API Energy Excellence aims to drives sustainability and environmental progress

Earlier this year, API launched its Energy Excellence member initiative. The program is designed to build upon and accelerate industry efforts to advance safety, environmental stewardship and sustainability.

At API’s State of American Energy event in January, President and CEO Mike Sommers explained that the new initiative provides a clear roadmap for accelerating safety and environmental performance across all segments of the industry. “For nearly a century, API’s standards have supported the safe and environmentally responsible development, production and transportation of natural gas and oil operations. As energy leaders, all API members now participate in the API Energy Excellence program.”

Member companies will be required to demonstrate their efforts to advance safety and sustainability by adhering to the 13 core elements of API Energy Excellence through annual reporting to API. These performance management elements range from leadership and community engagement to employee training and equipment design.

Utilizing these 13 elements as a guide, members will demonstrate and report their efforts through participation in the standards and programs that API has developed and honed over the past decades. This approach is designed to improve safety and environmental performance in all areas of operation.

The program advances a set of principles designed to establish an overarching management system approach to operational excellence and sustainability. These principles include leadership, culture of safety and environmental protection and continuous improvements that harnesses innovation. Each of these principles is supported and operationalized through API’s safety standards, certification programs and management systems assessment programs.

For instance, the Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) required for offshore operators by the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) is based on API Recommended Practice 75 – a safety standard that provides requirements for a company to implement SEMS across operations.

This fundamental document that can be used to help meet the core elements of API Energy Excellence also serves as the foundational standard for the Center for Offshore Safety (COS), a program committed to supporting offshore operators as they develop, implement and improve their SEMS.

In support of industry objectives to drive further emissions reductions, API member companies can join programs like API’s The Environmental Partnership, which facilitates emissions reductions that mitigate risks of climate change.

The Environmental Partnership is a voluntary program focused on reducing upstream and midstream emissions by taking action, learning about best practices and collaborating. Member companies can join the nearly 90 existing participants – including both members and non-members – and take action through six programs – the Pneumatic Controller, Manual Liquids Unloading, Leak Detection/Repair, and Compressor Programs, and more recently added Pipeline Blowout and Flaring Programs.

For more information about API Energy Excellence, click here.