Please join the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Fellow Trisha Curtis with Director Morgan Bazilian discussing Energy Security, China, Inflation, and Oil Prices on Tuesday, April 1, 2025 in Golden, CO.  Free lunch will be provided.  

Trisha Curtis, President and CEO of PetroNerds, LLC

Trisha Curtis is the President and CEO of PetroNerds, LLC. She founded the company and began running it out of Denver, Colorado in 2016. She was formerly the Director of Research, Upstream and Midstream, at the Energy Policy Research Foundation, Inc. (EPRINC) in Washington, DC. Since 2010, she has led extensive research efforts and major consulting projects and authored several reports on the North American upstream and midstream markets for government agencies, global think tanks, and corporations.

She was also the Manager for Strategy and Analytics at Anschutz Exploration in Denver, Colorado from 2019 to 2020.

At PetroNerds, Ms. Curtis leads research, advising and consulting services. She is a macroeconomist with an expertise in US shale markets, geopolitics, and China. She is globally recognized for her knowledge of US shale and has been asked to speak and present at several academic, industry, and investor forums including OPEC in Vienna, SPE in Bahrain, IEF in Saudi Arabia, Stanford University, Chatham House, Oxford University, Denver University, and Colorado School of Mines. 

She is also the host of the PetroNerds Podcast.

Trisha provides clients with in-depth analysis of the US and world economy, geopolitics, global oil and gas markets, and the US shale industry. She synthesizes this into relevant, actionable, and forecastable information integral to her clients and their respective businesses and needs.

She spearheaded EPRINC’s projects with Department of Energy for the Quadrennial Energy Review, evaluating future North American crude oil production volumes and midstream transportation options through 2030. She worked extensively with US and Canadian railroads in their efforts to begin moving Bakken crude, by rail, to the East Coast. Trisha also authored multiple reports on US shale and completions in US shale with the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. 

Her work for Department of Defense has focused extensively on China, energy, and US Shale.

Ms. Curtis is the Economist for the American Energy Institute, an Energy Fellow with the Common Sense Institute in Colorado, a Board Member at the Denver Earth Resources Library, and a Research Associate at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), a recognized independent center of Oxford University. She is also a Fellow at Colorado School of Mine’s Payne Institute.

Ms. Curtis completed her undergraduate work at Regis University in Denver, Colorado where she double majored in Economics and Politics, minored in Criminology, and graduated Summa Cum Laude. She has a Master of Science (MSc) degree from the London School of Economics in International Political Economy and wrote her MSc Dissertation on Chinese National Oil Companies. As an undergraduate, she also worked as a staff assistant in UK Parliament for John Grogan, Selby Constituency. Raised in northwest Colorado and southwest Wyoming, she grew up around pump jacks and has worked on oil and gas sites in Colorado and Wyoming with her father.

Please join the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Bob Stout, Senior Fellow at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, Mike Smith, Manager for Public Policy & Government Affairs, Devon Energy, and Will Foiles, Co-Founder, CEO of Project Canary, presenting a webinar titled Managing Methane: Technology and Markets in an Evolving Regulatory Landscape on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.

As methane management enters a new phase, this webinar will explore how evolving regulations, shifting stakeholder expectations, and advancements in measurement technologies are shaping the landscape. Our expert panel will examine how energy producers can harness emissions data to optimize their operations and manage risks.

Bob Stout –

Following nearly three decades in global legal, compliance and public affairs leadership roles at bp, Bob advises a variety of businesses, universities and nonprofits on the development and implementation of effective and enduring policies to promote secure, affordable and lower emissions energy solutions. For over a decade, he has advocated for policies to drive down GHG emissions across natural gas supply chains by incentivizing the use of cost-effective advanced technologies for emissions detection, measurement and mitigation. Bob served on the Coordinating Subcommittee for the National Petroleum Council’s study on reducing GHG emissions from the U.S. natural gas supply chain and currently serves as a senior advisor to Coefficient and the Differentiated Gas Coordinating Council (https://www.dgccouncil.com/), the Duke Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (https://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/project/energy-pathways-usa), the Energy Emissions Modeling & Data Lab at UT Austin (https://www.eemdl.utexas.edu/), Future 500 (https://www.future500.org/), and the Harvard Law School Environmental & Energy Law Program (https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/).

Mike Smith – 

Mike Smith is a Manager for Public Policy & Government Affairs at Devon Energy, engaging with internal and external stakeholders on corporate, state, and federal regulatory and policy issues and voluntary emission reduction initiatives. After starting his career at the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality, Mike worked for both midstream and upstream oil and gas operators in various capacities including environmental compliance, air permitting, and policy. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Natural Resources from Kansas State University, and a law degree from the University of Oklahoma.

Will Foiles –

Will Foiles is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Project Canary, the leading emissions data platform for energy companies. 

Prior to founding Project Canary, Will built expertise in financial analysis, energy markets, and data-driven solutions through roles at Bloomberg LP, where he focused on equity valuation and data acquisition projects, and in investment banking at Goldman Sachs. His background in finance, energy, and advanced data methodologies underpins Project Canary’s innovation in emissions management technology.

Will holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, an MS in Environment and Resources from Stanford’s Doerr School of Sustainability, an MS in Finance from Villanova School of Business, and a BBA in Real Estate from The University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder.

Please join the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Fellow Todd Moss, Executive Director, Energy for Growth Hub and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, presenting a hybrid seminar titled Climate & Energy in Africa: What We Get Wrong on Monday, February 24, 2025 in Golden, CO.

The world committed to ending global energy poverty by 2030. But we keep making 5 big mistakes that risk leaving one quarter of humanity behind.

Todd Moss is executive director of the Energy for Growth Hub and a nonresident fellow at Mines’ Payne Institute, Rice’s Baker Institute, and the Center for Global Development. Todd previously served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and has worked at Georgetown, LSE, and the World Bank. His Substack is Eat More Electrons.

Please join Colorado School of Mines as they welcome Payne Institute Deputy Director Greg Clough presenting the Keynote titled How to Convene Impactful Events at Universities on Friday, February 7, 2025 in Golden, CO.

Join your colleagues for a workshop. Connect with peers, learn from leaders, and grow as a professional at this exciting workshop hosted at Colorado School of Mines.

Please join the Colorado School of Mines Foundation as they welcome Payne Institute Deputy Director Greg Clough and Toni Lefton, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of University Honors and Scholars Programs, presenting What will energy jobs look like in the future? virtually on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

Learn how Mines is positioning students to make an impact on the most complex challenges the world has ever faced.

Mines Future Energy Scholars take courses built around technical understanding, policy, leadership, communication and diplomacy in global energy. They gain project-based experience through different academic experiences in an effort to prepare them to address the needs of where energy intersects with business, science, technology and society.

Join us as we take a closer look at this program with Professor Toni Lefton, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of University Honors and Scholars Programs; and Greg Clough, Deputy Director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, to learn how Mines is positioning students to make an impact on the most complex challenges the world has ever faced.

Please join Colorado School of Mines, the Payne Institute for Public Policy, and the Southern Ute Indian Tribe (SUIT) for the 2nd Annual Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Symposium (NAMES), May 20-21, 2025 in Ignacio, Colorado.

The event will bring together tribal leaders, federal and state government, industry, and academia to discuss and share thoughts on how to support decision making and energy and mining development and finance in Indian country. This approach will be founded on tribal sovereignty as its core principle. 

Over two days there will be an opportunity to take a site visit to cutting-edge developments in natural gas, CCS, and methane emissions on Southern Ute lands, and to deliberate on key issues of energy and mineral security, project development and financing, improving Indian engagement throughout projects, and workforce development and education.

The Symposium will be hosted at the Sky Ute Casino Resort in Ignacio, Colorado. 

REGISTER: There is a nominal registration fee of $130 to attend the NAMES Symposium. Register at https://mines.eventsair.com/24pi1002a/namesreg/Site/Register.

SPONSOR: If you or your organization wish to financially support the inaugural NAMES Symposium, sponsorship opportunities are found at https://mines.eventsair.com/24pi1002a/namessponsor.

LODGING: The Sky Ute Casino Resort has rooms available for the event. Attached is information to help you reserve a room at the Sky Ute Casino Resort as well as alternate lodging in the region.  Hotel options.

We look forward to seeing you in May in Ignacio, Colorado.

SYMPOSIUM SPONSORS

Please join the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as experts in the field present at the Accelerated Methane Reduction Symposium:  Harnessing Natural Gas to Achieve Energy Security & Climate Goals on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7, 2025 in Golden, CO. 

America’s allies and trading partners have turned to U.S.-produced natural gas as a source of geopolitical stability and as a cleaner alternative to gas from other countries with lesser environmental standards.

At the same time, the science of detecting, quantifying and reducing fugitive methane and other greenhouse gases is rapidly advancing at the Colorado School of Mines and partner institutions.

In March, the Payne Institute for Public Policy will convene experts and stakeholders to explore how the latest science and other innovations are being used to:

• Track the progress of fugitive methane reduction initiatives
• Compare the emissions profile of U.S. natural gas to other sources in global energy markets
• Strengthen U.S. energy security and stabilize global energy markets; and
• Accelerate the pace of fugitive methane reductions in the U.S. and abroad.

This will be our 3rd annual symposium exploring these subjects as part of the recently renamed Payne Institute Accelerated Methane Reduction Initiative.

Sponsors

Please join the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines as they welcome Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Lori Tungstall presenting Technological Strategies to Decarbonize the Concrete Industry on Friday, January 24, 2025.

Worldwide, every year cement and concrete production accounts for as much as 9% of all human CO2 emissions. This is roughly equivalent to the emissions generated from all passenger vehicles on the globe. Numerous stakeholders, ranging from cement producers to government agencies, have made public commitments to achieving net zero concrete by 2050, causing an unprecedented surge in low-carbon concrete innovation. This talk will discuss emerging and existing technologies available to the concrete industry, focusing on how the technology works, the level of carbon reduction that can be achieved, and barriers to marketplace entry.

Please join Economist Impact and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Payne Institute Energy Finance Lab Brad Handler, presenting Financing Carbon Capture: Beyond Project Finance at the Carbon Capture Summit on Thursday, February 2025 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Carbon capture offers the opportunity to speed up the green transition. Developing large-scale industrial projects, or expanding DAC and BECCS, faster, will reduce emissions and keep 1.5°C within reach. Overcoming funding, engineering, and policy obstacles will lead to success. In 2025, we will hold our first event on this topic to cut through the hype while bringing businesses, investors, and policymakers together to accelerate CCUS market development.

Please join the SPE Decarbonization Congress and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines as we welcome Payne Institute Energy Finance Lab Director Brad Handler, presenting CCUS and Low Carbon Strategies at the Accelerating Decarbonization of E&P Operations​ Conference on Thursday, February 4, 2025 in Houston, TX.

Join us for a pivotal congress dedicated to tackling the challenge of reducing 5.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions in the Exploration and Production (E&P) sector of the Oil and Gas industry. This event aims to forge powerful connections among global and regional operational leaders, alongside emerging sustainability experts, fostering a collaborative environment to spearhead impactful environmental strategies.

Throughout this congress, participants will have the opportunity to exchange best practices and innovative approaches to decarbonization. We are committed to facilitating meaningful dialogues between suppliers, service companies, and operators, creating a unique platform where practical solutions and advancements in sustainability are shared and developed.

The themes of the congress include:

Upstream and midstream: The global oil and gas industry is responsible for generating over 5 gigatons of CO2e emissions annually. Routine and non-routine flaring, artificial lift, and processing facilities are among the top emitters in this sector. Stimulation operations contribute significantly to fuel, water, and chemical consumption. By deploying sustainable technologies, these emissions could be reduced or eliminated. In the first session, we will focus on key themes including quantification, reporting, modeling, and regulatory drivers. In the second session, the emphasis will be on flaring, venting, energy efficiency, operating efficiency, and electrification.

Methane: Methane is the single most significant source of emissions in the exploration and production space, and it requires our attention. As a potent greenhouse gas, addressing methane leaks and venting not only improves operational efficiency but also opens the door to additional energy resources. In this session, we will delve into all aspects of methane emissions in the exploration and production sector, including monitoring, modeling, cold venting, fugitive emissions, and gas-to-X technologies.

Emerging low carbon solutions for core applications: Oil and gas exploration and production entail energy-intensive operations. Processes such as artificial lift, stimulation, drilling, separation, and compression demand substantial energy inputs. At present, hydrocarbon-based fuels dominate our energy landscape within the industry. However, transitioning to more sustainable energy sources holds the promise of reducing the emission intensity associated with every barrel produced. In our upcoming session, we will delve into emerging low-carbon solutions, including hydrogen, geothermal energy, carbon capture and sequestration, and advanced storage/battery technologies. Additionally, we’ll explore the power of collaboration among operators, service providers, universities, and government entities.