In response to the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2764; Public Law 110–161), EPA has proposed a rule that requires mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large sources in the United States.

The proposed rule would collect accurate and comprehensive emissions data to inform future policy decisions.

In general, EPA proposes that suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial greenhouse gases, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, and facilities that emit 25,000 metric tons or more per year of GHG emissions submit annual reports to EPA.  The gases covered by the proposed rule are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆), and other fluorinated gases including nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE).

Earth Day, the annual celebration of the environment, falls on April 22, 2009.  Let’s all share in the common goals of being kind to the earth and treading lightly upon the resources we have.  Think Green! 

If you are responsible for managing the use or purchase of energy at your plant or your company’s response to federal climate change legislation or GHG reporting, this Forum will educate you about the legislation, impacts on electricity prices, what one company is doing about energy and carbon emissions, and how to price carbon during captial project development.

April 2, 2009

4:00-7:00pm

Brady’s Landing Restaurant

8505 Cypress Street

Houston, TX  77012
www.sts-aiche.org

There is a source of energy on this planet greater than all others.  It can be found deep within your people.  And if it is intelligently retrieved and utilized, this energy never runs out.  Come to Microsoft’s 5th Annual Global Energy Forum and discover how the most successful companies are running strong on the power of their people.

February 18th, 2009

Westin Galleria Houston

7:30am - 4:30pm

https://microsoft.crgevents.com/GEF2009

Come see VisionMonitor Software at the Microsoft Global Energy Conference and learn about v5.0.

Houston, Texas – February 17, 2009 – VisionMonitor Software, a leader and innovator in environmental risk management solutions, is releasing v5.0 of its environmental risk management solution.  VisionMonitor v5.0 enables real-time, enterprise-wide data monitoring of companies’ environmental operations and delivers optimized analysis to oil and gas, refining, utility, chemical and petrochemical companies.  The new VisionMonitor v5.0 product suite, keeping up with an unparalleled track record of robust real-time environmental operational data management, brings together enhancements balanced to provide our clients with a scalable platform that is adaptable to changing business and regulatory landscapes with best of breed technology features.   The new product suite will define a gold standard for environmental risk management with features to support collaboration, agility, business execution and rich user experience using Microsoft’s Sharepoint Server 2007, AJAX, Silverlight 2 and Microsoft Virtual Earth technologies.  VisionMonitor v5.0 will be available for general release in Q2 2009.

Microsoft’s SharePoint Server 2007 is a suite of server capabilities that improves organizational effectiveness by providing comprehensive content management, enterprise search, accelerating shared business processes and facilitating information-sharing across boundaries for better business insight.

Microsoft’s Silverlight 2 delivers a wide range of features and tools that create more accessible, more discoverable and secure user experiences.  User productivity and accuracy are increased through the use of an interactive, easy to use graphic user interface that is similar to desktop software applications. 

“We have seen most of the refining, oil and gas, utility, and chemical companies standardize on Microsoft products…Microsoft products are proven across the board, giving our system a vote of confidence.  They give us an edge over our competition enabling us to quickly bring application solutions to market.  Additionally, our implementation methodology combined with the .NET framework enables rapid customer implementations,” says David Pierce, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing, VisionMonitor Software.

The VisionMonitor real-time environmental risk management software platform enables enterprise-wide delivery and communication of compliance information that empowers employees with the ability to make quicker and more knowledgeable decisions. Data is automatically collected, aggregated from disparate data sources across the enterprise, logically grouped and then personalized and delivered enabling optimized analysis. The web-based solutions enable compliance management, operations management and strategic planning related to enterprise-wide environmental risk.  VisionMonitor v5.0, built on the Microsoft .NET platform, brings users a familiar software experience, making it the smartest solution for businesses to deploy for their environmental risk management.

“We liked (VisionMonitor) because it was one integrated program that worked with SQL Server, and it had a smaller software footprint than the other solutions,” Bruce Pollard, Business Solutions Lead, Lyondell Chemical Company says.  “It was also flexible enough so we could modify it in a very short time to meet the final HRVOC data-collection requirements. LyondellBasell foresees VisionMonitor being a big help in managing upcoming “cap and trade” programs that may require companies to pay for releasing carbon into the atmosphere. To pay fair prices, LyondellBasell will have to carefully measure its carbon-related emissions. “This system will help us do that,” Pollard says. “Other companies are scrambling to meet these requirements, but we‘re all set. We got there early, quickly, and easily, which gives us a head start in meeting all future requirements.”

About VisionMonitor Software:

VisionMonitor Software (www.visionmonitor.com) is a leader in the real-time environmental risk management space, a rapidly growing area with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and compliance management.  Founded in 2001, VisionMonitor Software is privately held and based in Houston, TX.

VisionMonitor Contact

Lynn Rentzel, Marketing Manager

lrentzel@visionmonitor.com 

 713.935.0500 x307

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Houston – February 16, 2009 – VisionMonitor Software, an innovator and leader in real-time environmental risk management solutions, has hired P. David Pierce, P. E. as Executive Director of Sales and Marketing.  Mr. Pierce joins VisionMonitor Software after a successful management career at Primavera, the world’s leading provider of project, portfolio and resource management software.

During his long career, Mr. Pierce has held a number of key roles including Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing, Vice President Sales and Operations, Director of Sales and Operations with worldwide P&L responsibility, Director of Sales with second line responsibility, and District Manager with front line responsibility.  Mr. Pierce has built five flourishing sales organizations by hiring and managing employees for Sales, Pre-Sales, Post-Sales, Operations, Channels, and Administrative Personnel.  Mr. Pierce’s experience ranges from small start-up organizations like Applied Terravision Systems, Vignette/ OnDisplay, and Kiodex as well as large international organizations such as Sybase and SunGard.

“We are extremely pleased to have David join VisionMonitor at this stage of our company,” says Torgeir Mantor, CEO.  “His knowledge, background, and values make him a key addition to our management team.  His experience in growing companies will be of great value to us in our pursuit to become the leading company in environmental risk management.”

Mr. Pierce is a Registered Professional Engineer by the State of Texas and has his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University in College Station, TX.

The Texas Bioneers Conference is designed to share practical innovations, sustainable practices, and success stories that have specific relevance to the issues and concerns of Texans.  Learn more about the conference at http://www.blackwoodland.org/bioneers/

The EPA’s Green Power Partnership hailed the City of Houston as the No.1 municipal purchaser of green power in the nation and a crucial leader in the alternative energy trend – with 25% of the City of Houston’s total electricity purchased from wind energy!  http://www.visithoustontexas.com/visitors/green/Index

VisionMonitor was recently honored to be invited by E&P Magazine of the Hart Energy Network to write an article on how software technology is helping E&P companies to address emerging compliance challenges in the field. This article was featured in E&P’s special environmental section of the May 2008 edition to illustrate how E&P companies can utilize software tools such as VisionMonitor’s Compliance Intelligence to help improve compliance in real time, increase operational efficiencies and take advantage of new opportunities such as emissions credits trading markets.

The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency’s refusal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars is “not in accordance with law”.  The case was narrowly decided by a majority of five to four and is the first high court decision involving global warming.
More from NewScientist:

“The nation’s highest court said the EPA “has offered no reasoned explanation” for its refusal to regulate CO₂ and other vehicle emissions that contribute to climate change.

This is one of the most prominent environmental cases to reach the Supreme Court in decades. It revolves around the US Clean Air Act’s statement that the head of the EPA “shall” regulate emissions of new vehicles “which in his judgment cause, or contribute to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger the public health or welfare”.

The EPA has declined to regulate greenhouse gases from cars under the statute, citing scientific uncertainty. It has also claimed that if Congress had intended for that part of the Clean Air Act to apply to greenhouse gases, it would have said so explicitly when it last amended the act in 1990.”

While this ruling has the greatest potential to affect emissions of greenhouse gases from vehicles, it will be interesting to see how it impacts energy production and thoughts and legislation on other topics such as CO2 caps and trading.

You can read the full article here.
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VisionMonitor’s Compliance Intelligence® Suite can improve your compliance
and operational efficiency.  Find out more about our
Greenhouse Gas solutions here. 

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