2025 NAPCA Speaker Presentations Recap
The 2025 NAPCA Convention brought together leaders from across the pipeline industry to share insights, challenges, and forward-looking strategies in an evolving regulatory and commercial landscape. Below is a summary of the featured speaker presentations, each offering a unique perspective on infrastructure development, safety, leadership, and energy transition.
Gary Vogt – Project Consulting Services, Inc.
Topic: CO₂ Pipeline Outlook and Carbon Capture Infrastructure
Gary Vogt’s presentation focused on the rapid expansion of CO₂ pipeline infrastructure to support Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS). He detailed the benefits and challenges of retrofitting existing pipelines versus constructing new ones, with a focus on regulatory classifications (Part 192 vs. Part 195), material compatibility, and design limitations. He emphasized the $170–$230 billion investment needed to meet decarbonization targets, projecting over 65,000 miles of CO₂ pipeline could be required by 2050. The presentation also included updates on global CCS projects and emphasized bipartisan infrastructure funding and EPA permitting bottlenecks as key market influencers.
Adam Nietsche – Pumpco, Inc.
Topic: Lessons from the Field – Pipeline Construction Challenges
Adam Nietsche delivered a retrospective and practical look at the evolution of pipeline construction standards, regulations, and challenges. Beginning with pre-regulatory 19th-century practices and advancing through the modern regulatory era, he charted the tightening of welding, coating, safety, and environmental oversight. Emphasizing Pumpco’s field-based experience, Adam outlined common project roadblocks and offered actionable compliance strategies, including staying current with PHMSA, EPA, and OSHA updates. He also discussed how political turnover impacts regulatory enforcement and shared training and risk mitigation practices Pumpco uses to stay ahead of compliance demands.
Inspiring Leadership Session
Topic: Leadership through Coaching and Humility
This presentation centered on personal and organizational leadership development, using sports coaching analogies and inspirational videos. It emphasized the importance of humility, resilience, and emotional intelligence in leadership roles. Attendees were encouraged to reflect on their leadership style, the role of mentorship, and how to cultivate trust and performance within teams. Though less technical than other sessions, this talk served as a motivational anchor for attendees navigating the demands of high-stakes, high-regulation industries.
WhiteWater Midstream – Project Development in Market Uncertainty
Topic: Navigating Project Development Amid Economic and Regulatory Volatility
WhiteWater’s team delivered a data-driven analysis of how macroeconomic conditions, tariffs, permitting delays, and capital constraints are reshaping pipeline development. They showcased WhiteWater’s $14B in project execution and their ability to scale despite headwinds. Highlights included:
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A comparison of intrastate vs. interstate pipeline development timelines.
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Tariff impacts on steel pricing and domestic productivity.
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Increasing project costs (notably steel and labor, which make up ~80% of total project budgets).
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Market uncertainty’s chilling effect on LNG export projects and energy M&A activity.
The team concluded that while demand remains high—especially in the Permian—regulatory instability and financial volatility are straining the project pipeline from FID to construction.
