Environmental genomics applications for environmental management activities in the oil and gas industry: state-of-the-art review and future research needs

Dr Michael Marnane is a Senior Marine Ecologist within the Chevron Energy Technology Company, based in Perth, Western Australia, where he provides technical advice and leads science and innovation projects that improve operational efficiency and environmental performance across Chevon’s global operations. Michael has a PhD in Marine Biology from James Cook University and has over 25 years of experience in marine science and environmental management. He leads Chevron’s Cost-Effective Biodiversity Monitoring Program and has developed a range of novel monitoring technologies to assess and manage potential environmental impacts of offshore activities. Michael has led projects on the environmental monitoring and management of port developments, seismic operations, offshore drilling, marine outfalls and invasive species. Most recently, Michael has been applying new technologies, such as environmental DNA (eDNA) and stereo-video methods, to demonstrate the environmental and socioeconomic value of leave-in-place decommissioning alternatives for offshore oil and gas infrastructure.

Dr Marc Skinner is a senior marine scientist and biostatistician with over two decades of technical and project management experience in temperate North American marine and freshwater ecosystems as well as Caribbean marine environments. He has previously served as Stantec’s Technical Leader for Marine Ecosystems in Canada and Practice Leader for the Environmental Services Group in Atlantic Canada. Marc’s professional and research interests focus on environmental monitoring of industrial development in natural resource sectors, particularly oil and gas, forestry, aquaculture and commercial fisheries. His expertise lies in environmental effects monitoring, benthic ecology, sediment geochemistry, water quality, seagrass ecology and physiology, and remote sensing. In addition, he provides senior advice on study design and data analysis for marine, freshwater and wildlife projects. Marc has been invited on multiple occasions to provide scientific advice to Canadian federal regulatory agencies. He maintains R&D collaborations with industrial partners, US and Canadian regulatory agencies, NGOs and academia, particularly regarding environmental genomics, to provide innovative approaches to regulatory challenges. Dr Skinner is also an Adjunct Professor with the Faculty of Graduate Studies at Dalhousie University as well as the Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at the University of New Brunswick.

Catie Young is currently employed at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) in the Aquatic Resources Branch, St John’s, NL. At DFO she assists with multispecies surveys at sea, laboratory work, and managing and editing a large multispecies database. She is also currently enrolled in part time studies completing her Master of Environmental Science at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). Her research is titled, ‘Distributions of deep-sea corals and sponges near Hatton Basin, Northwest Atlantic’, and includes an environmental DNA (eDNA) component which will compare analysis of eDNA samples to video analysis results to evaluate the utility of this technique for characterising corals and sponges in sensitive and relatively inaccessible environments. When at Stantec, Catie worked with the Environmental Service Team in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She has supported projects across a variety of sectors, including environmental assessments and marine and freshwater environmental effects monitoring for offshore oil and gas and mining projects, habitat compensation site reconnaissance for hydroelectric development, ecological risk assessment sampling and military base decommissioning.

Mary Murdoch is a Senior Principal at Stantec and Technical Leader for Ecosystems Services in Canada. She leads our Environmental DNA service offering and is actively engaged in environmental genomics projects in US, Canada and Australia, and in developing opportunities elsewhere in the world. Environmental genomics applications span marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments, and include development of new tools and approaches to improve biomonitoring. Mary has long-term involvement in marine offshore oil and gas projects involving environmental assessment and effects monitoring and near-shore dredging projects. She led our environmental baseline and assessment services for a large-scale proposed onshore shale gas exploration and development project. She is also a senior consultant for aquatic environmental assessment and monitoring services for mining and industrial sector clients in Canada. She is an author of several peer-reviewed publications in the fields of environmental genomics and toxicology, and regularly presents technical papers at industry-based conferences. As an innovation coach within Stantec, she supports, promotes and participates in Stantec’s internal research and development program to advance technical delivery.

Dr Jordan Angle is currently the Environmental Genomics Lead within ExxonMobil Upstream Integrated Solutions. Jordan oversees the business-unit application of genomic technologies and also drives the technical R&D to further improve implementation. He also serves ExxonMobil as subject matter expert in nature-based and natural climate solutions. He holds a PhD in Microbiology from The Ohio State University where he studied methane-producing microorganisms and their contributions to greenhouse gas emissions from freshwater wetlands. Prior to that, he obtained BS and MS degrees in Biology from Eastern Illinois University.

Dr Jeff Pollock is currently the Environment and Biodiversity Advisor for Chevron’s Gulf of Mexico Business Unit, based in Houston, Texas. Jeff provides subject matter expertise in the areas of biodiversity and protected species, environmental risk, environmental impact assessment and emergency response. Jeff holds a PhD in ecology from the University of Alabama and has over 15 years of subsequent professional experience in both the energy industry and environmental consulting.

Thomas Merzi is currently R&D Biodiversity Project Manager within TotalEnergies. Thomas is a trained ecologist with a master’s degree in Biodiversity, Ecology and Environment; he studied Macroevolution in the University of Virginia and finalised its research at the University of Grenoble, studying Population Genomics. This was followed by an international volunteer experience as an environmental engineer in the Mahakam Delta in Indonesia from 2008 to 2010. Thomas was then appointed Environmental Engineer in TotalEnergies’ affiliate in Angola, where he was first in charge of environmental impacts’ studies and regulatory reporting; and later operations, managing chemicals, wastes and oil spill activities. Back in France at the end of 2013, Thomas was assigned Ecotoxicology Expert for the Group’s E&P affiliates, in charge of risk assessment modelling studies and all E&P sites monitoring surveys. Since summer 2019, Thomas has joined the R&D team where he coordinates R&D actions on environmental genomics, eDNA topics and all biodiversity topics. R&D Biodiversity Team focuses on providing innovative tools and solution for project’s planification and field monitoring techniques’ improvement in which eDNA and molecular biology play a major role.

Dr Nicolas Tsesmetzis is the Project Leader for BioElectochemical Systems and Metagenomics in Shell’s BioTechnology group. Nicolas is an expert in the field of Petroleum Microbiology and has 14+ years of experience in Biofuels and Renewables with focus on microbial processes. He holds a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from the University of East Anglia, UK, and a MSc degree in Plant Biotechnology from the University of Reading, UK. Nicolas has co-authored several peer-reviewed research articles and book chapters. He was appointed as Visiting Professor of Practice in the School of Natural & Environmental Sciences from the Newcastle University, UK (2017–2020), and is a member of the Technical Scientific Committee of the ISMOS Conference. His research incorporates a broad spectrum of lab-based next-generation DNA/RNA technologies as well as advanced computational methods for in-depth analysis of genomic, metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data from environmental and industrially relevant processes.

Dr Paola Maria Pedroni is Principal Advisor for Environmental Impact Assessments and Biodiversity with the HSEQ Department of Eni Natural Resources, based at headquarters in Milan, Italy. Her current responsibilities include integration of environmental sustainability and management of biodiversity and ecosystem services into company-wide operating practices and global asset portfolio. As part of her work in international oil and gas trade associations, Paola is Eni representative on the Environment Committee of IOGP, which she served as Co-chair, and on the joint IPIECA-IOGP Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services Working Group, which she served as Chair. Paola has also a broad range of R&D experience having worked for over 20 years in the biotechnology and environmental fields on projects for the development of recombinant vaccines and biocatalysts, the biological production of H₂ from solid waste with genetically designed photosynthetic bacteria and the biofixation of CO₂ with microalgae combined to waste water treatment.

Ane Kjølhamar is a Principal Researcher with the Equinor Research Centre, located in Trondheim, Norway. She works in the Environmental Technology Department where she primarily works with environmental impacts from renewables like offshore wind and solar. She is also involved in biodiversity projects and in developing new technology like environmental DNA. Ane has been in Equinor since 2007 and has a master’s degree in Biodiversity from the Technical University in Trondheim.

Anita Skarstad is a Principal Researcher at the Equinor Research Centre, based in Trondheim in the middle of Norway, working within Environmental Risk and Oil Spill Response. Anita’s background is from Biotechnology, Cell Biology and Molecular Biology and she is task manager for different eDNA-based methodology development projects, for instance, JIPs funded by the Research Council of Norway, Equinor and other oil and gas companies within marine sediment environmental monitoring using eDNA technology. She is Equinor representative in the IOGP JIP-34 Environmental Genomics.

Cyril Mickiewicz serves in the Environmental Department of Eni US Operating Co. Inc., based in Houston, Texas. Mr Mickiewicz’s responsibilities include oversight of the waste management program and supporting compliance with the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) discharge permit for offshore facilities and drilling operations. He also performs greenhouse gas (GHG) data collection, trend analysis, and assists with the development of energy efficiency projects for GOM and Alaska operations. Mr. Mickiewicz has over 25 years of experience in various aspects of the environmental industry. Prior to working for Eni US, Cyril managed environmental due diligence, site investigation and remediation projects in Texas, Louisiana, Florida and Oklahoma. His particular emphasis was the remediation of groundwater impacted by chlorinated solvents using in situ bioremediation techniques and water extraction systems at commercial real estate and industrial sites.

Felicite Robertson assumed the role of Environment Manager in 2018. Felicite spent 4 years as a Commercial Analyst in the gas industry with focus on International Commercial Arbitration (price re-openers) and analysis of financial, operational and legal risks. Felicite holds a Maritime Law degree. Today she works with the Environment Director towards the development and promotion of good environmental practices to support Members’ efforts to manage environmental risk and improve environmental and GHG performance. She works closely with the Environment Committee to proactively develop and advocate the industry’s position to inform regulatory changes with environmental implications and enhance industry’s licence to operate, and she actively engages with regulators and relevant stakeholders to identify/address concerns, raise awareness and encourage fact-based discussion. Projects involve Recommended Practices for Methane Detection, Carbon Capture and Storage Guideline (joint Environment/Geomatics Committees): Advocacy and Outreach, via Regional Seas: (OSPAR, Barcelona, Abidjan and Cartagena Regional Seas conventions). Felicite manages the Sound and Marine Life JIP to increase awareness and advocacy of the industry’s position on E&P sound and marine life-related issues and the JIP34 (Environmental DNA).

Harvey Johnstone assumed the role of Environment Director in 2021, bringing 34 years of experience in both government and private sector roles. Harvey spent 14 years with the Western Australian Government’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). His roles with the DEP spanned air quality monitoring, and Management of Industry Licensing, Pollution Management and Contaminated Sites. He was instrumental in the advent of many regulatory changes including, load-based licencing, small industry regulation and the drafting of WA’s Contaminated Sites legislation. Harvey left the DEP to join BP’s Remediation Management Function in Perth, overseeing soil and groundwater liabilities in the western and southern parts of Australia, extending into Southeast Asia and the Middle East where he oversaw large remediation projects. He also acted as Environment Advisor to BP Upstream NOJVs in Australia. Harvey has extensive experience in decommissioning planning and operations, particularly onshore decommissioning and asset retirement obligations and was a part of the Decommissioning Due Diligence team for BP’s Onshore assets. Harvey has managed projects and issues in many countries including Australia, Canada, China, Iraq, Oman, Vietnam, Singapore, UK and USA. Harvey has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Western Australia and a Certificate in Governance Practice from the Governance Institute of Australia.