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.