Newsletter

On March 24th, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the final portion of their sixth assessment report which summarizes the impact, risk, and opportunities associated with addressing and mitigating climate change.  Following recommendations laid out in previous reports, this version also stressed the need for major economic investments and the implementation of new technologies to mitigate the impacts of climate change. One of the specific recommendations has been the adoption of low-emission hydrogen, which has wide-reaching applications for abating carbon use in sectors where electrification is either difficult or impractical, like shipping, transport, and heavy industry.  Accordingly, hydrogen demand is expected to grow as the energy transition continues. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that hydrogen demand will grow from 87 million metric tons (MT) in 2020 to 500-680 million MT in 2050, and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) projects that hydrogen will account for 12% of the global energy demand by 2050.  Industry has taken note of these changes and has responded by increasing development of infrastructure projects to generate, store, and transport hydrogen.

ILTA’s annual spring Environment, Health, Safety & Security Committee meeting was held in Savannah, Georgia over March 13-15. The three-day event began with a tour of the local Colonial Terminals facility on Monday, hosted by ILTA Vice Chairman Pratt Summers of the same company.

On Tuesday, attendees convened for an opening discussion lead by Thomas Balazik with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) on its missions related to cybersecurity and what resources it provides for terminal owners and operators. Afterwards, the Security Subcommittee co-chairs Jerry Jerdine of Ergon, Inc. and Andrea Simonin of Vopak lead an interactive discussion on physical and cybersecurity best practices. The morning was capped with a presentation from Lieutenant Bill Gasperetti, USCG on the TWIC reader rule extension, next steps, and how ILTA members can look to partner with USCG on the rule’s implementation going forward.

The post-conference training portion of the annual ILTA Operating Conference & Trade Show is a fantastic opportunity for terminal professionals to expand their knowledge of terminal operations, best practices, and challenges. This year, we are featuring five courses for attendees to choose from:

ILTA is delighted to announce that Dr. David Mussington, Executive Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security (ISD) in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will be a keynote speaker at the May 22 lunch of our 2023 Operating Conference and Trade Show! He will also be attending the cybersecurity networking meet-up at the conference immediately following his keynote address.

Dr. Mussington currently serves as the Executive Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Since February 2021, he continues to lead CISA’s efforts to secure the nation’s critical infrastructure in coordination with government and the private sector. Key areas of focus include vulnerability and risk assessments; securing public gatherings; developing and conducting training and exercises; and securing high-risk chemical facilities.

The day-and-a-half long Conference portion of ILTA’s 2023 Operating Conference & Trade Show, May 22-24 in Houston, Texas, will feature four tracks along the topics of Environment; Operations & Engineering; Health, Safety, & Security; and Leadership. Here is just a sample of the fascinating educational content we have in store:

Next Generation Workforce Perspectives

This breakout session will feature rising leaders in the Under 35 category of the workforce at ILTA terminal company and supplier company members. Each panelist will describe what brought them to the terminal industry and what excites them about the future of their industry.  In addition, these emerging leaders will share their thoughts on the best support, training, or other opportunities that they have received from their employers.  Participants will also hear what our panelists recommend that hiring managers communicate to other early-career professionals during recruitment efforts to encourage that they join in creating the terminal industry of the future.