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At a “defining moment” for its industry, the Pipeline Research Council International has announced the election of Eric J. Amundsen, of Panhandle Energy, as chairman through 2013.
PRCI’s Board of Directors elected Amundsen, Vice President and Chief Asset Integrity Officer for Panhandle, at its recent annual meeting. Amundsen succeeds Paul F. MacGregor, VP, Operations and Project Services for TransCanada PipeLines Ltd., who will continue on the Executive Committee as Past Chair.
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| Eric Amundsen will chair PRCI until 2013. |
In addition, Christophe Renier, Gas Facilities Director with France-based GDF Suez, was elected Vice Chair. And Harold Kraft, Vice President, Engineering & Construction with Alliance Pipeline Limited, joined the Executive Committee
Eric Amundsen
Amundsen has been a PRCI Board member since 2005.
He has 29 years of operations and engineering experience in the natural-gas transmission pipeline industry, having held numerous leadership positions with Panhandle Energy since graduating from Iowa State University in 1982 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering.
In his current position, he is responsible for all technical and integrity aspects of Panhandle Energy’s asset operations, including pipeline integrity management, corrosion control and enterprise asset management systems.
Panhandle owns and operates 15,000 miles of interstate and offshore Gulf of Mexico transmission pipelines and is one of the nation’s largest LNG import terminals.
Focus on Pipeline Safety Performance
“This is an exciting time to become the Chairman of PRCI,” said Amundsen.
Alluding to several pipeline spills and fatal ruptures since 2010, Amundsen added: “As a result of recent high-profile incidents, the energy pipeline industry has been catalyzed to systematically step improve its safety performance, and they are looking to PRCI to provide timely research and technology to enable that change.
“PRCI is committed to meeting this challenge in the pipeline integrity arena while at the same time continuing to deliver technology advancement in the areas of design, materials and construction, compressor and pump, measurement and underground storage for all of our members around the world.”
With the recent changes, PRCI’s Board of Directors now comprises:
• Eric J. Amundsen, Chair
• Christophe Renier, Vice Chair
• Paul F. MacGregor, Past Chair
• Kevin Bodenhamer, Enterprise Products
• Phillip H. DePriest, Marathon Pipe Line LLC
• Harold Kraft, Alliance Pipeline Limited
• John R. Pustulka, National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation
• T. Evan Smith, ExxonMobil Pipeline Company
• Jesus Soto Jr., El Paso Corporation
‘Defining Moment’
“We are at a defining moment in the pipeline industry,” said PRCI President Cliff Johnson, “and the Executive Committee and the Board are in a great position to direct PRCI to ensure that the safety and integrity needs of our global pipeline infrastructure are addressed.”
PRCI is a non-profit research organization that is comprised of energy pipeline operating companies in the United States, Europe, Canada, South America and Middle East. Associate members serve the global industry as pipe and equipment manufacturers, service providers, and vendors.
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