally appointed committee member whether or not a conflict of interest exists given the facts of the individual's financial and other interests, and the task being undertaken by the committee. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
We have concluded that for this committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established its membership must include among others, individuals with research and expertise in the area of acid treatments for petroleum wells who have studied oil and gas industry operations in the United States and are internationally recognized for this expertise. Acid treatment is of particular public concern in California and is the subject of regulation under SB4.
To meet the need for this expertise and experience, Dr. Dan Hill is proposed for appointment to the committee even though we have concluded that he has a conflict of interest because of investments he holds and research services provided by his employer.
As his biographical summary makes clear, Dr. Hill is a recognized expert in petroleum reservoir engineering with many publications to wit. He is also known as one of the world's key experts in acid treatment.
After an extensive search, we have been unable to find another individual with the equivalent combination of expertise in acid treatment as Dr. Hill, who does not have a similar conflict of interest. Therefore, we have concluded that this potential conflict is unavoidable.
UC Davis
Amy Myers Jaffe is a leading expert on global energy policy, geopolitical risk, and energy and sustainability. Jaffe serves as executive director for Energy and Sustainability at University of California, Davis with a joint appointment to the Graduate School of Management and Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS). At ITS-Davis, Jaffe heads the fossil fuel component of Next STEPS (Sustainable Transportation Energy Pathways). She is associate editor (North America) for the academic journal Energy Strategy Reviews. Prior to joining UC Davis, Jaffe served as director of the Energy Forum and Wallace S. Wilson Fellow in Energy Studies at Rice University's James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy. Jaffe's research focuses on oil and natural gas geopolitics, strategic energy policy, corporate investment strategies in the energy sector, and energy economics. She was formerly senior editor and Middle East analyst for Petroleum Intelligence Weekly. Jaffe is widely published, including as co-author of Oil, Dollars, Debt and Crises: The Global Curse of Black Gold (Cambridge University Press, January 2010 with Mahmoud El-Gamal). She served as co-editor of Energy in the Caspian Region: Present and Future (Palgrave, 2002) and Natural Gas and Geopolitics: From 1970 to 2040 (Cambridge University Press, 2006). Jaffe was the honoree for Esquire's annual 100 Best and Brightest in the contribution to society category (2005) and Elle Magazine's Women for the Environment (2006) and holds the excellence in writing prize from the International Association for Energy Economics (1994).
Earth Science Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Preston Jordan is a Staff Research Associate in the Earth Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). He received his B.A. in Geology in 1988 and M.S. Eng.Sci. in Geotechnical Engineering in 1997, both from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a California Professional Geologist, Certified Hydrogeologist and Certified Engineering Geologist. Prior to joining LBNL, Jordan worked at a geotechnical engineering consultancy. Since joining LBNL, he has performed paleoseismic research, characterized the geology and hydrogeology of the lab for environmental remediation and conducted contaminant remediation pilot tests. Over the last decade his research focus has been geologic carbon storage with a particular emphasis on risk assessment. He has published on worker safety and well blowout and fault leakage risk, and participated in risk reviews of geologic carbon storage projects. His risk review of one of the world’s few industrial- scale geologic carbon storage projects led to reduction of injection pressures. He recently was the PI for a multi-year research project for the California Energy Commission regarding wide-scale pressure changes in response to historic oil and gas production in Kern County for the purpose of gaining insight into pressure changes in response to prospective geologic carbon storage. This involved dataset assembly and database construction using results of searches of California Department of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources records.
University of Texas, Austin
Larry W. Lake is a professor of the Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and director of the Center for Petroleum Asset Risk Management. He holds B.S.E and Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University and Rice University. Dr. Lake has published widely; he is the author or co-author of more than 100 technical papers, the editor of 3 bound volumes and author or co-author of four textbooks. He has been teaching at UT for 34 years before which he worked for Shell Development Company in Houston, Texas. He was chairman of the PGE department twice, from 1989 to 1997 and from 2008 to 2010. He formerly held the Shell Distinguished Chair and the W.A. (Tex) Moncrief, Jr. Centennial Endowed Chair in Petroleum Engineering. He currently holds the W.A. (Monty) Moncrief Centennial Chair in Petroleum Engineering. Dr. Lake has served on the Board of Directors for the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) as well as on several of its committees; he has twice been an SPE distinguished lecturer. Dr. Lake is a member of the US National Academy of Engineers and won the 1996 Anthony F. Lucas Gold Medal of the SPE. He won the 1999 Dad's Award for excellence in teaching undergraduates at The University of Texas and the 1999 Hocott Award in the College of Engineering for excellence in research. He also is a member of the 2001 Engineering Dream Team awarded by the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. He is an SPE Honorary Member.
Physicians Scientists & Engineers for Healthy Energy
Dr. Shonkoff is the executive director of the energy science and policy institute, PSE Healthy Energy. Dr. Shonkoff is also a visiting scholar in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley, and an affiliate in the Environment Energy Technology Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley California. An environmental and public health scientist by training, he has more than 15 years of experience in water, air, climate, and population health research. Dr. Shonkoff completed his PhD in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management and his MPH in epidemiology in the School of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a contributing author to the Human Health chapter of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). He has worked and published on topics related to the intersection of energy, air pollution, water quality, climate, and human health from scientific and policy perspectives. Dr. Shonkoff's research also focuses on the development of the effectiveness of anthropogenic climate change mitigation policies that generate socioeconomic and health co-benefits. Dr. Shonkoff's current work focuses on the human health, environmental and climate dimensions of oil and gas development in the United States and abroad.
University of California, Merced
Dr. Traina is the Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development at the University of California, Merced, where he holds the Falasco Chair in Earth Sciences and Geology. He serves as a Board Member of the California Council of Science and Technology. Prior to joining UC Merced in 2002 as a Founding Faculty member and the Founding Director of the Sierra Nevada Research Institute, Dr. Traina was a faculty member for 17 years at The Ohio State University, with concomitant appointments in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Department of Earth Science and Geology, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Microbiology and Chemistry. He has served on the National Research Council's Standing Committee on Earth Resources. In 1997 - 1998, he held the Cox Visiting Professorship in the School of Earth Sciences at Stanford University. Dr. Traina's past and current research has dealt with the fate, transformation, and transport of contaminants in soils and natural waters, with an emphasis on radionuclides, heavy metals, and mining wastes. Dr. Traina holds a B.S. in soil resource management and a Ph.D. in soil chemistry. He is a fellow of the Soil Science Society of American and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, as well as a recipient of the Clay Scientist Award of the Clay Minerals Society.
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
In the context of severe drought, Senate Bill 1281 (2014, Pavley) expanded reporting requirements for the California oil and gas industry regarding produced water—the water extracted from oil and gas production—intending to ensure the ability to assess impacts on California’s water resources, public health, and the environment. Within the Executive Branch, this responsibility falls under the Department of Conservation and its Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources (DOGGR). After two years of data collection, the division—now called the California Geologic Energy Management Division (CalGEM)—contracted with CCST to conduct a study to evaluate how well the collected data meet this intent.
The report was guided by an expert steering committee chaired by Mike Kavanaugh, PhD, PE, NAE of Geosyntec Consultants with members from Berkeley Lab, NREL, UCLA, University of the Pacific, Yale, and the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project Authority.
Authors from PSE Healthy Energy and the Pacific Institute analyzed water data from 2015 to 2017 and—representing work completed in August 2019—determined the SB 1281 dataset provides an important step forward for managing water use, reuse, and disposal in oil and gas production, and provided recommendations for improvements moving forward.
CCST conducted an early assessment of the data collection required by SB 1281 to be carried out in two phases. The intent of the study was to enable the state to implement the important provisions of SB 1281 in the most illuminating and efficient manner possible. Where improvements can be made, an early assessment of the data will allow a prompt correction to make the program as productive as possible in the long term.
Phase I:
The Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources (the Division), now CalGEM, has instituted the mandated data reporting required by SB 1281. In collaboration with the Division, the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) and other relevant state agencies and entities, CCST sought to:
This first phase resulted in a document describing the questions that could be answered through mandated water reporting and the impact of various forms of data collection on the ability to answer the questions.
Phase II:
The second phase carried out an early and preliminary assessment of the SB 1281 data set, along with other available relevant data, via quantitative data analyses of key questions identified from Phase I. The combination of evaluating the dataset by working toward answering these questions with a direct assessment of the raw data and reporting methods will help to determine whether the type of information reported is accurate, necessary and sufficient to answer the questions identified in Phase I. Where possible, CCST made recommendations on how the data reporting can be improved and streamlined, and identify new questions that may arise through the preliminary data assessment.
It is quite likely that relatively minor adjustments in some data collection requirements would make it possible to answer some of these questions that could not be answered otherwise. For example, if operators report volumes of produced water without identifying enough information to track the eventual disposition of the water, certain questions about the risks of reuse could not be answered. It is also possible that some of the data being collected are not particularly useful or are redundant.
Jan 18, 2018
May 16, 2017
May 8, 2017
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: June 2018
Pursuant to AB 1900 (Gatto, Chapter 602, Statutes of 2012), Public Utilities Code §784 requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to adopt common carrier pipeline access rules to "ensure that each gas corporation provides nondiscriminatory open access to its gas pipeline system to any party for the purposes of physically interconnecting with the gas pipeline system and effectuating the delivery of gas." The purpose of the law was to increase California's use of biomethane, thereby decreasing California's greenhouse gas emissions.
The CPUC made a series of decisions on how to implement AB 1900's directive to allow delivery of biomethane to the pipeline, two of which were as follows:
Biomethane generated by landfills, sewage treatment plants, and dairies typically has a heating value below 990 BTU/scf. To meet the standard of 990 BTU/scf, biomethane would need to undergo an upgrading process, such as blending with a gas source of a higher heating value. Upstream upgrading costs would be borne by the biomethane generator prior to injection into the pipeline system.
The CPUC decision noted a number of items where there was insufficient evidence presented to justify altering their heating value standard; e.g. they note a lack of scientific evidence that lowering the heating value will not cause end use equipment problems, and that the policies of other states is not in itself evidence that such a change would not cause problems.
Seeking to obtain a more thorough review of the scientific information available, the CPUC requested CCST to undertake a study in accordance with SB 840 (Budget Bill, 2016). The purpose of the study was to provide the state with an up-to- date, independent assessment of the minimum heating value and the maximum siloxanes content of biomethane before it can be injected into the pipeline.
The CCST report conducted an independent scientific assessment of the minimum heating value and maximum siloxane specification for the delivery of biomethane to public gas pipelines. The purpose of the study was to examine the impacts to cost, volume of biomethane sold, equipment operation, and safety. The assessment included an evaluation of other states' standards, the source of biomethane, the dilution of biomethane after it is injected into the pipeline, and the equipment and technology upgrades required to meet the specifications. Recommendations to public policy makers were made where appropriate.
The study scope of work was organized into five key subject areas:
CCST established an interdisciplinary steering committee to oversee the effort that included experts in technical areas relevant to biomethane injection into the pipeline system in California. Dr. James Sweeney served as the chair for the project and Stanford University was the primary research institution supporting CCST in writing the report. CCST delivered the final report following peer review to the CPUC in June 2018 as required by SB 840 (2016).
This study was conducted as a synthesis of existing publically available data including the results of many currently on-going or recently related studies, protocols and proposed regulations. The study included an assessment of data adequacy and limitations posed by time constraints.
Jun 7, 2018
Mar 29, 2016
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.
COMPLETED: January 2018
The blowout of well Standard Sesnon 25 in the Aliso Canyon Field resulted in the temporary displacement of thousands of residents in the community surrounding the Aliso Canyon field and demonstrated vulnerabilities to the California energy supply chain that placed at risk the energy reliability to 21 million customers in the greater Los Angeles Basin. The broad health and environmental impacts are still being investigated as many of the contaminants released are known to be toxic at high doses but have limited health impact data for long- term chronic exposure. The event substantially increased the amount of methane emitted to the atmosphere for the entire state, and consequently the amount of greenhouse gas pollution emitted due to the state's economic activities.
Because of this incident, the State of California sought more information about all of the underground natural gas storage fields in California. The California Public Utilities Commission, in consultation with the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, the California Air Resources Board, and the Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources within the California Department of Conservation commissioned the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) to conduct an independent, scientific assessment.
The CCST report will assess the long-term viability of gas storage facilities in California. The assessment will include an evaluation of the current state of the thirteen gas storage fields in California, a broad review of the potential health risks and community impacts associated with their operation, fugitive gas emissions, and the linkages between gas storage capacity and California's current and future energy needs. Recommendations to public policy makers will be made where appropriate.
The scope of the study covers three key questions.
CCST established an interdisciplinary steering committee to oversee the effort that included experts in technical areas relevant to underground natural gas storage and its impacts in California. Dr. Jane C.S. Long and Dr. Jens Birkholzer served as the co-chairs for the project and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) and Aspen Environmental Group (Aspen) were the primary research institutions supporting CCST in writing the report. CCST will deliver the final report following peer review to the CPUC by December 31, 2017.
This study will be conducted as a synthesis of existing publicly available data including the results of many currently on-going or recently related studies, protocols and proposed regulations. The quality of the assessment will depend on the quality of the information and time available for the study and the study will include an assessment of data adequacy and limitations posed by time constraints.
Jan 18, 2018
May 16, 2017
Office:
1100 11th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Mailing:
1017 L St, #438
Sacramento, CA 95814
To engage leading experts in science and technology to advise State decision makers - ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.