SGA Natural Gas Association

06/16/2026

These eight professionals represent the future of natural gas leadership, and they're already doing the work that defines it.

They're not waiting for a title to lead or waiting for someone else to solve the problems they see.

They're building the operational, cultural and organizational infrastructure that will serve this industry for decades.

This group of finalists is:
➤ Mentoring the next generation while managing complex operations.
➤ Modernizing how we transfer knowledge and capability across teams.
➤ Building systems that make the work safer and more efficient.
➤ Shaping the culture of their organizations.

This is what rising leadership looks like when someone refuses to settle for how things have always been done.

This year's finalists span different companies, regions, and functions, but they share something fundamental. They understand that their job goes beyond managing today's operations. They're building the foundation for what comes next.

The 2026 SGA Chair, Shawn Patterson, will select the winner from these finalists. But being nominated for this award means your peers see you as someone already shaping the future of natural gas.

Congratulations to the 2026 Chair's Rising Leader Finalists:
Jacob Isaac K. Abraham – Williams
Alex Buck – Atmos Energy
Ben Carlisle – Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline
Josh Coffman – Hope Gas
Jammal Davenport – Peoples Gas
Melissa Reidy – Washington Gas
Alex Sammet – Spire
Allison Satterfield – BHE GT&S

Read more about their contributions here → https://ow.ly/zYxn50ZcpH7

06/16/2026

Serious injuries and fatalities haven't meaningfully decreased in decades despite stronger programs, better documentation, and more training than ever.

Most safety professionals know this, but fewer have a clear answer for why it persists.

SafetyCon 2026 offers 2 back-to-back sessions that take that question seriously.

High Energy Hazard Recognition and Controls examines why hazard recognition breaks down even in mature programs.

Doing Safety Differently applies Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) principles to how safety and operations teams actually work together in the field.

Both sessions are applicable to the work your team is doing right now.

See the full agenda and register today at https://ow.ly/SXG250ZchOF

06/15/2026

AI is showing up across the natural gas industry faster than most organizations have had time to evaluate it.

The pressure to act on it is mounting, even when the field-validated evidence for your specific environment remains thin.

What most people are looking for is perspective from operators who have been through the evaluation process and can speak to what they found.

This year’s OpsCon agenda reflects that reality.

The peer-led sessions and roundtables spanning all 9 educational tracks explore how operations professionals are thinking about AI, from gas control and underground storage to supply chain and beyond.

The operators working through this same evaluation will be in Austin this July.

See the full agenda and register now → https://ow.ly/jYiQ50ZbTJm

06/11/2026

The Q2 issue of The LINK is live.

This quarter's conversations covered the challenges currently facing the natural gas industry: the gap between safety programs and field reality, the knowledge walking out the door with retiring employees, and what it actually takes to prepare your team before a regulator shows up.

You'll find recaps from Spring Gas and the Management Conference, a look at what 38 organizations decided about workforce development before they had to, and an introduction to a former PHMSA Chief Investigator now working for operators instead.

Read the full issue now: https://ow.ly/G6Z850Z9W4V

The Q2 issue of The LINK covers workforce development, regulatory readiness, peer learning, and what's ahead at OpsCon and SafetyCon in Austin.

06/11/2026

Tomorrow is the last day to submit your company's 2025 safety data to the SGA Incident Experience Survey.

Here's the thing: the benchmarks presented at the Safety & Training Conference in July are only as good as the companies that contribute to them.

Your company's data:
→ Shapes what patterns emerge
→ Informs what other operators learn
→ Strengthens what we all understand about safety across the industry

The survey only takes 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

Submit your data by tomorrow: https://ow.ly/yHVs50Z9XP3

06/10/2026

The 2026 SGA Award finalists have been announced.

Over 1,000 members participated in the voting process. Here are the finalists who will be celebrated in July.

Your votes recognized those who:
‣ Share knowledge that strengthens the industry
‣ Grow the next generation of leaders and build systems that last
‣ Advance natural gas through innovation, safety, environmental stewardship, and community trust

These finalists built something that will outlast their tenure.

They connected people to solutions and made their industry better.

Meet the finalists across eight categories:
‣ Emerging leaders mentoring the next generation
‣ Community programs strengthening trust
‣ Safety innovations protecting people
‣ Engineering solutions modernizing operations
‣ ESG commitments proving natural gas leads on environmental performance
‣ Individuals whose courage saved lives

We'll be sharing spotlights on the finalists in the coming weeks so you can get to know the work they're being recognized for.

Explore the finalists: https://ow.ly/2tCo50Za9zO

06/10/2026

For over a decade, Tiffany Ziemer was on the other side of your audit. She managed PHMSA enforcement programs across 11 states and led national accident investigation teams.

Now she's joining SGA as Director of Pipeline Safety & Regulatory Excellence.

Here's why this matters to you: Tiffany understands how inspections unfold operationally. More importantly, she understands what drives incidents in the first place. That insight translates into practical guidance on reducing risk and building safer operations.

The timing is significant. The PHMSA environment is actively shifting toward performance-based, less prescriptive standards. For operators prepared to navigate this shift, it's an advantage most competitors won't see coming.

Most operators are focused on surviving change. Tiffany is here to help SGA members use it strategically.

She'll shape our training resources, regulatory perspectives, and the insights your teams access through SGA's Training Subscription. More importantly, she brings real investigative intelligence that helps field technicians and safety managers prevent incidents before they happen.

Learn more about Tiffany's background, her vision for SGA, and how she'll help members navigate the changing regulatory landscape.

Read the full announcement on our blog: https://sganaturalgas.org/2026/06/phmsa-operational-preparedness/

SGA is putting real regulatory depth to work for your organization.

As pipeline operators navigate evolving PHMSA expectations, SGA is helping members strengthen operational preparedness, safety readiness, and workforce capability through practical regulatory insight and year-round training support.

06/09/2026

How confident are you in applying the Mega Rule updates to your current projects?

For most pipeline engineers, the regulations changed faster than internal training could keep up. You're expected to design to the latest Part 192 requirements, but you're piecing together what applies from federal register updates, industry forums and conversations with peers.

That works until you're the one who has to defend a design decision or explain to leadership why a project timeline shifted due to compliance requirements you didn't catch early enough.

SGA's Transmission Pipeline Design Workshop starts July 7 in Bryan, Texas. One month out, and seats are filling.

Over 3.5 days, you'll work through a real-life pipeline project with instructors who know the code inside and out. You'll learn what triggers new compliance obligations, how TVC documentation requirements apply and where rupture mitigation valve standards affect your designs.

This isn't reading through regulation updates on your own. You'll work through design scenarios with engineers facing the same regulatory complexity, get your questions answered by experts and connect with peers during social events hosted by Evers & Sons.

You'll leave with clarity on how to apply current requirements to projects waiting on your desk and 26 PDH credits.

Secure your seat now: https://ow.ly/WAyH50Z3bEy

06/08/2026

Industry professionals want to talk about natural gas in their communities. The challenge: translating energy data and industry facts into something that resonates in everyday conversation.

The SGA Stakeholder Communications Committee tackled that gap by creating the Natural Gas Facts flyer, a collection of downloadable assets anyone can use when talking to neighbors, customers, and community members about natural gas benefits.

The resource supports real conversation with data and narrative storylines on affordability, reliability, and cleaner energy.

Committee Chair Eric Miller Jr. (Williams Companies) led development of the one-pager alongside a team focused on giving SGA members tools they can actually use in the field and in the community.

To extend this reach even further, the committee is also revamping the Natural Gas Champions® program.

Download the Fact Sheet: https://ow.ly/qSFk50Z8Ujj

The Stakeholder Communications Committee was selected as May's Committee of the Month because when committees create resources that make industry voices stronger in their communities, everyone benefits.

06/05/2026

There's a point in a safety career where the fundamentals are solid, but the hard problems haven't gotten easier.

SafetyCon 2026 meets you where you are.

Safety managers, HSE leaders, field supervisors, and operations leaders responsible for making mature programs actually perform are gathering in Austin this July for two days of peer-driven learning.

Two of the most valuable sessions are structured roundtables where professionals from across the industry compare what they're seeing, what they've tried, and what's working in the field.

If the problems you're working on are the kind that don't get solved in isolation, SafetyCon is where that work moves forward.

Register now: https://ow.ly/1A4750Z7aCm