33rd Annual
Technical Conference
November 20, 2025
Coconut Joe’s Private Beach Club
4000 Easton Dr Suite 2, Bakersfield
The 2025 Conference will feature presentations on the coming challenges for industry and regulators in the Central Valley, as well as strategies and tools being utilized to meet them.
Featured Speakers
Jackie Ferlita
President – Emissions Desk
Air Quality Consultants
Topic: Emission Credits Market Updates
Ms. Ferlita is the President, Owner, and Founder of the Emissions Desk at AQC Environmental Brokerage Services Inc. AQC serves as a broker and consultant in the emissions markets, specializing in voluntary carbon offset credits, renewable energy credits, and California’s regional markets, including the Low Carbon Fuel Standard and AB 32 carbon cap-and-invest program. The firm also actively operates in Federal CSAPR NOx and SOx markets, regional Emission Reduction Credit markets across the United States, and greenhouse gas compliance markets nationwide.
Beginning her career as a broker in 2008, Jackie brokered and facilitate the transaction of over a billion dollars of environmental credits.
Ms. Ferlita holds a BA in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and an MBA with an emphasis on Finance from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business Management.
Caroline Alden
Chief Scientist
LongPath Technologies
Topic: Real-Time Methane Monitoring as a Compliance Tool for California Senate Bill 1137
Dr. Caroline Alden is Chief Scientist and Co-Founder of LongPath Technologies. Her background is in the environmental sciences, with a Geology degree from Colorado College, a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado on greenhouse gas emissions modeling, and postdoctoral fellowship in climate dynamics at Stanford University. At LongPath, she leads policy and regulatory affairs, in addition to pioneering LongPath’s continued innovations in methane monitoring and emissions alerting algorithms. Her decade-long dedication to developing advanced tools for greenhouse gas detection underscores her commitment to technological innovation in support of environmental stewardship, aiding in climate mitigation and low-carbon planning.
Jonathan Dethloff
Director of Strategy and Market Intelligence
Carbon TerraVault
Topic: Carbon TerraVault I: Pioneering CCS in California
Jonathan Dethloff is the Director of Strategy and Market Intelligence for Carbon TerraVault, a subsidiary of California Resources Corporation focused on carbon management and the energy transition. He has 17 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and air policy, with the past 6 years focused on climate policy and low-carbon project development, including CCS, DAC, renewables, and low-carbon power.
Marcus Firstman
Senior Consultant
Trinity Consultants, Irvine
Topic: California SB 253 & SB 261 Climate Data Disclosure
Marcus Firstman is a Senior Consultant in Trinity’s Irvine, California office. He has more than six years of experience in multimedia environmental consulting including greenhouse gas reporting, greenhouse gas verification, life cycle assessment, environmental product declarations, air permitting, air dispersion modeling, stormwater, SPCC, and hazardous waste. To date, Mr. Firstman has completed over 75 greenhouse gas reporting and verification projects across California, Oregon, Washington, Georgia, and North Carolina for facilities across various industries including power generation, oil & gas, aerospace, municipal solid waste landfills, landfill gas-to-energy utilities, MSW incinerators, agriculture, food & beverage manufacturing, hospitality, mining, and general manufacturing.
Mr. Firstman graduated from the University of California, Irvine and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a B.S. in Applied Physics. He is an accredited lead verifier for California’s MRR and LCFS programs, accredited lead verifier for Oregon’s GHGRP and CFP, as well as a Certified Permitting Professional (CPP) with the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
Craig Murphy
Interim Director
Kern County Planning & Natural Resource Department
Topic: Kern County Oil and Gas Permitting, Post SB 237
Craig Murphy is the Interim Director for the Kern County Planning and Natural Resources Department, a role he assumed in August 2025. Craig has over twenty (20) years of land use experience within the department serving in various roles as a Planner, Supervisor, Division Chief and Assistant Director, where his primary responsibilities included the direct management and supervision of the +/- 80 member department. During his tenure, Craig has played an integral role in the processing and implementation of all Kern County energy related land use applications. Prior to his work at the County, Craig spent time working for local and federal elected officials in San Jose and Washington DC. Craig attended San Jose State University where he was a member of the soccer team and earned degrees in both Political Science and Radio/Television Boradcast Journalism.
Yasmeen Sultana
President & CEO, Quantum ESI
Topic: Potential Impacts of Rollbacks of Federal Greenhouse Gas and Methane Regulations
Yasmeen is an air quality, greenhouse gas (GHG), and ESG expert with 19 years of experience in consulting for GHG programs at several large oil and gas, power, and industrial clients. Yasmeen serves as a strategic advisor to global clients dealing with existing and emerging air quality, GHG, and climate issues. Yasmeen has been assisting large clients with developing their greenhouse gas portfolio and carbon programs for various corporate, voluntary, and regulatory reporting needs. Yasmeen also assists large clients with identification of GHG emission reduction opportunities, development of reduction and net zero plans including plans for reducing energy use at facilities, electrification of fleets, and use of alternative fuels. She is also an expert in the cap & trade markets for carbon and has collaborated with emissions credit brokerage firms to assist clients with emissions credit trading.
Schedule
8:00am – 9:00am
Main Room
Check-in and Lite Breakfast
9:00am – 9:05am
Main Room
Welcome & Board Announcements
9:05am – 9:50am
Main Room
Carbon TerraVault I: Pioneering CCS in California
By Jonathan Dethloff, Carbon TerraVault
9:50am – 10:05am
Main Room
Break + Exhibitor Presentations
10:05am – 10:50am
Main Room
Potential Impacts of Rollbacks of Federal Greenhouse Gas and Methane Regulations
By Yasmeen Sultana, Quantum ESI
10:50am – 11:05am
Main Room
Break + Exhibitor Presentations
11:05am – 11:50pm
Main Room
Emissions Credit Market Updates – LCFS, Cap & Invest, SJV ERCs
By Jackie Ferlita, Air Quality Consultants
11:50pm – 12:50pm
Main Room
Lunch + Exhibitor Booth Time + Networking
12:50pm – 1:00pm
Main Room
After Lunch Kick-off + Grants & Scholarships Announcements
1:00pm – 1:45pm
Main Room
California Senate Bills 253 & 261 Climate Data Disclosure
By Marcus Firstman, Trinity Consultants
1:45pm – 2:00pm
Main Room
Break + Networking
2:00pm – 2:45pm
Main Room
Real-Time Methane Monitoring as a Compliance Tool for California Senate Bill 1137
By Caroline Alden, LongPath Tehcnologies
2:45pm – 3:00pm
Main Room
Break + Networking
3:00pm – 3:45pm
Main Room
Kern County Oil & Gas Permitting, Post SB 237
By Craig Murphy, Kern County Planning & Natural Resources Department
3:45pm – 3:50pm
Main Room
Closing & Adjournment
About the Conference
The AWMA Golden Empire Chapter’s 33rd Annual Technical Conference has been scheduled for Thursday, November 20, 2025.
Sponsors & Exhibitors
Interested in sponsoring the 2025 Technical Conference?
About the Organizers
The A&WMA was established in 1907 and has chapters throughout the United States and Europe. The organization is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that enhances knowledge and expertise by providing a neutral forum for technology exchange, professional development, public education and outreach to more than 13,000 environmental professionals in 65 countries. The A&WMA also promotes global environmental responsibility and increases the effectiveness of organizations to make critical decisions that benefit society.
The Golden Empire Chapter of the A&WMA consists of members from the manufacturing, chemical, agriculture and oil and gas industries as well as numerous local government agencies. All meetings and conferences are open to the public (membership is not required) and open attendance is encouraged. All proceeds from the Technical Conference fund our scholarship and educational grant program, which provides money to local schools and students to pursue science-related endeavors in the hope of preparing a new generation for environmental stewardship. The Golden Empire Chapter provides thousands of dollars each year to Central California schools and students through this program.
GET INVOLVED
NETWORK
P.O. Box 20748
Bakersfield, CA 93390
info@awmagoldenempire.org
P.O. Box 20748
Bakersfield, CA 93390
info@awmagoldenempire.org